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CCEE faculty encourage prospective students to attend UNM
March 14, 2025 - By Carly Bowling
Prospective university students have a lot to consider when applying to college. Hearing from those who have successfully made it to the other side can be what differentiates one college from another. Last weekend, a University of New Mexico School of Engineering faculty member spoke at The University’s premier recruitment event to share his academic journey and encourage students to attend UNM.
Carlos Rivera-Gonzalez, assistant professor in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE), delivered the keynote and welcome address at UNM Spring Preview Day.
More than 900 prospective UNM students and family members attended the recruitment event. Rivera-Gonzalez spoke about the research path that led him to study the interaction of land use and transportation systems with faculty from across campus and shared why he is proud to be a Lobo.
“I wanted to inspire students to join UNM, an excellent university celebrated for its exceptional researchers and vibrant community spirit. I am deeply grateful to Dan Garcia, Vice President for Enrollment Management, for the opportunity to share my journey with prospective UNM students. Speaking to a room full of high school students and their families, where I shared my experiences in college and research, was incredibly rewarding as I could see how my story resonated with the audience and sparked their genuine interest.”
Vice President Garcia later wrote Rivera-Gonzalez to thank him for engaging the prospective students and their families. Garcia said his remarks were “inspiring.”
“As you know, the weight and importance of our faculty speaking directly to prospective students and their parents is enormous. Sharing your experience facing the choice of where to go to college, then going to college, and how your research and teaching interests have evolved things was inspiring. It was exactly what our audience needed to hear,” Garcia wrote.
Rivera-Gonzalez isn’t the only School of Engineering faculty member to share their story with potential students. Last semester, another professor in CCEE delivered the Fall Preview Day keynote. Assistant Professor Allyson McGaughey encouraged the audience to have confidence in their academic abilities and take advantage of all UNM has to offer.
“When I was in their shoes, I wasn’t sure that I could succeed in college – not to mention major in engineering, which is supposed to be hard. So, it’s important to me to speak to those students who doubt themselves – especially those future engineers – and assure them that they can succeed and that UNM, with our deep connections and commitment to our community, and our incredible opportunities for research and coursework in every field you can think of, is the place to figure out who you want to be and what you are capable of.”