Say “Hello” to the New Information Specialist
ENMU-Ruidoso recently welcomed a new employee. Yamilex “Yami” Miramontes of Ruidoso joined the ENMU-Ruidoso team in November as the new information specialist. She has a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with minors in chemistry and computational engineering. She is a graduate of Ruidoso High and obtained her degrees from ENMU-Ruidoso, the University of Colorado Boulder, and NMSU.
She worked as a community assistant and a resident advisor at the University of Colorado Boulder during her undergraduate studies, which is where she fell in love with interacting with students and college life. “This experience made me passionate about higher education and helping students navigate the academic system,” said Yami.
She then became a Barnes & Noble bookseller for a few years in both Colo. and N.M. She also worked as a laboratory assistant for the Department of Engineering at NMSU, where she built a mobile lab and collaborated with students on environmental engineering projects, primarily handling and planning hazardous material disposal. More recently, she started her own business selling and trading with Mexican and Indigenous artisans in 2022, working closely with Chicano and Native artists. “Through my business, I got to reconnect with my motherland and immerse myself in the culture and beauty of pre-Hispanic communities,” said Yami.
“I really enjoy tutoring science and math, and have done it since high school. My favorite things about being in college were working in the lab, developing community programs for students, and participating in campus events such as hackathons, engineering conferences, and elementary school STEM outreach programs. I am the first person in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree, so I had to navigate the school system on my own. I learned to be resourceful and advocate for myself throughout the process, and I want to help as many people as possible pursue their higher education goals. My dream is to continue my education and become a college professor, as well as head my own laboratory and use science to help our planet and people everywhere,” she said.
She was born in Denver, but grew up in a mountain village in Mexico. Naturally, Ruidoso has always felt like home because of it. She is the eldest daughter and has two identical twin sisters. “My family is big and loud, and we all like to sing, dance, and read. I love Ruidoso for its natural resources, the wildlife, and the peace the slow life brings. I will never take for granted the ability to hear the mountain breathe through the silence of night and to bask in the starry skies. As a high school student, I took several classes in the dual credit program that ENMU-Ruidoso offers, and when I had the chance to return to the campus that helped me achieve my dreams, I knew it was the right fit for me. I look forward to serving this beautiful community and being part of an institution and a team that helps prepare students for a bright future ahead,” she said.
Her hobbies include collecting materials for various pursuits, such as embroidery, watercoloring, sewing, crafting, gardening, writing, and researching obscure topics, including Mexica cosmology and herbalism. The things that actually take up her time are reading fantasy series, hiking with her dogs Lucky, a 10-year-old Husky-Samoyed, and Rogue, a 7-year-old Husky-Lab, and attending to the whims of her cats Korrasami, Bean, Miguelito, and Soledad. She loves yoga, cooking from scratch, board games, and video games.
