From high school equivalency through certificates and degrees, Northern New Mexico College supports students all the way

Northern’s HEP and CAMP programs help Matt Baldonado achieves two tech trades certificates

Matt Baldonado’s educational path has not been an easy one. When he dropped out of high school he was told he would never amount to anything. 

“I had the mentality that I wasn’t as smart as other kids,” Baldonado said. 

With the help of Northern New Mexico College’s High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), Baldonado has not only earned his high school equivalency diploma and plumbing and pipefitting certificates, he has gained confidence in his ability to master the skills he needs to achieve his dreams. He now works as a lab technician for Northern’s Technical Trades Department and is exploring opportunities to work out-of-state with his new plumbing and pipefitting skills.

“HEP helped me pretty much see that I was smart enough to finish school, and they helped me push to get my high school diploma,” Baldonado said. “Once I got it, I realized that maybe college would be a good try.”

CAMP, a program that provides support and retention services to first-year college students from migrant and seasonal farmworker families, gave Baldonado the support he needed to pursue his plumbing and pipefitting certificates, such as weekly tutoring sessions. 

“CAMP was able to help me with whatever I needed,” Baldonado said. “It was really a helpful place to get through my first year of college and give me the confidence I needed in order to finish college.”

The support Baldonado received in the Technical Trades department contributed to his success. 

“My plumbing instructor (Stephen Skelton) was really helpful. He showed me as much as he could from his experience being a plumber,” Baldonado said. “The chair (Joe Padilla) is an amazing person. He showed me what it is to help the students and show care, actually being there for them and showing that he believes in every one of his students.”

There were some challenges after Skelton retired, but Padilla and Technical Trades Advisor Christian Gomez worked with Baldonado to make sure he could graduate. 

“They really showed that they cared about all their trade students. They helped them, no matter what,” Baldonado said.

Baldonado appreciates the hands-on aspect of the certificate programs, with labs outfitted to provide real-life scenarios. 

“They have a mockup of a bathroom where we have to run all the pipes, do everything, do all our testing,” Baldonado said. 

While he was a student, Baldonado did work study for the Tech Trades program, helping the instructors and making sure classrooms were prepared for students. He also assisted with Northern’s MC3 program (Multi Core Craft Curriculum, developed by North America's Building Trades Unions), which prepares high school students to enter into apprenticeships with participating trades unions upon graduation. Another project he worked on was renovating the El Rito dorms and individual houses associated with the El Rito campus. 

“It's a good thing to see now that the dorms are open and to see how much of a change we did when we were working on those houses,” Baldonado said. 

In his new position as lab assistant he is providing the teachers with more in depth assistance, building equipment needed for the classrooms, transporting equipment to off campus dual credit classrooms, setting up the labs with the tools they need and making sure tools are organized and returned. He also helps the student get to know the tools. 

Baldonado’s future plans include union membership, although he hasn’t decided if he wants to do that in-state or out-of-state. 

“There's a lot of opportunities in New Mexico, but a lot of the people here from New Mexico, when they graduate, they typically don't go out and see all the different options that are out there. A lot of us pretty much stay here in New Mexico,” Baldonado said. “I want to go see what other states have to bring as well. I’d at least like to have tried a job opportunity out-of-state to see how it could benefit me to leave for a while and check out some new experiences.”

Baldonado encourages others to take advantage of what Northern has to offer. 

“If you need help, there's a bunch of resources here at Northern New Mexico College that can help you. Whether it is tutoring assistance or something else, there's help,” Baldonado said. “I joined the trades department as a lab technician, because I had so much help when I was a student that I wanted to give back to the community and to all the future trade students and show them that there's help wherever you need it. It's always there. You just need to ask for it. Sometimes you don't even have to ask. They just help you.”