Rio Rancho Students Aspen Ly, Bruce Yazzie Serve as Honorary Lieutenant Governors

Two Rio Rancho students traveled to the New Mexico Roundhouse in Santa Fe on Feb. 23, 2026, to serve as "Honorary Lieutenant Governor for the Day," a program intended to introduce students to state government. The pair, Rio Rancho High School senior Aspen Ly and Sandia Vista Elementary fifth-grader Bruce Yazzie, represented Sandoval County in the event.

Aspen Ly attended the Roundhouse as a senior from Rio Rancho High School, and Bruce Yazzie attended as a fifth-grader from Sandia Vista Elementary. Both students were identified by their school affiliations when invited to take part in the honorary lieutenant governor program at the state capitol complex.

The "Honorary Lieutenant Governor for the Day" designation brought Ly and Yazzie into the New Mexico Roundhouse setting to learn about how state government operates. Program materials described the initiative as intended to introduce students to state government, and the invitations placed two students from Rio Rancho into that educational role on Feb. 23, 2026.

After serving in the honorary role at the Roundhouse on Feb. 23, 2026, Ly and Yazzie returned to their respective schools in Rio Rancho. The participation of a Rio Rancho High senior and a Sandia Vista Elementary fifth-grader highlights Westside and Eastside classroom representation from Sandoval County at the state capitol. The visit added a statewide civics experience to the school records of Aspen Ly and Bruce Yazzie.