Honors College Justice, Equity, Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEADI) Statement

We acknowledge that the UNM Honors College promotes diversity. Within an institution of Higher Education in New Mexico, we have a responsibility to provide an inclusive and support space to foster success, as well as visibility and opportunity for all people. We are purposefully working for change and equity in the Honors College at the University of New Mexico.

We pledge to listen to, learn from, and support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) include Hispanic & Latinx, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Desi Americans (AAPIDA), as well as people of all genders, abilities, sexual orientations, and all cultures. We also acknowledge the difficult and painful history of violence and institutionalized racism against all minoritized groups and Native Nations.

We pledge to host discussions each semester on topics related to justice, equity, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. These discussions will be open to all community members.

UNM Indigenous Peoples' Land and Territory Acknowledgement

Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico sits on the traditional homelands of the Pueblo of Sandia.  The original peoples of New Mexico - Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache - since time immemorial, have deep connections to the land and have made significant contributions to the broader community statewide.  We honor the land itself and those who remain stewards of this land throughout the generations and also acknowledge our committed relationship to Indigenous peoples.  

We gratefully recognize our history.

_{Developed by the Special Assistant for the American Indian Affairs to the UNM President in consultation with the Native American Faculty Council.}

_{Approved and adopted by President Garnett S. Stokes February 2020}

Labor Acknowledgement

At UNM, we respectfully acknowledge the traumatic history of forced labor of Black Americans who have advanced our country. We are indebted to the enslaved and exploited African Americans who established our U.S. infrastructure and economy, advanced civil rights, and continue to influence popular culture. We are obligated to continuously recognize historic and current systemic oppression and injustices placed on Black Americans. We are grateful to their ancestors; for without them we would not be where we are today.

JEADI Distinction 

Requirements 

• 12 credit hours
• At least 9 must be from UHON/HNRS approved course list
• 3 can be from USGDEIP list or UHON/HNRS
• 3 of the 12 credit hours must be upper division
• These courses do not need to be in addition to coursework already completed for Honors degree
• Students must complete one of the four Honors degree pathways in order to earn the JEADI distinction

Approved Courses 

The Honors College will keep a running list of approved JEADI courses. The JEADI committee will maintain oversight of this course list.

Justice, Equity, Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Contact: honorsjeadi@unm.edu 

Myrriah Gómez, Associate Professor
Justice, Equity, Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair 
Myrriah Gómez is a nuevomexicana from the Pojoaque Valley in northern New Mexico. She earned her Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in Latina/o Literature from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is a 2011 Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow. She joined the UNM Honors College in 2016, where she teaches classes related to Chicanx Studies and Environmental Justice. She is faculty coordinator for the UNM Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program and directs the Conexiones-Spain study abroad program. Myrriah’s work can be found in Science Fiction Studies, Honors in Practice, and Latin American Literature Today, among other places. Myrriah’s recently published monograph, Nuclear Nuevo México: Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos (University of Arizona, 2022), examines nuclear colonialism in New Mexico.

Maria Szasz, Lecturer III
Committee Member
"To understand the importance of inclusion, you need to have experienced being excluded.”—Billie Jean King. 
Maria Szasz is so grateful to be a part of the Honors JEADI committee!  She teaches Theatre History in the Honors College, and her main interests include Comedy, Irish and American Drama, Musical Theatre, and Theatre and Human Rights.  She has published an essay on Northern Irish journalist and author Lyra McKee, called “Lyra McKee (1990-2019): ‘How Uncomfortable Conversations Can Save Lives,’” in The Rose and Irish Identity: Seeding, Blooming, Piercing, Withering, edited by NK Harrington (Cambridge UP, 2021).

Sarita Cargas, Associate Professor
Committee Member
Sarita Cargas earned her D.Phil. Oxford University, Mst in the Study of Religion Oxford University, MA Theology Aquinas Institute of Theology, MA Psychology Georgetown University, BA St. John’s College (Annapolis). Dr. Cargas’ teaching and research interest is human rights with an additional focus on explicitly teaching critical thinking. Her courses include the topics of the history of human rights: “A Humane Legacy”; a course on “Globalization and Human Rights” which uses food insecurity as a case study; “Solutions to Human Rights Problems” which emphasizes what various entities contribute to solving human rights abuses. The critical thinking class: “Why People Believe Weird Things” has the dual goal of teaching students to be aware of the inherent biases in their thinking and provide the tools to become more sophisticated practitioners of thought. She has forthcoming articles in Human Rights Quarterly and Honors in Practice, and is working on a book about how the biggest organizations promote human rights (governments, United Nations, NGOs, and multinational corporations.

Charlotte Auh, Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts (HILA) and Elementary Education double major
Committee Member
Charlotte Auh is a senior majoring in HILA and Elementary Education with a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She is a current El Puente Undergraduate Research Fellow and rising MMUF Research Fellow. Her research focuses on the experience of mixed race “Hispasian” (Latinx-Hispanic) undergraduate students at UNM. Charlotte, herself, is a proud Hispasian (Latina-South Korean) advocate for a more inclusive and diverse education system. Her past work at the Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center has connected her to various cultural and ethnic student organizations and movements on campus. She is passionate about helping all UNM students feel as welcome in the Honors College as she does.

Lorena Rodríguez Vázquez, Department Administrator
Committee Member
Biography coming soon. 

Athena Gordon, Academic Advisement Coordinator
Committee  Member
Athena Gordon is passionate about helping UNM students navigate complex postsecondary systems and create plans towards academic, personal, and professional goals. As the Academic Advisement Coordinator in the Honors College, she strives to transform systems in Honors Advisement to increase accessibility and transparency of information, as well as increase retention of diverse Honors College students. Athena grew up in the Pacific Northwest as the oldest of five. After her undergraduate studies, Athena moved to Albuquerque and taught in several charter schools as a Teach for America 2018 corps member. She earned a MEd in Reading and Literacy from Eastern New Mexico University in Summer 2023, and she has started a MA in Rhetoric and Writing at the University of New Mexico in Fall 2023. Her research interests include ethics of professional and technical writing, and grant writing strategies. 

Madison Hogans, Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts (HILA) and English double major
Committee  Member
Madison Hogans is a senior majoring in HILA and English with a minor in History. She's working to co-teach a class with Dr. Myrriah Gómez in Spring 2025 on the works and legacy of Rudolfo Anaya. As a Latina growing up in Albuquerque, her heritage informs her love of learning, reading, and getting everyone to join in with the Honors community. As an Honors Roadrunner and former editor for Scribendi, Madison loves the people and opportunities that the Honors College has presented her and wants to expand that potential to everyone willing to join in.