Newsletter
March 2023
Our 2022 -2023 STEM Scholars Update
Click into the May 2022 Scholarships Announcement Newsletter to learn more about each of the 2022-23 Drexler scholars
Caitlyn Lonasee
"Keshi ho’ Caitlyn Lonasee leh’shi’na. Ho’ Organ Mountain un tsina wa sha ah." --Caitlyn Lonasee
Caitlyn is finishing her first year of college, and is working on her Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science with a minor in Electrical Engineering.
After adjusting in her first semester to the college's larger class sizes and heavier workloads, Caitlyn has set her goals high, taking 18 credits this spring while maintaining a weekend job.
Here's what she asked us to tell the wonderful scholarship donors like you:
I do not see many female minorities going through the science and technology field. This continues to encourage me to keep working hard. I still hold my long-term vision of helping my tribal community sometime down the road. I have seen the many opportunities out here that I could learn to take advantage of to gain the knowledge and experience I need to help my community. Scholarships like Drexler are a definite help in supporting my mission and vision. This scholarship is very much appreciated because I didn't have to worry about so many expenses during my first semester or college.
Thank you, Drexler donors, for supporting me on my educational journey.
Cristian Saenz
"Regret only comes from what you withhold, so if you play all your cards, there will be no true regrets. We only have one life, and shame on us if we don't make the most of it."
--Cristian Saenz
Cristian is majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and is excelling academically this year. As he puts it, he is "learning an arguably excessive amount in these classes, and they are teaching me not only applicable content but important skills and habits as well." (in addition to all his engineering classes, he is learning a lot about writing, and is thoroughly enjoying his music appreciation class, which he says is helping him to learn "to slow down and analyze/observe the nuances and emotion not only in music but in everyday life."
His message to you:
To the donors of the Drexler Scholarship, I'd like to take a second to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I may never know you personally, but I know that you are good people who do good things. The opportunity brought to me and many other people is once in a lifetime. I still remember how I felt when I heard of such a scholarship that was potentially available for students like me who just needed a chance to prove themselves, just one chance to show the world what I can accomplish and become. It is through your donations that I can walk today and worry about the weather as opposed to the stress that would be my life. The financial security I have because of this scholarship keeps me with my family, taking care of and spending time with the people I love. I can do the things I want to do, and excel in school without the worry of how I might make ends meet this week. You've done a kind thing, and I will not forget it. I will do my best to pay it forward, even now with helping someone less fortunate with the money you gifted to me. Thank you, truly.
Calvin Cox
"Calvin has many strengths as an individual, but I think one of his greatest strengths is who he is a teammate and friend."
--Excerpt from a Recommendation Letter
Calvin is a couple months away from finishing his first year of college, taking courses in his intended areas of study, engineering and physics.
He sends to you this message of gratitude:
Thank you for your support. Courses I’m in or taken include three mechanical engineering courses, physics, two English courses and Calculus II and III. I have maintained a 3.7 GPA and became a Crimson Scholar. This semester I got a job at White Sands Federal Credit Union as a teller three days a week. I also applied to study abroad this summer in Scotland. I’m hopeful for this experience.
(p.s. Dad would be super glad to hear that Calvin hopes to study abroad in Scotland: He loved Scotland!)
Ariana Montoya
"Ariana is a student that helps provide the glue that keeps institutions together, both in showing a willingness to be a part of a team, as well as ensuring that the high school environment is as positive as she can help make it." --Excerpt from a Recommendation Letter
Ariana is finishing her first year as a major in Civil Engineering. She is also now planning on minoring in Structural Engineering as well as Environmental Engineering.
She tells us that she is having a great time at NMSU! She has made many friends from her classes, has joined students clubs --including the American Society of Civil Engineering student chapter at NMSU. She also plans to join the Society for Women Engineers.
Ariana also sends her greetings and gratitude:
This scholarship was a blessing not only to myself but for my family. It allowed me the opportunity to pay toward my education and save me from having that amount of debt in the future. The Drexler family is generous enough to have shared this scholarship with me and it was only right that I put it to great use. My family and I really appreciated it. I hope the [Drexler] family can help other students through their generosity.
Words of Advice to Future Drexler Scholars
Do good with the award that is given and take it as a blessing and make it count. Work hard for what you want and for your dreams and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t reach them. All the hard work will pay off.
--Ariana Montoya
Hang in there. There are only a couple months till you graduate. If you get the opportunity to move in the dorms…do it. It’s a great way to get involved
--Calvin Cox
Having received the Drexler Scholarship helped me immensely. It took the worries off my mind with having to search, apply, and make sure I had enough money for college. Luckily, I had some extra money left over that helped cover any of my extra fees and costs that came up during the semester.
