SILVER CITY – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham returned to Western New Mexico University on Friday to address graduates, four years after signing legislation that expanded tuition-free college for New Mexico residents.
According to the Silver City Daily Press, Lujan Grisham served as keynote speaker for Friday’s graduation ceremony, where several hundred students received degrees and certificates at Ben Altamirano Field. Overflow crowds were directed to the Besse-Forward Global Resource Center auditorium to watch a livestream of the ceremony.
Many of the graduates were among the first students to benefit from the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, a state program designed to expand access to higher education.
The governor told graduates and their families that New Mexico made history through its tuition-free college efforts and said the state’s investment in higher education is helping create new opportunities for students and families.
Lujan Grisham focused much of her address on the future of New Mexico and the role WNMU graduates will play in shaping it. She praised students for their perseverance and said the state’s progress depends on people who choose careers in fields such as health care, education and nursing.
The governor also pointed to the state’s gains in early childhood education, employment growth, wage growth and reductions in child poverty. She credited students, families and educators with helping move the state forward.
Interim WNMU President Chris Maples also recognized the graduates during the ceremony, asking students to stand if they were parents or caregivers, first-generation college graduates, military veterans or students who took more than four years to complete their degrees.
Maples also thanked the families of graduates, saying their support helped students reach the milestone.
John Krehbiel – Bravo Mic Communications – john@bravomic.com
