Spring Graduation
April 22, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer McDonald
Communications Manager
Central New Mexico Community College
(505) 224-4673
CNM Graduation Features Former Student Who Rose to Success from Humble Beginnings
Central New Mexico Community College’s Spring Graduation Ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 24 at the University of New Mexico’s Johnson Center. About 350 graduates will celebrate their success at the ceremony with approximately 3,000 friends, family and supporters cheering them on.
The keynote speaker will be Derrick J. Lente, owner of Lente & Associates and president of Spherion, a recruiting and staffing company. Lente grew up farming on the Isleta Pueblo with his family. He attended then-TVI after high school where he gained the skills and confidence to successfully pursue two bachelor’s degrees and then a law degree at UNM. Lente worked full time in the environmental department at Sandia Pueblo while going to school. He says this experience inspired him to continue his education.
Lente, who began at CNM taking remedial courses, earned bachelor’s degrees in English and Intercultural Communication from UNM. He earned his law degree in 2006 and is now an adjunct professor at UNM. Lente said he hopes his story of humble beginnings, educational and professional uncertainties, and ability to overcome multiple obstacles will help encourage others to pursue their dreams.
CNM has set records for student enrollment this academic year. For the spring 2009 term, CNM became the largest postsecondary institution in the state in terms of student enrollment with 24,621 students.
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