Clayton native Daniel Alsup grateful for UNM experience

May 22, 2003

Clayton native Daniel Alsup grateful for UNM experience

Daniel Alsup Daniel Alsup, a Clayton native and Presidential Scholar at the University of New Mexico, wants to make a difference in people’s lives. That is one reason why he is majoring in political science at UNM.

“I picked political science because I think it would be useful to know why leaders make the decisions they do and the effect different influences have on these leaders,” Alsup said.

Alsup knew that UNM would be a great place to study. “UNM may be big, but it’s a great place,” he said, adding that the freshman class has more people than in Clayton.

“UNM is a good school and the reality is that it is a better value than other schools,” he said. “What I like best about UNM is the atmosphere - everyone wants to be here and everyone is excited about learning.”

The main reason he chose UNM was because he wanted to come to a large school. “UNM has the hard-to-find combination of being a good school and being affordable,” he said. “UNM is the best thing that could have happened to me.”

Since his time at UNM, Alsup said that he hasn’t changed as a person but he now sees the world in a whole different way.

“I’ve been exposed to new ideas and new challenges,” he said, “I am grateful for this experience.”
Part of Alsup’s motivation is keyed by his Presidential Scholarship, one of the most valuable and prestigious at UNM. The goal of the Presidential Scholarship Program is to keep the state’s brightest and best students in New Mexico. Presidential Scholarships are awarded to high school seniors in New Mexico based academic merit, including grade point average, class rank, college board scores, personal essays and leadership skills.

Alsup has faced some challenges as a student at UNM. “One of the challenges I’ve faced here is the work load, because it’s a lot more than I had high school,” he said.

His advice to anyone thinking about coming to UNM is to do it. “The weather’s great, Albuquerque’s a nice place, teachers and students are friendly and helpful, it’s a great school for just about any major, and with the lottery program there’s no reason why anyone shouldn’t be able to afford it,” he said.
After graduation he plans to go to law school although he hasn’t decided where.

Alsup is active in the intramural program at UNM. In his spare time he enjoys making furniture. “I’ve made all kinds of furniture from beds to china cabinets,” he said, adding that he also enjoys hunting and riding his motorcycle.

In addition to the UNM Presidential Scholarship, Alsup received several local scholarships, including the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW), Rotary Club, George Teague, Reunion Association and ENMR•Plateau scholarships.

His parents are Gary and Katie Alsup.

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