--Caitlyn Lonasee
Keep it cool. Stress is a poison to the human mind, it can and will ruin what you've worked to accomplish, so I say don't worry about what lies ahead and just go with the flow. Of course, this kind of thinking can uproot your life just as well if you don't pair it with discipline, in which you must fully comprehend that work can only be done through effort, and with better effort comes better results.
Herein lies the ultimate challenge, trying your best to remain calm and focused in the chaos of the world, while understanding the deadlines and urgency life carries with it.
I find it especially important to make sure there's time to relax and recoup, because if pushed too hard for too long, the mind just like the body will fail. In the end, it comes down to balance; so chill out, stay focused, and be ready at the drop of a hat to relax.
--Cristian Saenz
Dad's Story
At last year's scholarship awards ceremony, Pete's son Matthew spoke to attendees about Pete's life and legacy:
The James J. “Pete” Drexler Scholarship aims to assist motivated and well-deserving high school students in their academic pursuit in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math with the understanding (as explained Pete Drexler (a physicist)) that Physics is really just all of those things. :)
If you research James J. “Pete” Drexler you will discover that not only was he an accomplished physicist and scientist, he was a published author of local New Mexico history. He was a world traveler and always made a point to keep learning, keep discovering and then pass that knowledge on to others.
It’s important to know that Dad was a first generation college attendee and college graduate.
It’s also important to know that Dad later supported each of his eight children through post-secondary educational pursuits: With Dad’s help, my siblings and I now enjoy academic and professional success: as a higher-education business entrepreneur with an MBA, a Certified Public Accountant, two university professors with Ph.D.’s, three licensed attorneys with Juris Doctorates, and, perhaps the wisest of us all, a film producer and aerial cinematographer. Dad not only valued higher education, he made sure others had an opportunity to achieve it!
But it’s even more important to recognize that Dad almost didn’t go to college.
When Dad was in high school, his favorite teacher was his Math teacher, Ms. Therma Madden. He earned top scores in math, even winning the State Medal of the Mathematical Association of America -- the Icosahedron Award -- which he showed with pride to anyone who asked. Dad accomplished his academic feats with a
support system no doubt familiar to the students here today: with a teacherʼs encouragement,
an educator’s ability to identify talent, and the support of family and close friends.
In his senior year, as graduation approached, Dad’s friends were readying themselves for
college. However, despite his Valedictorian credentials and the Prom King crown, Dad’s after-high-school plan was to enter the workforce as a construction laborer with Grandpa. Dad was a hard worker, and college did not seem a possibility since Grandma and Grandpa did not have the money to send any of the children to college.
Oddly, one day the principal called him into his office. (That canʼt be good, right?)
Apparently, the principal, Mr. Larry Krouse, and Dad’s math teacher, had lobbied for Dad to receive a college scholarship! Dad had his choice between two scholarships: one in Math or one in Physics, for either New Mexico School of Mines or New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (New Mexico A&M), now known as New Mexico State University.
He chose Physics - because he already knew what Math was but didn’t really know what Physics was. Dad’s thirst for knowledge and his passion to keep learning actually favored choosing a Physics scholarship. (Into his late adult years, Dad would feel a twinge of guilt: he imagined he broke his math teacher's heart not choosing to study math. We reassured him repeatedly, she must have been so proud of him!)
Even though Dad had been offered the two scholarships, it seemed that he might have to turn both down; the scholarships only paid for tuition, not room and board and the other expenses of attending university. Dad had already performed the calculations: Even if he worked all summer with his dad in construction, he would still not have enough money to support himself through school. With that realization, working construction with our grandpa appeared to be his path.
However, early in the summer while Dad and Grandpa were repairing a roof in town, a neighbor from their church, John McNally, paid a visit. Mr. McNally spoke with Grandpa first and then they called dad over.
Mr. McNally worked with the oil pipeline company. He knew Dad had been offered a scholarship and also understood that Dad needed funds to make college happen. Mr. McNally told Dad about an opportunity to work at the company, filling in for employees who went on vacation over the summer.
With grandpa’s blessing, Dad accepted the summer job at the pipeline. Dad could not believe his luck. As it turns out, temporary workers actually received the same pay of the worker they were filling in for! So, through a series of “successive promotions,” Dad raised enough to support himself through college. John McNally and Grandpa would likely tell you this was no accident.
With all these stars aligning, Dad embarked on an educational career that had him witness a life of transition and upward mobility, almost literally, from horses to rockets!
If you would like to continue to support students in our Dad's name, please consider making a donation to the James J. ("Pete") Drexler Scholarship! Donate Here.
Help fund more scholarships today!