Back on the grind

In the middle of a cold January afternoon at New Mexico State University, the lobby at Garcia Hall felt warmer than usual. Not just from the steam of the fresh coffee being poured, but from the kind of connections and conversations that don’t occur between classes.

The Back on the Grind event, hosted by NMSU’s nursing program, was a midweek welcome back to school event that focused on giving students within the nursing program a chance to catch their breath as the spring semester kicks off.

The event was held Wednesday, Jan. 28. It featured free coffee and cookies for students in the nursing program. Sarai Valverde, the resident advisor of the Nursing Living Learning Community, was also present to connect with students and answer questions.

“We all have one goal in common, which is becoming a nurse,” Valverde said. “We live through coffee and energy drinks. That’s literally how we get through class.”

Tables were set up with various drink options, and students were running in and out of the space. Some students were even sitting down to chat with classmates, and others were grabbing coffee before heading to their next class. Natalie Saucedo, a senior in her second semester, was here supporting her fellow members of the program.

“You get really close to all the people, because you run into each other all the time,” Saucedo said. “You get to make a lot of new connections.”

Although the event was designed for nursing students, a few other students outside the nursing program stopped by to support their friends and have some free coffee. Tirano Jasso, a secondary social studies education major, was among one of those students.

“I came to this because my friend Sarai is hosting it with her nursing LLC,” Jasso said. “I think the coffee is a real good drawing for everyone.”

With nursing considered to be one of the most demanding programs at NMSU, the event offered those who are enrolled within the program a rare moment of downtime. For other nursing students like Janeth Ramirez, it was an opportunity to recharge and connect with others going through the same experience.

“A lot of times I feel like it gets really hard to find a system or support, especially in a field as hard as nursing,” said Ramirez. “So it plays a really big part in academic success and staying positive.”

As the event started to wind down, many satisfied students left Garcia Hall with a coffee in hand and a brief pause from the rapid pace of a new semester, a small and thoughtful gesture that can have a long-lasting impact.