IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12-12-06 CONTACT: PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
SILVER CITY—Tiffany Upchurch and Edward Valentine have been selected as the student response speakers for the Western New Mexico University winter commencement ceremony to be held on Friday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center Theatre. WNMU alumnus Dean Reed, vice president and part owner of a medical company in Texas, will be the keynote speaker for the ceremony.
Speaking on behalf of the baccalaureate students will be Tiffany Upchurch of McNeal, Ariz. She is an honors graduate earning a bachelor of applied science degree in criminal justice.
She is a 2002 graduate of Valley Union High School in McNeal, Ariz.
Her future plans include attending New Mexico State University to pursue a master’s degree in criminal justice/public administration.
“I initially chose to enroll at Western because it was close to home and it offered a good criminal justice program, said Upchurch. “Attending WNMU has inspired me to not only further my education but to one day earn a doctorate degree and become a college professor.”
While at Western, Upchurch has been a member of the Criminal Justice Club and Alpha Phi Sigma, the criminal justice honor society.
Her parents are Chris and Jack Upchurch of McNeal, Ariz.
The graduate response speaker is Ed Valentine. He previously earned a master of science degree in industrial health in 1993 and a bachelor of science degree in natural resources in 1983, both from the University of Michigan.
Valentine worked for the Phelps Dodge Mining Company for 11 years, the last five years as the Manager of Health and Safety for New Mexico Operations. One June 1 of this year, he left his job to enroll full time at WNMU.
Valentine explained there were a couple of reasons he made the big leap to finish his degree quickly.
“Working in management at the mines takes a lot of time and I found myself leaving everyday before my kids were up and I would get home around dinner time. The other reason was the calling to teach children. It’s something that you feel in your gut is important.”
His hope is to be employed at an elementary school in the area. He will bring a lot of personal knowledge and 23 years of work experience with him to the classroom.
“I worked in wildlife biology prior to working in mining. I trapped bobcats and raptors, climbed off cliffs and onto nests to band eagles and hawks, and tracked moose in the middle of winter. Kids love to talk about things like that. Those experiences have already been useful in the classroom,” said Valentine.
Valentine says he looked at a number of other universities before selecting WNMU to pursue his graduate teaching degree.
“The convenience of the school is amazing. The combination of brick and mortar classes and the electronic classes was great,” he said. “It was nice having a choice of continuing to work and taking online classes or enrolling in the traditional face-to-face classes with professors like Bonnie Maldonado. You can’t get that kind of interaction online.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by the intensity of the School of Education program. It was very challenging,” added Valentine.
His wife, Karen, is a teacher at Jose Barrios Elementary School. The couple has a daughter, Katie, 14, and a son, Peter, 12.
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