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Success Stories

Elena Gallegos leaning against an adobe wall, smiling. With Giving Tuesday logo.

Elena Gallegos Finds the Challenges and Joys of Freshman Year

Taylor Swift, Elena’s Gallegos’ favorite artist, sings the lyrics “if you never bleed, you’re never gonna grow” in her song The 1. Elena says she finds courage in these words when facing an unknown future. The 2023 Coronado High School graduate and Bronze Scholarship recipient is learning as she goes, experiencing all the challenges and joys of her freshman year at UNM in Albuquerque.
Read MoreElena Gallegos Finds the Challenges and Joys of Freshman Year
Picture of Jami Cruz-Sandoval

Jamie Cruz-Sandoval – 2022 Bronze Scholarship and Michael A. Hiskey Nursing Scholarship winner

Meet Jamie Cruz-Sandoval, 2022 Bronze Scholarship and Michael A. Hiskey Nursing Scholarship winner. She is majoring in Nursing at the University of New Mexico. “I come from two Native American communities, and in Indian country in general, there are a lot of health disparities. Being awarded this scholarship allows me to continue furthering my education and earn a degree, allowing me to return and serve my communities as well as others.”
Read MoreJamie Cruz-Sandoval – 2022 Bronze Scholarship and Michael A. Hiskey Nursing Scholarship winner
Nathan Oswald in a hat and sunglasses on the river.

Nathan Oswald – Career Pathways Scholarship Winner

Meet Nathan Oswald from Taos, NM. He graduated from Farmington High School in 2001, spent two decades as a whitewater raft guide, and now attends UNM-Taos. He was awarded a Career Pathways Scholarship to study Pre-Science. “I am working towards a degree to be better able to find a permanent career in natural resource management in my lifelong home of Northern New Mexico.”
Read MoreNathan Oswald – Career Pathways Scholarship Winner
Isa Bella Thomas in her cap and gown.

Isa Bella Thomas – 2022 John & Marti Browne Leadership Scholar

Meet Isa Bella Thomas, 2022 John and Marti Browne Leadership Scholar. She started Regent University in the fall of 2022 with plans to major in business. Isa Bella graduated from New Mexico School for the Arts where she took on numerous leadership roles. Sheco-founded the Women of Color Collective, which was featured in articles in the Albuquerque Journal, Source NM, The New Mexican, and Yahoo News
Read MoreIsa Bella Thomas – 2022 John & Marti Browne Leadership Scholar