Silver City, NM- Cherokee Marquez, a 23-year-old senior from California, was able to start her year off with a pleasant surprise. As part of a new plan to encourage student participation in school events and show their Mustang pride, The Associated Students of Western New Mexico University, more commonly known as Student Government, decided to allow each student in attendance to enter their names into a raffle once per each Welcome Week event. At the end of the week, the winner would receive a scholarship to reward their involvement as long as they also attended the President’s Address and BBQ.
“We’ve had issues in the past with getting student participation,” Lawrence Garcia, President of ASWNMU said. “We always think of ways to entice students to go events.”
Garcia and the rest of Student Government cooperated with Student Life to create a scholarship to offer students as that enticement. On August 21, many members of the student body, including Cherokee, gathered to enjoy some good food and to listen to President Shepard’s speech.
Cherokee recalls, “I was eating, actually, and after so many names they finally called me and I was just like ‘Oh my gosh!’ I don’t feel like I ever win raffles like that. So, it was kind of shocking!”
Cherokee plans on using her scholarship money to get through her final year of college so that she can graduate with a degree in Zoology and start a career in her home state of California. Born and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, which is located in sunny Southern California, Cherokee knows all of the great zoos that the area has to offer, including the L.A. Zoo, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and the San Diego Safari Park. Her focus is in Husbandry and Research, which will allow her to care for the animals in a hands on and personal way. She describes husbandry as, “caring for the animal as far as habitat, diet, if it needs medicine, and working alongside veterinarians.”
While she really wants to work with and care for the animals directly, she also has an interest in the research side of her field, which includes the breeding of endangered species as well as traveling to study different species firsthand. She would most like to work with mammals but is also open to the idea of working at an aquarium.
“It’s actually funny because my mom always said she could see me working with animals when I got older, and I guess she was right,” Cherokee says.
Even though her mom knew where she would end up, it took Cherokee a little searching to find it for herself. In high school, she was always uncertain as to whether or not she really wanted to go to college. Her father and older brother both went into the military, so for a while she considered following their example and joining the Navy or Air Force. Instead, she decided to enroll in Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga and shoot for a degree in Graphic Design, but after a few classes decided that wasn’t the path for her either.
“I always liked Biology, I knew, and I always liked Chemistry,” Cherokee said. Her love of science and animals led her to the conclusion that she wanted to become a veterinarian, which introduced her to the field of zoology and her current dreams.
She eventually relocated to Western New Mexico University when Joseph Rivas, her boyfriend of five years, was recruited to play football, and found that the university offered everything she could possibly want. She also likes living near the Gila Wilderness and hiking in the outdoor areas that she might not be able to find in the cities of California. She also really enjoys the local Silver City cuisine.
“The food is great,” she laughs, “I think everywhere I’ve eaten I liked.”
Aside from her studies at WNMU, Cherokee is also deeply involved in student life. When she first came to the school she was a part of the women’s soccer club until it disbanded and was also part of the cheerleading club, serving as it’s President from late in her sophomore year to last spring.
Lawrence Garcia said that the scholarship was “more like a school spirit, school-participation based” scholarship, and that school spirit is found in plenty in Cherokee. Garcia added, “I feel that Cherokee is full of school spirit, and I see her at a lot of events. I know she is active in the school, and I wish more students would be as active as she is.”
Garcia said that ASWNMU will most likely have future opportunities for students to win scholarships like this, so make sure to check your emails and participate in as many events as possible.
