PNMGC Team
VALERIE CHAVEZ
Graduate Project Assistant
Valerie Chavez was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She graduated from UNM with her B.A. in Intercultural Communication and a minor in Chicana/o studies and is currently pursuing her M.A in Chicana/o Studies. While studying, she plans on analyzing Nueva Mexicana self-expression and its relation to Chicana feminism. Her focus will be to destruct and understand the importance of space/place within Chicana feminist identity. She is currently a program assistant for Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color (PNMGC) working to provide graduate students of color with a safe community in academia. Valerie uses photography as a creative medium in all areas of her life and particularly enjoys cultural photography. She also spends her spare-time going to local car cruises, spending time with her loved ones, and exploring her state of New Mexico.
Theresah Boateng
Project Assistant
Theresah Boateng is from Ghana, West Africa, and since 2014, has fallen in love with New Mexico. She is a first-year doctoral student in the special education program at the University of New Mexico. She has earned two master’s degrees, Public Administration, Special Education, and a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of New Mexico. She has had the opportunity to author a manuscript that was recently published (Boateng et al., 2023) and co-authored an article that is currently under review for publication.
Theresah's areas of specialization and interests are language/Communication presentation and typical behaviors in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and assessment of culturally diverse groups for the purposes of developing appropriate intervention plans. Her recent interest is emerging in the application of applied behavior analysis and multitiered systems of support in public schools and the dynamics of regressive autism, and its association with language/communication, and social skills.
Theresah is very fortunate to be working with the Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color. She perceives PNMGC as a home away from home and often comments that its nurturing and inclusiveness set its part.
Theresah is a partner and mother of three beautiful children and enjoys spending time with her family.
Avery Dixon
Undergraduate Project Assistant
Avery Dixon was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is working on her bachelors as a BioChemistry major. Her hope is to go to graduate school to acquire a doctorate in veterinary medicine. She is so excited to be a program assistant for Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color (PNMGC). Her hope is to provide undergraduates and graduate students a safe space for questions and support. In her freetime she coaches a middle school dance team, acts, and plays video/board games with friends and family. She is so excited to join this wonderful team. Go Lobos!
