Hannah Fresquez grew up under the endless skies of Las Cruces, New Mexico—a sun-drenched city where the winters are mild, the summers are scorching, and the mountains are just a stone’s throw away. She loved the beauty and quiet rhythm of her hometown, situated between the Organ Mountains and the Rio Grande. But even as a child, she was drawn to places beyond the City of the Crosses. Places where the skies looked different, the weather was wilder, and the challenges facing communities felt more urgent.

Hannah chose New Mexico State University—her hometown’s land-grant institution—to pursue her dual passions: journalism and geography. She had offers from other universities, but NMSU stood out for its strong reputation in journalism and media studies, along with the advantage of having a fully operational, student-run news studio. There, she knew she could gain both knowledge and hands-on experience.

At first, Hannah expected college life to mirror her high school experience, where she nurtured her growing passion for journalism. But that assumption quickly faded during her first week of classes, when she realized she didn’t know a single person. “I thought the transition would be easy,” she recalls. “But I soon learned that NMSU was quite a bit bigger than I expected!”