West
passionate for music, education
By Michael
Padilla
Growing
up in Fort Sumner, Barbara West had to judge music by its cover.
We
didnt have FM Hill like in Santa Rosa, West quips.
I had to order my music by judging what looked good in
music catalogs. I never heard the music or knew of the artists
before I bought it.
Since then,
Wests appreciation for music has grown and she has been
an avid rock concert-goer. This summer she and a friend saw
a life-long favorite, The Scorpions in five different
cities including Los Angeles and Ontario, Calif, Milwaukee,
Chicago and Albuquerque.
Her love
for music parallels her passion for education.
After graduation
from high school in 1983, West headed west to Albuquerque to
attend UNM.
I
wanted new experiences and to meet new people, she says,
adding that education keeps her interested in world events.
In December,
she will receive a masters in business administration
with a concentration in management information systems. In 1987,
she received her BA in accounting from the Anderson Schools
of Management. She received a BA in psychology in 1995.
Education
keeps me involved and theres no better place to be at
than UNM, she says. She also takes numerous continuing
education courses and motivates office staff to take courses.
She says tuition remission is one of the best benefits at UNM.
After receiving
her first degree, she worked for the Department of Special Education
for three years. Then she worked in the UNM Bursars Office
for two years. She was a contract and grant coordinator for
three years in the Office of Research Services. In 1996, she
was hired in the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
and in 1999 she took on the duties as department administrator
II.
West says
she was fortunate to take part in the College Enrichment Program
when she first came to UNM.
It
was a great way for me to learn what all UNM had to offer,
she says. Anyone wanting to come to UNM, but who is afraid
of the big school should participate in the program.
West also
enjoys traveling and goes to Fort Sumner to visit her parents
James and Kathy West. Her father is a farmer and her mother
is the City Clerk for the Village of Fort Sumner.
West is
not only a friend of many bands, but a friend to education.
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