Lopez Picked as Mountain Lion Student of the Month

Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC) is proud to recognize its Mountain Lion Student of the Month, an honor established to celebrate students who embody the college’s core values.

The Mountain Lion Student of the Month program was created to promote a culture of excellence, encourage active student engagement, and recognize outstanding achievements in academics, leadership, and community involvement. All currently enrolled SENMC students in good academic standing are eligible for nomination.

For the month of February, SENMC is pleased to announce Sammy Lopez, Jr. as the award recipient. Sammy was nominated by his professor, Rick Wiedenmann, in recognition of his dedication, hard work, and contributions to the SENMC community.

In the nomination, Rick Wiedenmann said, “This is the first semester I have had Sammy as a student in one of my classes. However, as Natural Sciences and Engineering Department Chair, I have witnessed his hard work and dedication as a work-study student for quite some time. He worked primarily in the A&P lab supervised by Dr. Girmus. He also helped in other labs as needed. He was always willing to assist members of the department in any way. This semester, he continues to do excellent work in the A&P and Biology Labs.

Sammy recently changed career plans and degree paths. He had been pre-nursing and now is working towards an Associate of Science in Science degree. He is now in three lab science classes. I think his hard work in turning his plans around demonstrates the values of Persistence, Resilience, Resourcefulness, and Excellence.

Sammy has been active in PTK and was selected as one of the 2025 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars Last Spring and, this year he was named to the New Mexico All State Team. Through PTK he serves as a chapter officer and Regional Officer

Sammy has shown tremendous leadership. As stated above, Sammy started working again on the lab material as soon as Campus reopened in January. Another student had signed up for the directed studies class. Sammy spent time teaching the techniques he had mastered to this student, and they continued to work with little to no supervision.

In addition to his campus classes and work, Sammy also works in the community as a Certified Medication Aide at CARC. As such, he not only assists CARC clients with the medication, but he also gets more practical experience. Sammy also helps care for a disabled family member at home.

“I am honored to have Sammy Lopez as a student and to be able to nominate him for this recognition. I truly believe Sammy has the qualities exemplified by Mountain Lion PRIDE.”

This recognition initiative reflects SENMC’s ongoing commitment to highlighting student success and fostering a strong, engaged campus community.