Gallegos
finds reaching goals ‘bittersweet’
By Chad
Perry
Bessie
Gallegos, administrative assistant for the UNM-Valencia Development
Office, set a goal to live in Valencia County and obtain her
bachelors degree in Spanish by the time she was 50.
She moved
to Valencia County a year and a half ago and will graduate in
December along side daughter, Elizabeth, from UNM. Only days
later, she will turn 51.
Making
my goals has been bittersweet, she said.
Six years
ago, Bessie was living in Albuquerque, working at UNM Main Campus
and was married to Jerry Torrez for some 26 years when he died
of a heart attack.
I
wanted to just give up when Jerry died, she said. But
her mentors at UNM Womens Studies and the Las Mujeres
Program would have none of that.
They
told me I had more to live for than ever, she said. Bessie
was suddenly a single mother of three and struggling to work
full-time and attend classes part-time.
After some
soul searching, she set goals, and those who work with her at
UNM-Valencia Campus now benefit.
I
thought maybe UNM-Valencia might have a position and that I
would fit like a missing piece of the puzzle, she said.
Bessie
assists Cheryl Pulaski, the manager of development and grants,
with various activities. The current focus has been on a silent
auction to raise funds for the UNM-Valencia endowment fund.
From gift
certificates to weekends for 10 in Ruidoso, the auction items
end up on Bessies desk for numbering and a bid sheet.
Of late, her work area has looked like a boutique shop or an
overpriced garage sale.
Does she
like living in Valencia County and working at a branch campus?
I
love working here, she said. Its great working
with Cheryl, and its been nice to get to know where I
live. This job forces me to get out in the community and get
to know people.
Bessie
also is getting to know her community through active involvement
in her church, which is the Immaculate Conception Church in
Tomé.
At home
she enjoys gardening. She keeps vegetable, herb and flower gardens.
She said that gardening isnt just a hobby, but also a
way to meditate and focus. Does she have any gardening tips?
Dont
try to grow something here that should be grown in a moist climate,
she said. This is the desert.
Bessie
is also active in Las Mujeres, a group of Chicanas whose mission
is to raise the consciousness of other Chicanas about education
and the opportunities it provides.
The
women at Las Mujeres and at Women Studies have been very supportive
and very nurturing to me, she explained.
Now she
finds herself wanting to help others through Las Mujeres, and
also ponders what to do with that new bachelors degree
to benefit the people who come to UNM-Valencia Campus.
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