Fostering Resilience in Our Students
During times of great crisis, the NMSU Aggie family has consistently stepped up to ensure that future Aggie alumni succeed.
Current students face challenges related to a global pandemic, economic upheaval and renewed movement for racial justice and police reform, and their resilience during their college years will likely have a lasting impact on their success.
Two 1888 Society members, Miriam Chaiken and Blanca Campa, are examples of how Aggie family members are making sure students have what they need in order to achieve their goals.
Miriam, the former William Conroy Honors College dean who retired in July, increased her donations to Aggie Cupboard to help provide food for students, and to the Honors College Dean’s Fund for Excellence, which provides scholarships for students in need of funds for textbooks, computer support and research.
“As an educator, I know that some students are able to weather challenges easier than others, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was clear that the impact on our students was highly varied,” Miriam says. “This is a time for all of us to help each other in any way we can.”
Blanca earned her Ph.D. from NMSU in 2008 and is a professor at El Paso Community College. Her life experiences, including immigrating to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, have motivated her to write a book about fostering resilience.
“Resilient people sense a larger purpose to their lives, looking beyond their immediate challenges and goals and envisioning a better world for themselves and others,” Blanca says.
She recently initiated a Resilience Scholarship to help community college students transfer to NMSU, and has donated the proceeds from her NMSU Teaching Academy presentations. She is working on a second book so that she can continue to donate to the NMSU Foundation in support of students.
A Gift for Tomorrow
You too can help promote resilience for the next generation of NMSU students through a future gift to the NMSU Foundation. It’s a simple way to ensure tomorrow’s leaders and innovators have access to the education and resources they need to be successful. Contact Steven Covington at (575) 646-3190 or (800) 342-6678 or plannedgiving@nmsufoundation.org to learn about your giving options.