Rebeca Rojas is a student at Eastern New Mexico University double majoring in English and psychology and minoring in creative writing with aspirations of becoming a writer to spread mental health awareness.
"I have a passion for creative writing, and I want to have a deeper understanding of mental illness to spread awareness in the Hispanic Community," Rebeca said.
With her psychology minor, Rebeca aims to spread awareness for mental illness and suicide prevention. On April 13, she was involved in an on-campus walk through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, in which anyone could donate or walk.
"Ultimately, I want to write my own series of books based on Aztec Mythology to bring more awareness to some of the more underrated mythologies," states Rebeca.
The Greyhound offers advice to her peers majoring in English: "You will need to learn how to skim books, and get ready to write a billion essays."
She is a member of Psi Chi, an honor society with the purpose to provide students opportunities to partake in professional research and service. In addition, Rebeca is involved in Psyched In!, an organization with the goal to allow students to learn about and participate in the field of psychology.
The sophomore chose Eastern because it was far enough from home to allow her to be independent, but close enough that she can travel home regularly. She says, "I love the sense of community in Portales and the level of support there is for anything."
While at Eastern, Rebeca has considered Dr. Carol Erwin, professor of English, to be an influential mentor. She explains, "Dr. Erwin has a great energy to her, and she brings that into the classroom. She offers me constructive criticism which continues to grow me as a writer."
In addition, Opal Greer, instructor of English, has been an important teacher to Rebeca during her college career. "She has been very helpful during my time at ENMU. I appreciate how she is understanding and relatable to her students," Rebeca says.
"Freshman Seminar" and "Weight Training" are classes that Rebeca has greatly enjoyed at ENMU. She avers, "I enjoy the atmosphere I get out of both classes. 'Freshman Seminar' allows me to vent out my academic frustration. While 'Weight Training' has been great because Coach Nelson is a killer when writing workouts. It simply lets me momentarily forget about my problems until the end of my workout."
Rebeca's favorite place on campus is the Jack Williamson Liberal Arts Building, where many of her classes take place. She loves the "very friendly" atmosphere that the building offers.
She was born in Mexico, raised in Arizona and then moved to New Mexico. Her father is a construction foreman, and her mother is a homemaker. She has one older brother and a twin sister.
In her free time, Rebeca enjoys reading, writing, cooking and weight lifting.
