David Tetrault is currently a senior at Eastern New Mexico University majoring in business administration. Tetrault is from Albuquerque, New Mexico and has worked as a banker for 15 years, David currently works as a commercial loan officer; however, he hopes to shift into the project management side of banking. Tetrault said he has a learning disability and struggled with the public school system growing up. 

After graduating from high school Tetrault attended Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) in Albuquerque but felt he wasn’t equipped to handle the responsibility of school.  He took a break and applied for a job at a bank. After starting his job, he had no idea that it would turn into a career. He was surrounded by a healthy work environment and encouragement to grow. Tetrault said that his first banking job was the first time he was around professional adults. “A lot of people were in my corner,” he said. His work environment provided him with enthusiasm and opportunities for professional development. In 2020 Tetrault reenrolled at CNM. “I was in a much more mature place in my life than I was ten years earlier,” he said. 

In 2022, Tetrault completed his associate’s degree from CNM and was looking for a college to finish his bachelor's degree. The assistant to the Dean from CNM recommended attending ENMU. She explained that Eastern has great business course offerings.  “That was the first time in my life an educator of some authority actually invested time into my development,” Tetrault said. 

Tetrault said graduating with his bachelor's degree was about, "Proving that I can do it, whereas a lot of people when I was young told me that I couldn’t.” He encourages people who are interested in going back to school to listen to that intuition. “Don’t let the labels that other people give you hold you back from believing in yourself,” he said. “Don’t let your past disable your future.”