2021-2022 Undergraduate Research Fellows

Andrea was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a senior who started off her college education in 2018 at CNM and after receiving 2 associate degrees transferred to UNM in the fall of 2020. Her ambition stems from her parents, who both immigrated to the United States at a young age in search of a better lifestyle and of course her two brothers. Andrea is excited and grateful to be a part of a community of dedicated scholars and mentors that will benefit her for the rest of her life!

Antonio Villegas was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is currently majoring in psychology with a minor in both communications and philosophy. He has been part of many community activities including: volunteering at community farms, running open discussions clubs, and attending community pop-ups. He has also been part of a prominent up and coming screen printing and embroidery business that he and his family runs that embrace their Hispanic heritage. Antonio grew up in a very impoverished part of Albuquerque and has experienced the effect these environments have on communities and their mental health. Because of this Antonio is the first of his family to have the privilege to attend college. With these experiences he has gained an interest in how the use of the internet and social media can have severe effects on mental health, especially those in low-income areas. Through this research fellowship Antonio hopes to find ways to use social media and the internet to inform, help and reach out to those who need it like for those in communities like his, especially after the effects of what the recent global pandemic did to many people's mental health. He is very excited to be part of El Puente and is ready for this upcoming year!

Bianca is from a small town called Loving, New Mexico. She is a girl who has a pet turtle and loves the outdoors. Bianca comes from a Hispanic family of five, her parents were born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico. Bianca and her siblings are first generation Americans, she comes from a family that has always instilled in her good morals and hard work. For this reason, Bianca has experienced academic achievements in the past and now is very grateful to be given the opportunity to be a part of this program. She hopes and wants to gain so much from this program and learn everything she can for her future endeavors. Bianca is studying to become and Environmental Scientist or Specialist, she wants to de her part in taking care of the planet and public health.

Bryan was born and lived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic until the age of 13. Coming from a hard-working family that lost it all to the economy crash of 2009 has not been a reason to stop him from pursuing his dreams in business, and in life. Out of his six direct cousins, Bryan will be the first to earn a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. He is currently working on dual concentrations in Finance and International Management in Latin America. While planning to use his research to raise more income to the state of New Mexico, the goal is to provide more funding for those in need. Although school might be time consuming, he is involved in campus organizations and two part-time jobs. Bryan hopes to make a difference for all New Mexico residents.

Bryan is from Mexican descendancy, specifically from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He was born and raised in Deming, New Mexico and is currently pursuing a higher education at the University of New Mexico. Bryan has lived through many limitations and hardships, albeit he still strives to become successful and create better opportunities for him and his family. Interested in technology at an early age, Bryan pursues a degree in computer engineering to further develop his interests and hopes to also obtain a degree in a foreign language field. Bryan enjoys working out at the gym, cooking, and most importantly learning! Bryan is very dedicated and strives to make his family proud with all his accomplishments and share all the happiness these accomplishments reap with his close ones. Bryan is very grateful to the opportunity El Puente Research Fellowship is providing to him and he will make an excellent addition to this year’s fellows!

Dulce is a junior and she is a first-generation American college student. She is a proud Mexican American who was born in Glendale, Arizona but has moved a lot throughout her life, shaping her into a kind, and outgoing person. She is passionate about learning about her cultural roots, linguistic diversity, and linguistic anthropology. She stays busy and enjoys learning new things, her hobbies are writing poetry, exploring nature, and traveling. Her goal is to use her bilingualism to help the Spanish-speaking community and dreams of being an interpreter in places such as hospitals, immigration courts, and anywhere where she is needed. She wants to learn more about herself and her culture to keep embracing who she is and where she comes from. She wants to be an inspiration to other young women like her.

Eric was born in Long Beach, California and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he grew up. He is a Junior this year and is a first-generation university student born to a Mexican and Filipino family. Eric currently gives back to his community by working with high school students who are first generation and low-income in the Albuquerque Metro area as an Educational Mentor Tutor at UNM Upward Bound. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he hopes to attend graduate school to seek a master’s degree in robotics and engineering. Eric continues to pursue his academic goals while serving in the New Mexico Air National Guard as an Electrical/Environmental Specialist. In his spare time, he works on his podcast “505 On the Rise” which shines light on Albuquerque’s local artist, musicians, entrepreneurs, athletes and more. Eric’s dedication and commitment makes him an exceptional addition to this year's El Puente Research Fellowship cohort, and we all look forward to his contributions.

