Grateful for ENLACE opportunities

Our own junior New Mexico student legislators recently returned from our state capital after completing an internship. The occasion was the 2018 ENLACE New Mexico Legislative Internship program. Adrian White, one of the facilitators, described the experience and the students who participated.

ENLACE is a statewide collaborative to connect high school students through university and college partnerships to increase access and success in education. The NM Legislative Internship is one of the programs designed to give students an extraordinary experience at the New Mexico State Capitol. The weeklong internship unites students from across the state to learn about and experience state government in action. Students met with and shadowed government officials in all three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative.

Four Clovis CHS students participated in this unique program, all juniors: Jonathan Puga is an enthusiastic soccer player with high expectations for himself, who enjoys his advanced placement math classes. Anahi Ramos, bilingual in Spanish, is also in her second year of French. Musically inclined, Ramos plays clarinet in the Wildcat Marching Band, and is also active in choir. Fabian Esquibel is an outgoing, hard-working young man, residing with extended family members after experiencing great personal loss, and was eager to participate in the program. The fourth team member was Johann Jimenez, enrolled not only in advanced placement classes, but also dual credit classes (Clovis Community College) in Microbiology and Human Anatomy. She is also active in a local internship with a community physician.

When students arrived in Santa Fe they underwent an extensive orientation covering fundamentals of the state legislature; appropriate behavior and protocols; how to impact legislation, and more. It was an amazing opportunity for students to gain insight into the working of government. Students not only assisted in the daily operations of their legislative sponsor(s), they engaged with various committees, from Appropriations, to Education and Tax and Revenues. They were able to take part in various committee hearings and more.

There was a culminating banquet and luncheon to tie it all together before students headed home. White described the overall impact on students: “It was such a powerful experience that students were inspired to create their own youth group in Clovis beginning in the fall.” White observed the students felt compelled to become involved in their own community service projects.

Many thanks to the adults making remarkable opportunities like this available; that means you, Adrian White, Berta Loera, and Sylvia Montaño.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the instructional technology coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at: [email protected]