The Path September 2024

Seniors Recognized as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists

The National Merit® Scholarship Corporation has announced that 17 of the Albuquerque Academy seniors who competed in the National Merit Scholarship Program last school year have been named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.

As juniors, they entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as an initial screen of program participants. The approximately 16,000 semifinalists across the country, representing fewer than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, include the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

Congratulations to these seniors! Next spring they will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million.

• Nicholas Allan
• Meryem Anderoglu
• Evan Chang
• Emeline Doscher
• Darin Eberhardt
• Theo Gallant
• Dhruv Grandhe
• Miles Kammler
• Daniel Luo
• TJ Miller
• Townes Richardson
• Akilan Sankaran
• Corbett Thomas
• Vincent Walters
• Tiger Wong Wagner
• Jack Yu
• Ayla Zomermaand

Rooted in New Mexico: A Passion for Education

Meet New Admission Director Juaquin Moya

At Albuquerque Academy, we know education is more than a stepping stone; it’s a lifelong journey. This sentiment rings especially true for Juaquin Moya, the Academy’s new director of admission and enrollment management, whose passion for education is deeply intertwined with his roots in our state. “I’m from New Mexico, I’m rooted here and deeply passionate about seeing New Mexico be successful,” he says. “Education is my core value, and I truly believe in independent education.”

An independent school graduate himself, Juaquin understands the transformative power such an opportunity holds. “Independent education changed my life,” he says. He got his first taste of admission work at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where he was selected as a senior interviewer. This experience solidified his interest in admission practices, which eventually led him to Occidental College and later to college counseling.

In 2014, Juaquin founded Horizons Albuquerque, a summer enrichment program dedicated to helping underserved New Mexico youth stay in school. “It was about changing the statistics of dropout and graduation rates in New Mexico,” he explains. Ten years later, Horizons Albuquerque, which serves approximately 200 students, has seen impressive success with a near 90% retention rate, demonstrating the program’s long-term impact on the community.

Following his time as vice president of philanthropic advising at the Albuquerque Community Foundation, where he introduced the Notable New Mexicans in Philanthropy series, Juaquin returned to the educational field, joining Albuquerque Academy’s college guidance office before transitioning to the role of director of admission and enrollment management. Here at the Academy, he feels at home in a community that truly embodies diversity, equity, and inclusivity. “Being back in education, especially in a community that lives what they say, gives me hope.”

As leader of the admission team, Juaquin is dedicated to making the application process a learning journey for families. His goal is to help students and their families gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their educational goals, ensuring that every applicant feels supported. “Applying to an independent school is a holistic process,” he says, emphasizing that Albuquerque Academy is not just an academic institution but a community where students with both talent and character can thrive.

Juaquin says he is excited about using this role to highlight the Academy’s unique programs and to ensure that the institution remains accessible to all families, regardless of background. “Education and access matter to me,” he affirms, and it’s clear that his work will continue to have a lasting impact on the students and families he serves.

Visiting Artist Application Open

Apply by November 1

The Albuquerque Academy visual arts department is seeking applicants for the Jada B. Gonzales Artist Series – a visiting artist and speaker program that brings recognized artists to campus to inspire, inform, and enhance our students’ creativity and knowledge of the arts.

“For many students, the life and career of a visual artist is less clear than other professions,” says Karl Orozco, who teaches the Academy’s new Advanced Senior Studio class. “The visiting artist will play a crucial role in showing pathways in the visual arts and may inspire future young artists to pursue this in the future.”

The selected artist will schedule a two-day visit to Albuquerque Academy’s campus between January and March 2025 to present a 30-minute artist talk to students in grades 10-12 and to lead workshops with upper-level art students. The award comes with a $2,500 honorarium, which is inclusive of travel expenses and accommodations. Click here to learn more about the Academy visuals arts department and apply by November 1, 2024.

The visiting artist will be selected by the visual arts faculty and students taking Senior Studio, an advanced-level, interdisciplinary studio art course. Each December, Senior Studio students will be tasked with curating, creating work for, and installing a group show in the Simms Library Gallery. Once they’ve selected a central theme for this show, Karl says, “they’ll have a key role in choosing a visiting artist whose work is in conversation with their own group show’s conceptual focus.”

The primary goal of Senior Studio is to show art students what making art looks like outside of an academic setting. “By giving students agency in the selection process, we hope that the selected artist will resonate with their peers and give them a peek behind the curtain of the juried selection process all working artists will face in their careers.”

The Jada B. Gonzales ’23 Artist Series was established in 2023 in remembrance of Jada Gonzales with support from donors. Jada was an artist – both as a writer and photographer; she sought connection and savored the personal discovery inherent in the artistic process. She generously invited others in to share her art, and she was courageous and determined in her pursuit of her unique creative vision.

The Academy hosted its first visiting artist as a part of this series – renowned Native artist Juane Quick-To-See Smith and artists from her studio – in February 2024. Upper-school students learned about their work during a presentation, and advanced art students participated in a printmaking workshop they conducted.

