Students

Alexandra is 18 years old, she was born in Albuquerque New Mexico, but most of her life she lived in a small town called Jimenez Chihuaha, she returned to Albuquerque 2 years ago, in order to be able to learn English fluently and continue with her studies. college students. She is a girl who loves animals, especially dogs and horses, she loves making decorations since she considers herself a very creative person, she loves helping people and always puts others before herself. her, that is one of her virtues. She is a very simple, humble and respectful girl, she knows how to demonstrate the values that she learned from home, she loves spending time with her family and friends, and of course the gym is one of the things that she most enjoys doing in her free time. And something very important in her, she always likes to make time for everything and everyone, she loves to be positive and persevering, she has faith that one day she will achieve all her goals.

Angelica Trillo is a 1st year engineering student. She is a proud Latina in STEM. Angelica grew up 45 minutes outside of Albuquerque in Moriarty, New Mexico where she lived on a farm and raised sheep with her older brother and sister and parents who immigrated from Mexico 32 years ago. She is a member of Society of Women engineers and loves to interact with other STEM enthusiasts. Outside of class she enjoys making art and focusing any free time towards painting with watercolor or sculpting ceramics. Since a very young age she loved to read and has found herself to recently be reading more sci-fi and dystopian type novels. She is very excited to be at UNM and is a proud Lobo!

Arelys Delval is a UNM student born in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Puerto Palomas Chihuahua, Mexico, and attended high school at Deming, New Mexico. As she moved to Mexico after many years of being in Georgia, she was afraid of her future, afraid that she would fail. Little did she know it was the destiny of her future success. She graduated as a first-generation student from Early College High School and received an associate degree in Liberal Arts from Western New Mexico University. Throughout high school, she became a migrant worker and is now part of the CAMP program, which supports students who have worked or have families that were migrant workers. Arelys is majoring in chemical engineering to become a future Physician Assistant. She enjoys creating new connections and experiences to learn exciting things. She tends to be assumed as introverted, but as soon as you get close to her, she becomes the most extroverted person you can imagine.

Raised in Pacoima, California, Ariel is the oldest between herself and her six-year-old sister and currently a sophomore at the University of New Mexico. In the middle of her senior year, Ariel moved to San Antonio, Texas and continued her high school education virtually at Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills, CA. Since her senior year, Ariel has been interested within educating those around her on the Chicano/a culture and being able to express her own experiences through her poetry and reaching to those who have experienced similar experiences in identity. In addition, she desires to continue educating her family too within the history due to her also being the first great-granddaughter on her mother's side and being an influence on her family. Going into Transformar, she hopes to not only get a better understanding within the culture but being able to continue a growth within herself in her identity.

Brayan García is originally from Michoacán, Mexico, he is a first-generation Latino who came to the United States for the sole purpose of studying. Mr. Garcia has faced several setbacks throughout his life, and like many Latinos has had the inconvenience of working at the young age of 14, where he worked in the fields to finance his dreams and help his family. Garcia’s long-term goal is to earn a Ph.D. in Economics. Where he will seek experience in the US, and after a solid foundation in his career, he would like to move to Mexico and find a job that allows him to help his old community while helping Mexico’s economy improve. Currently, he is participating in Transformar fellowship where he wants to find the essence of what it means to be part of the Latin American community as well as its culture.

A recent graduate from the New Mexico School for the Arts, Cruz Davis-Martinez is excited to be part of the 2022-2023 Transformar cohort. Cruz is working towards his goal of obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Studio Art in Spring of 2026. Davis-Martinez grew up in Espaňola, New Mexico where the cultura influenced his decision to pursue a higher education to help out others in his community. He hopes to one day combine his love of art with his passion to help others by becoming an art therapist. If he is not studying for his classes, you can find him participating in the College Assistance Migrant Program, participating in the Emerging Lobo Leaders program, or attending various events hosted by the University of New Mexico. Davis-Martinez is excited to gain a deeper understanding about his cultura by traveling to México and participating in the mentorship aspect of the program.

Hector Triana Ruiz, an Electrical Engineering student at UNM. He plans complete a bachelor’s in the science of Electrical Engineering at UNM by 2025. He is a Freshman but in credit hours is a Sophomore this year. Born in Durango, Mexico, his parents immigrated to Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was one year old. His parents came to the United States looking to pursue the American Dream. One of those dreams is for their son to have a better education and opportunities in a great country like America. He is a hard-working, humble, and perceiving young man that is willing to take risks to achieve his dreams. Hector is proud to say that he is Mexican, to say that his from South Valley, and to express his Mexican culture.