Erik was born in Albuquerque and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, until he was 16. He moved back to Albuquerque to achieve high school graduation and begin college. Erik is the second born of four siblings and the first to attend college. He is currently working on his Bachelor's and plans to do his Master's in signal and image processing afterward. Erik wants to improve speech recognition in Spanish and Spanglish in noisy environments in order to help communication between non-Spanish-speaking teachers and the non-English-speaking students or possess difficulties with the language.

Jacquelynn was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but also spent time living on the Navajo reservation in Ganado, Arizona. She is currently a senior and is planning to attend law school after the completion of her undergraduate degree. Additionally, she hopes to pursue a PhD in philosophy and thus further her research into jurisprudence; her ultimate goal is to become a law professor. Jacquelynn is grateful for the opportunity, research skills, and unique experience that El Puente has provided her.

Kevin was born in Cuauhtémoc Chihuahua, Mexico but immigrated with his family to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he has grown up. He was taught the value of hard work and the importance of education from his family and has set out a goal to earn his bachelors in mechanical engineering as well as completing his minors in Spanish. Kevin has been heavily inspired to pursue mechanical engineering because of his passion for vehicles and now a spark of interest has emerged thanks to the demand for cleaner energy. He hopes to research how the world is transitioning into cleaner forms of energy and he is motivated to explore the challenges and benefits that these new forms of energy bring with them. Kevin is very grateful to be able to take part in El Puente and hopes to grow both academically and personally whilst working and learning with El Centro and its mentors.

Lizbeth is from Arrey, New Mexico and is the youngest of five siblings. She is a sophomore with an interest in community and environmental health. She is a Hispanic first-generation student who comes from a family background in farm work. She has witnessed her rural community struggle financially and confronted with poor working conditions in agricultural fieldworker. This has strongly influenced her to pursue a career in public health policy, slowly contributing to her desire to close health disparities for others and reach equity within healthcare. Lizbeth also serves as a Peer Leader for the College Assistance Migrant Program. She plans to utilize the research skills given by El Puente to enhance her understanding of current public health issues and find her place in post-graduate school.

Samantha was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is the youngest of four and the first sibling to pursue a bachelor’s degree. She is currently a senior and after graduation she plans to pursue a PhD in Sociology and pursue a career as Sociology professor. Within this career path, Samantha hopes to educate incoming college students about the positive impact sociology can have on society and the world through enacted policies and the officials they elect. Ultimately, she hopes to help create and facilitate critical thinking and allow for a more equitable society in which opportunities are present for everyone.

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico Mark is a second year student at UNM with a double major in Women’s Studies and History. After graduation Mark plans on pursuing a PhD focusing on critical theory and cultural critique from a radical feminist framework. Currently, Mark is interested in the work of Simone de Beauvoir and how to dissect the gendered class system in today’s society. While at UNM Mark hopes to study abroad at Universidad Nacional Autónima de Mexico, where they would like to better understand the current social movements happening in Latin America.

Mikayla is a sophomore and is interested in Environmental Education and Research. She spent most of her childhood in Taos, New Mexico, but moved to Albuquerque when she was 10. She has actively been a part of environmental councils and organizations since she was 13. She plans to further her education in Environmental Conservation and Ecology to continue research and community outreach. Mikayla hopes to use this information to work with schools and communities to teach younger generations about the importance of environmental work and environmental impacts on local communities. Growing up in New Mexico has allowed her to grow into the passions she has today and become a positive role model in the community of Albuquerque.

Both Patricia’s parents immigrated here from Mexico and like many immigrant parents, they emphasized hard work and education. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Patricia attended schools that often underperformed state expectations. Unemployment seemed to be affecting every family in her community. This alongside the lessons instilled by her parents allowed her to become aware of inequality from an early age, the importance of education, and our environment’s impact on our health. This sparked her interest in health and social justice. As a first-generation Latina woman in STEM Patricia strongly believes in empowering marginalized communities through education. She is an avid member in several programs at the University of New Mexico including the AMSA Pre- Medical Society and an active member in her community as well. Because of her work as a nurse and her volunteer experiences, she has realized her passion has always been helping others and trying to improve their quality of life. In Patricia’s spare time she enjoys bowling, hiking, and cooking.

Omar was born in Van Nuys, California and now lives in Edgewood, New Mexico. His family comes from Zacatecas, Mexico and he is a first-generation college student like many of the students at El Centro de la Raza. Omar is a sophomore and was a CAMP scholar this past year. He hopes to work as a marketing manager and possibly attend law school. He is eager to learn more about graduate school through El Puente. He has always been interested in social change and would like to further explore the ideas of the long-term effects of social media as well as how fast fashion is continuing to impact the world.