College Was Scary for this Incoming Student. But She’s Now a CNM Success Story

Analise Rusk said she was scared about going to college. She’s an introvert and was nervous about being around people. And then there was the cost. How was she going to pay for everything?

Luckily, she found CNM, which helped her overcome all of these fears, one step at a time.

For example, when she enrolled in the college’s Digital Media program she discovered she could take classes in person, online, or a mix of both. Taking online classes from home made her feel more relaxed, and she quickly discovered that there was no disadvantage. 

“I realized you can be more independent with online classes. You don’t have to be there physically, but the instructor is always there to answer questions if you need them,” she says. “I also loved the smaller classes and felt like I got all the individual attention I needed to succeed.” 

Paying for college was also easier than she expected. She received financial aid to help with tuition and the Wilhelmina Coe/Peace Foundation and Follet Book Scholarship helped her access the resources she needed that other scholarships did not cover. Thanks to those scholarships she was able to buy a computer that could handle all the complex software needed for a Digital Media program.

Analise was so impressed with how CNM helped her financially that she actually took a work study job in the Scholarship office. 

“Every day I get to see how many people depend and rely on scholarships and the enormous difference that a scholarship can make,” she says.  

Analise says she should graduate in 2024 and then she wants to transfer to New Mexico Tech to focus on technical communication including writing, web design, and social media. She hopes to join a small creative company where she can build a strong portfolio. Eventually, she would like to be a freelance digital media artist.

Looking back she knows CNM has been a fundamental building block for what will be an exciting career.

“CNM was truly the start of me being independent and finding a career path that I know I will enjoy,” she says.