Iliana is a first year and first-generation student here at the University of New Mexico. She was born and raised in Albuquerque and grew up being influenced by many factors in her life such as family, education, culture, and experiences. This helped form her aspirations to enter the healthcare field through Exercise Science and Athletic Training in order to help others while incorporating her love for sports. Iliana likes being active whether that is through sports such as swimming or exploration of the world outdoors. She enjoys emerging herself in new environments and settings to gain more knowledge, experience, and growth. Iliana strives to take any opportunity to further her growth in the world through various approaches such as El Centro de La Raza and SSS Trio. She is excited to see what other opportunities she will be able to take in the near future and thrilled for new experiences to come. 

Jason Sanchez is a first-year, first-generation student attending UNM. He wants to pursue a degree in Business and Spanish. Jason is a proud Mexican American born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As well as being a member in the Transformar Fellowship at UNM Centro De La Raza, Jason is a member of Student Support Services-TRIO. He keeps himself busy with his hobbies. He enjoys reading, exercising, and gaming on his new pc. Jason is passionate on learning about culture and how it plays a huge role into who we are. He joined the Transformar Fellowship Program at El Centro in hopes to learn more about himself and his culture. He hopes that his experience at El Centro De La Raza will help him navigate how he wants to use culture in his professional and academic journey. Jason hopes to pursue many things during his time at UNM.

Maury Perez was born in Las Vegas and moved to San Antonio where he spent most of his childhood going from elementary school to high school. Maury was part of the broadcasting network of his school. Maury traces his roots back to Mexico both of his parents are from Mexico to be more specific they are from Guerrero mother is from Chilpancingo GRO the capital of the state and his father is from the coast of Guerrero so he is very tied with his Costeño roots.

My name is Maximiliano Monge Vela. I am a first-generation Latino student at the University of New Mexico. I am intending to earn my bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and get a double masters in mechanical and business. What interested me in engineering was primarily my dad, later on, that idea was furthered by one of my mentors in high school. I loved the idea that failure was needed to grow, I enjoyed the headaches and the struggle I went through because it made the end result that much sweeter. In the future, I want to work with the development of clean energy. I want to specialize in the development of hydrogen or nuclear energy in order to achieve a carbon-neutral environment. Not only do I want to help the current generation but I want to create a cleaner world for the generations that follow.

Stephanie is a first-year student at the University of New Mexico, majoring in Population Health with the intention of matriculating into graduate school for a Masters in Public Health and an M.D. She hopes to one day be a womens healthcare provider and serve rural communities. Stephanie is a health apprentice at Casa de Salud. Her hobbies include playing soccer and exercising, and she often goes on runs with her puppies. In her free time, she likes to watch TV shows and movies with her sisters. Growing up she played club soccer for Albuquerque United and her high school. Her favorite food is green Chile enchiladas which she enjoys making with her mother and siblings. Stephanie was born in Arizona but raised in the South Valley in Albuquerque, NM. She graduated from Atrisco Heritage Academy in 2022 and is a first-generation student. Her parents are from Chihuahua, Mexico.

Valeria is a freshman here at UNM on the path to double major in accounting and finance. She was born in Hereford, TX but grew up on the border of El Paso, TX, and Juarez, Chih. As a first-generation Mexican American coming from such a diverse city with so many backgrounds, she moved to Albuquerque hoping to discover more about the Hispanic/Latino culture. Growing her understanding through intercultural dialogue is vital to her this is why she is excited to be part of the new Transformar cohort. She hopes to learn more about her multicultural heritage, be part of community outreach activities and learn about the presence of indigenous culture in the Latino Community.

Ashley is a first generation Latina student at UNM, she is majoring in business administration with hopes of concentrating in management information systems. Ashley describes herself as a kind, determined, and slightly shy student who enjoys raves, traveling and spending time with her friends. Her favorite places to visit are Arizona and Mexico due to the majority of her family being in these areas. She also happens to have a prosthetic leg and doesn't mind talking about it nor does she let it get in her way. She hopes to be a prime example to other disabled Latinx people that they can succeed in whatever desire as long as they set their mind to it.