Joaquin Griego will graduate in May with a master’s in language, literacy and sociocultural studies in the College of Education. His path toward his degree was not direct. He took a break from academia to pursue another interest – firefighting.
Photo: Joaquin Griego
“A cousin’s companion got in the Albuquerque Fire Department and I saw it as a career opportunity to provide a service to the community while also providing for my family,” Griego said.
The process to get accepted is rigorous. Following the application process, he had to take a written test, demonstrate physical fitness and go through an interview.
“I was accepted in May ’07 and decided to put my studies on hold because it’s so hard to get into the academy. And I knew I could go back to school,” he said.
He found the fire academy to be a different learning environment than higher education. “It was probably the most difficult four months of my life. They train the cadets so that they will know how to react in situations that can be life or death,” he said.
Out in the field since November, Griego got back on track in January to finish his degree. “The fire department schedule is 48 hours on, four days off. That allowed me to finish my thesis,” he said. His thesis focuses on civic engagement.
Prior to getting into the fire department, Griego worked as the New Mexico Civic Engagement coordinator, a UNM based program under Community Learning and Public Service in the College of Education.
“I ran a statewide network of high school youth, community based organizations. I was involved in training them, listening to them about issues important to them and their communities,” Griego said.
His involvement was to take issues and move people to action. “Youth of color are the least active civicly, especially up north in rural areas,” he said. Griego is originally from Las Vegas, N.M. “Issues included acequias, immigration, teen pregnancy. We hosted a summer institute where we engaged in peer-to-peer training so that the youth could learn how to advocate at the State Legislature,” he said.
With degree in hand and in his time off from the fire department Griego plans to get reconnected with youth. “I want to put what I’ve learned – both through my formal education as well as through the fire department – into use to benefit the community,” he said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; email: cgonzal@unm.edu