Followed Friends to ENMU and Became Student Body President

By Noelle Bartl

ENMU senior Justin Aguilar, from Farmington, NM, chose to attend ENMU because his two best friends had enrolled. The friends transferred out, but Justin stayed and maximized every opportunity to get involved.

Justin Aguilar

Justin was elected as ASENMU President for his last year of college. Under his leadership this past Fall, the students overwhelmingly supported a student fee increase toward $4 million investment in a new stadium. Justin is most proud of this achievement knowing the students took ownership of transforming the future of ENMU and Portales. “The current students will return to campus for future homecoming weekends and will tell their children they helped build the stadium.”

When asked about his biggest challenge, Justin replied, “Stepping into the spotlight and representing the entire student body was quite an experience. You get the good with the bad including praise, compliments and hate mail. I’ve learned a lot.”

Before becoming president, Justin also demonstrated his leadership skills in the Theta Zeta Chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity as the chair of the 50th homecoming reunion weekend in 2012. When he was only a sophomore, Justin organized the fraternity’s first annual Run for the Heroes event raising $4,000 for the Fisher House Foundation. “Presenting the check to a Fisher House Representative made a real impact on my fraternity brothers and me,” said the mathematics major.

Because of his leadership abilities, Justin was asked to direct the annual Mud Volleyball Tournament not just once but again this spring during his last semester of college. “It should be easy since I’d been through it once before. Students love this event that raises money for ENMU Foundation scholarships.”

Justin’s career plans are to become an analyst and work on an MBA. He has his sights set on Sandia Labs in Albuquerque.