Our people: ENMU student has plans to be judge

Joseph Gergel, a student at Eastern New Mexico University, once had plans to become an FBI agent. But after becoming fascinated with laws and politics, he's found a new calling.

Gergel, from Rio Rancho, is scheduled to graduate in May 2020 with a political science degree and a minor in criminal justice, with hope that one day he will become a judge.

Gergel said he loves everything about the Constitution and the history of the U.S.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm from Rio Rancho. I went to Rio Rancho High School. My senior year of high school I was about to go to New Mexico Tech (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology) and at the last second, I completely did a 180 and flipped my decision to come to Eastern instead.

I came here initially pursuing a criminal justice degree, but now I'm majoring in political science and minoring in criminal justice.

When I got to Eastern, I fell in love with the small class sizes and the tight-knit community. Soon after, I began getting involved in clubs and organizations. I was involved in Greek life, student government, and I am currently serving on the Board of Regents at ENMU as their student member.

Why did you choose your major?

Like I said, I started out in criminal justice and I was interested in the law enforcement field like the FBI. But then I started to get into laws and that side of law enforcement, and I really liked it, so I decided to switch my major to political science with the goal of going to law school.

Classes like constitutional law and those types of classes are what really interest me. I like learning about the Constitution, the Supreme Court, the history of the country, and how it's evolved throughout the years.

I'm in the process of applying to grad schools right now. I'm not sure where I'm going, but I'm for sure applying to schools around New Mexico and Texas.

Is what you're going to school for now what you always wanted to do growing up?

Actually, being a lawyer in general was something I wanted to do for a long time. I know that sounds really boring, but it's true.

What is your earliest childhood memory?

I was in hockey from elementary school up until middle school and I traveled with my dad a lot. We have a really close family and we spend a lot of time together.

Who do you look up to the most? And why do they inspire you?

Well from the very first time I got to Eastern, my first class was intro to criminal justice with Chief Bradley Mauldin. I liked that class and really liked him.

When I was in student government for three years, he was the advisor and he was a huge support system for me. Even now he's still been a huge support system and one of the best mentors I've ever had at Eastern.

He's really helped me with my leadership skills, university skills, and overall, he's just a great mentor.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

I hope I'm not still in school. I should be done with law school by then. After law school I still don't really know what I'm going to do.

At first, I will probably practice law. I have no idea what kind of law, but hopefully I'll figure that out once I'm in law school.

But a career that sounds really great to me is being a judge. Being a judge is something I can really envision myself doing.

I'd still maybe like to be in the FBI. But I'm not sure.

What is your favorite book?

A genre I really like is U.S. history. Definitely the revolutionary times and the founding fathers, that aspect of our history. Of course, I also like the Constitution and the meaning behind it and how difficult it was to accomplish that.

I like reading books about the Supreme Court, especially during the late 1700s and early 1800s.

What is the most important material possession you have and why?

I carry a Constitution with me wherever I go. I carry it in my backpack. It's just a pocket Constitution book and I actually have like three copies of it. Sometimes it comes in handy during class when we're talking about amendments or something along that line.

What city do you hope to live in one day? Why?

I'm split. A part of me wants to stay in the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho area. Partially because of family and because it's a pretty big city and there's definitely opportunity there.

But a part of me also wants to move to somewhere I've never been before like Indiana or Chicago.

What are you looking forward to in the next few months?

Hopefully I'll know which law school I'll be going to. I'm also looking forward to the upcoming legislative session in January.

- Compiled by Correspondent Nicole Trujillo