By Arin McKenna and Milam Shah
March 11, 2025
Women鈥檚 History Month Celebration 2025
Last Thursday鈥檚 celebration of Women鈥檚 History Month and International Women鈥檚 Day offered inspiration and recognition for the incredible women at Northern New Mexico College. The event honored several women for their contributions and showcased powerful stories of resilience, mentorship, and achievement.
The event was organized by Tammy Winston from Student Life, Khiana Valencia from CASSC, and Milam Shah from Communications. Together, they also created a Gratitude Wall鈥攁 special space where students, faculty, and staff could honor the women who have
inspired them.
鉁� The Gratitude WallAttendees were encouraged to write messages of appreciation for women who have made a difference in their lives. The wall, located outside the
Event Center, will remain up all month long in celebration of Women鈥檚 History Month.
Participants could also:
馃拰 Grab a thank-you card to personally give to a woman they admire.
馃抠 Take a picture and tag Northern on social media for a chance to be featured.
The initiative was a collaborative effort by Student Life, CASSC, and Communications & Marketing to foster appreciation and gratitude within the Northern community.
Coach Samantha Stukes shared the historic journey of the Women鈥檚 Basketball Team reaching the Continental Athletic Conference Championship final for the first time. Though they fell short of the championship win, she emphasized
the importance of valuing the journey:
鈥�Our goal this year was to win the championship, and now 颈迟鈥檚 like, what do we do now? But we had such a beautiful journey to attain that. It鈥檚 so important to value your journey and enjoy that process. We put so much in the basket of that goal, what happen when you come up short? Well,
you change direction. You try again. You鈥檝e learned, and you get better every time
you try again.鈥�
Alicia Naranjo spoke about the transformative opportunities available through the Educational Opportunity
Center (EOC) and the power of spreading positivity through her personal philosophy:
鈥泪t takes only one person to affect that person to your right, that person to your left,
the person in front of you, the person behind you鈥�As humans, 颈迟鈥檚 important to know that as we go forward, the effect of love we put out is what鈥檚 going to come back. I hope my work has radiated
something positive.鈥�
Aida Saucedo, Assistant Professor in Teacher Education, shared her inspiring path from not finishing high school to earning a master鈥檚 degree and receiving a grant to pursue a doctorate in education and administration. She thanked Teacher Education Chair Sandra Rodriguez for her support on this journey.
鈥淎s placement coordinator here, I am now I am the one that helps teachers become teachers. Life isn鈥檛 easy, but it shouldn鈥檛 stop you from obtaining what you want.鈥� She reflected on her journey of perseverance and her role in shaping future educators.
Farjahan Shawon shared her life鈥檚 journey and then closed her speech with two powerful quotes:
鈥淓ach time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.鈥� 鈥� Maya Angelou
鈥淲ell-behaved women seldom make history.鈥� 鈥� Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Several outstanding women were recognized for their contributions:
馃弲 Jessica Mercer 鈥� Outstanding Student Award
A Phlebotomy Instructor, student, and the college mascot, Iggy, Jessica is also launching a Phlebotomy Club on campus.
馃弲 Amy Pena 鈥� Outstanding Staff Award
Presented by Khiana Valencia, calling her 鈥渁 truly remarkable woman whose years of dedication to our Northern community has made
a significant impact on all of us. She inspires those around her and supports them
on every step of their journey. Through many changes of administration she has remained
a steadfast presence for our college, ensuring that everyone who walks through the door feels welcomed, valued and never alone.鈥�
馃弲 Sushmita Nandy 鈥� Outstanding Faculty Award
Presented by her husband, Associate Professor Ashis Nandy, for her dedication as a scholar, researcher, scientist, teacher, and mentor in establishing a research lab on campus.
馃弲 Communications & Marketing Team 鈥� Outstanding Department Award
Milam Shah introduced her team, expressing gratitude for working with such a talented, supportive, and inspiring group of women, saying 鈥�I joined the Communications Department a year ago, and from day one I found myself surrounded by an incredible team of women
who made my journey so special鈥� At the end of the day, we appreciate each other鈥檚 skills, and we know what we鈥檙e doing and we give each other space, or just give each other coffee.鈥�
The celebration ended with a fun trivia game testing how well attendees knew their colleagues. Questions included:
鉂� Who just got a new car?
鉂� Who鈥檚 a crochet artist?
馃弳 Martin Shupla won first prize!
馃摙 Community partners such as EOC and Girl Scouts (selling cookies! 馃崻) also participated, making the event lively and engaging.
Through storytelling, recognition, and community-building activities, the Women鈥檚 History Month Celebration 2025 uplifted and honored the incredible women of Northern.