Grants High School graduate becomes UNM GPSA President

GRANTS, N.M. - Graduate student David Saavedra grew up in Grants, New Mexico and graduated from Grants High School in 2016. Saavedra served as Class President all four years while attending GHS. His time as a President did not stop there, for he has recently been elected at UNM’s President of GPSA, the Graduate and Professional Student Association.

“The Graduate and Professional Student Association has been the recognized student government for graduates and professionals at the University of New Mexico since 1969. GPSA strives to identify, promote, and support the interests and concerns that are important to the welfare and academic development of graduate and professional students at UNM. It is the GPSA mission to promote the rights, interests, and professional development of graduate and professional students within the university community – through advocacy, education, and financial support,” according to Saavedra.

Saavedra graduated from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in Public Communications and a minor in Business Administration. It was after this that he chose to pursue a Master of Public Administration Candidate degree with the UNM School of Public Administration. Saavedra was drawn to the school because of the national interest it garnered and because of the pride within the school for all who are associated with it.

As far as any future possibilities go, Saavedra commented, “Leadership has always interested me, and I hope to end up in a leadership role within the public sector; until then I am exploring Doctoral programs. Is Dr. Saavedra in my future? Who knows?”

For right now though, Saavedra is proud to accept the position of GPSA President and looks forward to all that he will do with that role. Saavedra was drawn to GPSA because of some of the same reasons he was drawn to his specific field – leadership. The young graduate was able to become apart of the program this semester and gain experience as the GPSA Chief of Staff and the right-hand man for the current President. This beneficial experience led Saavedra to seriously consider serving within the association in a more involved capacity.

“It was not an easy time campaigning in a vir tual world and the process added many new tasks to my schedule,” reflected the Grants native.

His hard work paid off and on April 6, Saavedra announced his election victory, and results were confirmed on April 19.

“I was excited when the results were made public then later certified… This has been my most academically challenging semester ever; I am so excited that the elections process has resulted in my favor and we are rounding out the semester. I was and I am really excited to give back to UNM, which has been my home away from home for five years now. I am so grateful for all the wonderful opportunities that have been provided to me. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous. This role is a ton of responsibility, but I am more than excited to hit the ground running,” said Saavedra who will officially begin his term on May 15.

Saavedra’s parents, Sally Saavedra, and David Saavedra (the first) are proud of their son and all that he has accomplished. They have endless amounts of praise for their son.

“I couldn’t be prouder. He has always been a leader…. He’s got just a big caring heart, and if he sees that there is a need for someone to step into a particular role, he’ll be the first one to do that…. He’s a true leader. He knows the direction that he wants to go in, and he just goes that way,” commented Sally. David Saavedra (I) echoed these sentiments, “It’s a great honor. I mean, there’s no words to explain – we’re very proud of him, me and his mom.”

Sally also mentioned that she hopes Saavedra’s (the second) accomplishments, even throughout the pandemic, will serve as inspiration for youngsters here in Grants.

In an interview with Saavedra (II), he offered advice to young people, “Grants is home to some of the most amazing people that I know, and I would not be me had I grew up anywhere else. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are so important in any setting, I feel so privileged to be a first-generation college student. Getting to the table is one thing but being at that table, representing who you are, and having a voice is where the work really begins.

“You can do anything as long as you believe in yourself. There are so many roads that one could go down, so I say explore everything and do not let anyone or anything limit you. There are so many resources out there and I encourage you to put in the work to learn about them – this goes for anything: college, trade school, armed services, et cetera. You’ve got to put in the work to make your dreams happen because they will not happen magically. If you are interested in secondary education do some searches, make some calls, request information. Like I said there are so many resources, you just have to look for them. I had no idea what I was doing initially. I am always more than happy to help, send me a message on social media, email me (saavedrad@unm.edu), get ahold of me in some way.”