UNM-Gallup celebrates 326 graduates at Gallup commencement

UNM-Gallup’s spring commencement turned Angelo DiPaolo Memorial Stadium into a local marker of progress for families across Gallup and McKinley County, as 326 graduates were recognized and 238 crossed the stage on May 16.

The campus said it issued 420 awards during the 2025-2026 academic year, including 29 high school equivalency diplomas, 87 certificates, 288 associate degrees and 16 bachelor’s degrees. That mix matters in a county where students often balance school with work, family obligations and long commutes from surrounding Navajo communities, and where one credential can mean the difference between staying on the edge of the labor market and moving into a steadier paycheck.

The ceremony also showed how UNM-Gallup continues to function as a regional access point, not just a degree-granting campus. Local Advisory Board members Raymond Calderon, Jvanna Hanks, Rebecca Apel and Connie Liu led the processional, joined by state Rep. Patty Lundstrom and state Sen. Shannon Pinto. The Gallup Fire Department Honor Guard presented and posted the colors, while UNM-Gallup student Angela-Faith Sowers sang the national anthem.

Brandon D. Lorenzo, a Gallup native, Navajo Nation member, Acoma Pueblo descendant and U.S. Army veteran, delivered the commencement address. Lorenzo served in the Army from 2009 to 2013, earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts with honors from UNM-Gallup in 2015 and later completed a Master of Public Administration from The University of New Mexico in 2020. His path underscored the college’s role as a bridge between local access and further education.

That role was already visible two weeks earlier, when UNM-Gallup held its inaugural Adult Basic Education Graduation Ceremony inside Zollinger Library on April 28. One graduate, Acevedo, spoke about overcoming addiction and earning a high school equivalency diploma, a reminder that the campus’s pipeline begins well before an associate degree or bachelor’s program.

The spring numbers also show steady demand. UNM-Gallup recognized 339 graduates in Spring 2025 and reported 415 awards that year, compared with 326 graduates and 420 awards this year. The totals suggest the campus remains one of McKinley County’s main engines for education, workforce entry and retention, especially for students whose next step is not just graduation, but staying in the region with a credential that can translate into work.