Roxanne Jaramillo isn't much into gaming or software programming.

She loves tinkering with the electronic guts of computers and trouble-shooting hardware problems.

Jaramillo was among the first crop of students, and the only woman, to graduate with four-year engineering degrees from Northern New Mexico College on Saturday. The graduates are an important first step in the rigorous accreditation of the engineering program.

"I've always been intrigued with computers," said Jaramillo, 23, a Mesa Vista High School graduate. She finished an associate's degree in information technology at The University of New Mexico, Los Alamos. Rather than drive to UNM's main campus in Albuquerque to finish her bachelor's degree, she gave the new Northern New Mexico College program a try.

She said the classes were small, and the teachers emphasized one-on-one help and group projects. "They mentor you and tutor you if you need help in any subjects," Jaramillo said.

The toughest thing for Jaramillo was balancing a 30-hour-a-week work schedule at Los Alamos National Laboratory and carrying an 18-credit-hour class load. "It was very hard to concentrate on both things at the same time," Jaramillo said.

Several of the engineering graduates are working at Los Alamos National Laboratory. One, James Gallegos, will be working as an information technologist for Sen. Jeff Bingaman in Washington, D.C.

New information technology engineering graduate Jorge Lucero was offered a job with Windstream Communications. He opted instead to take a position in the college's Information Technology Department and teach computer networking. "I believe in giving back to my community," said Lucero, 27. "I hope to encourage others to see we are doing something positive."

Andres C. Salazar, dean of the College of Engineering at Northern New Mexico College, hopes this first group of graduates will help the program earn accreditation from the national Accreditation Bureau of Engineering and Technology. Currently, the program is recognized as part of the collegewide accreditation from the Higher Education Commission. The Accreditation Bureau has a more stringent process specifically for engineering, Salazar said.

He said accreditation requirements have changed dramatically in the last 10 years. They used to just look at credentials of the faculty and make sure there were adequate facilities. "Now the emphasis is on student learning," Salazar said. "We have to prove the students have actually learned skills they didn't have before."

The college offers associate's and bachelor's programs in information technology, mechanical engineering and software engineering. Almost 100 students are in the program, Salazar said. The college also houses the Solar Energy Research Park and Academy established by the state Legislature in 2008.

Scott Gibbs, associate director at LANL, was the guest speaker at a special dinner and ceremony held Friday afternoon for the engineering graduates.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.

2009 College of Engineering Graduates, Northern New Mexico College

Bachelor's degrees

Jorge Lucero
Gene Corrales
Ernest Gallegos
James Gallegos
Rocky A. Herrera
Roxanne Jaramillo
Juan A. Mejia
Jesse L. Martinez