Students Put Skills to Use at Mandy’s Farm
Last week, students and faculty from CNM’s Electrical Trades program visited Mandy’s Farm to help restore old and “out-of-code” electrical systems.
Mandy’s Farm, located in the South Valley, is a nonprofit organization that helps individuals with developmental disabilities achieve their goals for living, learning and working in the community.
“We worked on correcting some electrical issues in the existing building,” says student William Abeyta. “We rewired some of the outdoor lighting around the facility.”
William says that working on a community-based project is a very powerful hands-on learning experience. He says that volunteering to help a non-profit organization like Mandy’s Farm is instilling strong ethical values as he prepares for a career in the electrical trades.
“This on-the-job training is the best for learning,” William says. “It gives you more confidence to know that you can actually apply electrical theory to a project that will benefit those individuals who reside at Mandy’s Farm."
Carlos Nevarez, full-time instructor in the Electrical Trades program, says he is so proud of his students for their hard work at Mandy’s Farm. He wants his students to know that giving back to the local community is an important aspect of being a respected electrician.
“The students are not only gaining valuable, practical knowledge of their trade here, but they are practicing a philanthropic service,” he says. “My hope is that they will take this experience and carry a strong code of ethics with them throughout their lives. I want them to be stewards of their community.”
Chris Padilla is a community member whose daughter is a resident at Mandy’s Farm. He says the partnership between CNM and Mandy’s Farm exemplifies how local organizations can work together to create better communities.
“We feel that this is a really good relationship,” Chris says. “We hope that the students feel that they are contributing to the community, especially to this community of adults with disabilities at Mandy’s Farm.”
William, along with seven other CNM students, were also selected to be part of the Facebook Co-op Internship Program, where they will be embedded in various electrical projects at the Los Lunas-based Facebook Data Center.
“I’m getting ready to graduate and I’m so fortunate to have this opportunity,” he says. “I am eager to do all I can at Facebook and hopefully I will be able to get a full-time position there.”
According to Carlos, there is a continued high demand for electrical trades workers in New Mexico.
“Right now, the industry is booming,” Carlos says. “There’s so much happening right now. There’s so much work available for all trades workers. We can’t keep up with the demand. The industry needs skilled trades people.”
Learn more about CNM’s Electrical Trades programs.
