IN THE SPOTLIGHT
DR. JOHN WAELITI
After retiring from teaching agricultural economics for some 40 years, including 11 years as head of NMSU’s AgEcon department in the College of ACES, John Waelti turned his attention to philanthropy. He established a charitable gift annuity at NMSU, linking his legacy with the tripartite mission of NMSU – teaching, research and extension – in the spirit of our land-grant mandate.
PAULA SASS DONNELLY
Judge Thomas Allyn Donnelly ’52 was the consummate NMSU Aggie – serving his basketball team, his country, his profession and his community with dignity and honor. Paying tribute to someone as extraordinary as the late Judge Donnelly was very important to his wife, Paula Sass Donnelly. To do so, she created an endowed scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences to carry on his legacy of public service and leadership.
ANDREW PICK-ROTH
Andrew Pick-Roth developed his worldview at an early age. The child of an attorney-turned-civics and public policy teacher, he had friends from every continent and developed a passion for justice and cultural awareness. After pursuing a double major in Government and Communication Studies, he hopes to contribute to global solutions leading to nuclear disarmament and world peace. Andrew received the first Thomas Allyn Donnelly Endowed Scholarship supporting students in the College of Arts and Sciences, allowing him to study in South Korea in the fall of 2022.
BUDDY CORTESE
When he’s not helping Farm Credit Bank of Texas support agriculture and rural communities with reliable credit and financial services, Buddy Cortese ’69 can usually be found roaming the family ranch in Fort Sumner, N.M., playing with his grandchildren or taking long walks with his wife Mary ’71.
DR. ROBERT GALLEGOS
Thanks to Robert and his wife, Professor Emerita Anne Gallegos, his legacy will live in perpetuity through four already-funded endowed scholarships. A fifth, The Roberto Gallegos Rural Northern New Mexico Scholarship, is currently underway. According to Anne, this final scholarship will help young people with “determination and potential but who lack the resources to go to college.”
CELINA CAMARILLO-DILBERT
Celina Camarillo landed her first job at age 15, teaching dance to young children at a gymnastics studio in her hometown of El Paso. She held down various jobs throughout her early twenties, but none of them could hold her interest—until she started working in insurance at AAA New Mexico and discovered her true calling.
DR. CONRAD G. KEYES, JR.
Dr. Keyes blazed his own pioneering trail, becoming a leader in addressing water issues across New Mexico and other parts of the Southwest during his lengthy career working in NMSU’s Department of Civil Engineering, and then as a consultant after retirement.
LUCAS RIVERA ’20, ‘22
The importance of water became etched in Lucas Rivera’s mind as he watched the family’s agricultural fields in Canjilon, New Mexico flourish or fade based on irrigation and rainfall. Now the NMSU graduate is committed to a career focused on this precious resource, following in the footsteps of Dr. Conrad Keyes, retired head of NMSU’s Civil Engineering Department.
ANA CORDOVA ‘11
Ana Cordova is passionate about education, science and service. And thanks to the strong educational foundation received at New Mexico State University, she is building a life that combines all three at top research labs and around the table for important policy discussions.
LUCAS RAMIREZ
A 2021 graduate of New Mexico State University's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), Lucas Ramirez is taking his love of soil and plowing it into a career in regenerative agriculture, farming in harmony with nature to restore soil quality. His goal is no small feat: he wants to change how Americans view nose to tail nutrition.
DR. PRISCILLA BLOOMQUIST
Dr. Priscilla Bloomquist’s Commitment to Service Continues into Retirement. Remaining true to her commitment to service, Bloomquist invited former and current students, colleagues, and others to donate $33 (marking the length of her tenure as an NMSU faculty member) to the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management (HRTM) Alumni Endowed Scholarship, through the NMSU Foundation.
TRENNERY TURNER
Heroes of Compassion Annual Fund for Excellence Provides Crucial Support to Nursing Student Trennery Turner in Finishing Degree. Volunteering is central to Trennery Turner’s life. Her commitment to offering her time and talent to others also helped her identify her passion to pursue a healthcare career.
ROY TRUJILLO
Roy B. Trujillo – chief operating officer of TransPerfect – is a 1989 graduate of both the colleges of Business and Engineering. Trujillo always enjoys recruiting from NMSU because he understands the deep bench of talent at the university.