Staff Spotlight: Meet Samantha Marquez, UNM Online Student Recruitment Specialist
October 1, 2024 - Rick Robb
Joining the Online Marketing Outreach Recruitment and Retention team in December of 2023, Samantha Marquez works primarily with prospective students, assisting them with the enrollment process. If you put in a request for information on one of our degree-fulfillment programs, you were probably contacted by Samantha. Or you may have met her at one of many recruitment events around Albuquerque.
Samantha began her own higher education journey in 2016 when she entered the College of Education and Human Science’s Family & Child Studies program. While she did a hybrid of in-person and online classes during her time in the program, the 2020 pandemic — and all that that entailed for college students — meant that she finished her entire senior year online. It was a great opportunity to learn all the online platforms and to get a better understanding of what the college experience was like for fully online students.
“It really prepared me for going into the workforce during the pandemic,” she says, adding that “it also opened the door for more work-life balance.”
A Passion for Helping Others
Before joining the UNM Online team, Samantha gained some invaluable experience that has helped her in her current role. After graduating in 2020, she went to work at NM Workforce Connection, a division of NM Workforce Solutions, which provides virtual job matching services, employment resources, the Unemployment Insurance Tax & Claims System, labor market information, and much more. In her role, Samantha assisted people with obtaining grants for school, providing case management during the duration of their training, and helping them find employment after school.
“In that role,” she explains, “I developed a passion for helping students along their education journey and making sure they were equipped with different opportunities and resources to meet their overall education and employment goals.”
Her time at NM Workforce Solutions gave her valuable insight into what local employers were looking for in new employees, insight that she is also able to share with prospective online students at UNM. She worked as a business consultant and assisted local businesses with their hiring needs.
“I developed a passion for helping students pursue their personal growth,” she notes, “and making sure they were equipped with different opportunities and resources to meet their overall education and employment goals.”
Guiding Students
As UNM Online’s first Student Recruitment Specialist, Samantha draws from her experience as a UNM student as well as her previous position to provide students with intensive one-on-one guidance. When a prospective student requests information on one of the online degree programs, she reaches out to them with information and guidance. She knows that the process of applying to school — or in the case of a good many people she helps, reapplying after many years — can be overwhelming and intimidating. Her goal is to provide as much information as possible to students so they can feel confident in their decisions.
Work-Life Balance
When she isn’t working with students, Samantha enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. Her favorite place to be is lying out by the beach, but she also enjoys visiting new local spots around Albuquerque. “But mostly,” she says, grinning, “I enjoy spending time with my mini dachshund Koa and binging Netflix shows.”
You can connect with us for UNM Online Virtual Office Hours. They’re a way to get individualized support, questions answered, and to learn more about UNM. The sessions are hosted through Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon. A chat by Zoom is available outside of those hours too. To arrange a meeting, email the team at online@unm.edu or call 505-277-9000.