“Jada was a young artist who used photography to examine family history and personal experiences,” says Karl. “She took risks in her work, putting herself in uncomfortable situations to capture her home of Albuquerque at night. For her, making art was a cathartic process. We encourage emerging artists from all disciplines to apply and help carry on Jada’s legacy.”

Help Us Recognize Outstanding Alumni

Nominate distinguished alumni for service and achievement awards or the Athletics Hall of Fame by October 31 to honor our community members. These honors recognize alumni who have made significant contributions through service, achievement, and dedication to excellence.

Please submit 2025 nominations for Alumni Awards or Athletics Hall of Fame by October 31.

NEW! Private Lessons Through Levanta

Both beginners and experienced musicians are invited to explore their passions with the Levanta Institute for Music and Creativity’s new private lesson program. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced musician, this is your chance to explore your passion with world-class instructors in a supportive and inspiring environment. Levanta now offers lessons in woodwinds, classical guitar, Flamenco guitar, voice, strings, songwriting, and jazz improvisation that are tailored to your goals and designed to help you thrive. Provided by world-class instructors in a supportive and inspiring environment, lessons are open to students in grades 3 to adult.

Learn more and register.

Tuition Assistance Critical to Academy Mission

Since its founding, Albuquerque Academy has committed to making its transformative education accessible to bright and promising students regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. Need-based tuition assistance remains one of the Academy’s core values and a fundamental aspect of our mission.

For the 2024-25 school year, we are celebrating the profound impact of our tuition assistance program in shaping our community. Recently, we were honored to share four inspiring reflections written by families of recent graduates who benefited immensely from tuition assistance. To add to this collection, Alumni Council member Ted Alcorn ’01 will interview other Chargers whose Academy education was made possible through support from tuition assistance in hopes of inspiring our community members to continue to invest in this life-changing program. If you were a recipient of tuition assistance during your time at the Academy and are willing to share your story, please email alumni@aa.edu.

2024-25 Tuition Assistance by the Numbers

• $5.1 million awarded
• 295 students (about 25%) receive tuition assistance
• 133 students receive awards exceeding $20,000, including 40 students receiving full-tuition awards
• $18,000 average tuition assistance award

The annual cost to provide an Academy education for a single student in the 2024-25 school year is roughly $36,000, far more than the $28,149 full tuition amount. For many years, the school’s endowment supported about 50% of every student’s tuition. Thus, every Academy student and alumnus has received an educational subsidy from Albuquerque Academy’s endowment and other philanthropic efforts.

$2 Million Donation Based on Commitment to the Future

When Brad Scott ’70 learned Julianne Puente had been named the head of school for Albuquerque Academy in 2019, he was pleased that his top choice would be taking the reins.

Brad had accepted the school's invitation to get involved in the head-of-school selection process and felt strongly that it was time for the Academy to be led by a woman. After attending each candidate’s presentation, “I came home and I said, ‘You know, they’re all fantastic,’ but I said Julianne was a standout. She really was.” At the bottom of the evaluation he completed, Brad wrote that it was time for Chargers to have a female head of school. Otherwise, he says, “it’s not the real world. I think [the search committee] made the right choice, and I hope she stays a long time.”

He has not been disappointed by the changes he’s seen on campus since and the energy those changes have brought. In fact, Brad and his wife Diane recently set up a $2 million estate gift to the Academy after spending time with Julianne this past school year to learn more about the future she has in mind for his alma mater.

“I was just very impressed with her and the vision that she had for the school, in her past experiences,” Brad says. Conversations with Julianne and Director of Advancement Joe Weiss, ranging from how to increase philanthropic support from alumni to stories about Brad’s time at the Academy, helped them decide it was time to move beyond making standard donations a few times a year. “Diane and I had talked many times about doing something to make it possible for a student to go to school here who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity.”

Diane, who did not attend a private school, said she’s been very impressed by the passion she’s seen during these interactions. “That’s what really got me interested in finding a way to support the Academy.”

To be honest, Brad initially wasn’t enthusiastic about attending the Academy himself. Coming in as a ninth grader in 1966, he’d already established a friend group elsewhere and was happy enough to be heading to Highland High School. But his father, who had been involved in planning the Academy’s move from Edith Street to the current Wyoming campus, wanted to see Brad push himself a little harder academically and made him take the entrance exam.

His reservations didn’t last long, he says. “It took one week, and I loved it.” Brad attributes the abrupt turnaround to the dedication of teachers who really challenged him, including Doc Harrington, Eduardo Cabiedes, Ken Brown, James Batchelor, Harry Herder, William Suchland, and Jesus Castaneda. “The teaching staff was small, and there was a lot of one-on-one attention.”

Albuquerque Academy was still a boys school when he attended, Brad says, so some of his favorite memories were of antics that probably wouldn’t fly today. “I’ll never forget building the sign out in front of campus,” he says. “That was our gift to the school. I can’t remember how long it took, but I remember it was hotter than hell out there. To celebrate finishing it, we took [fellow classmate] Armando Garcia’s Volkswagen and put it into the fountain in front of the administration building.”

Through his classes and activities like cross country, astronomy club, and yearbook, Brad says, the biggest lesson he took from his time at the Academy is that hard work produces results. “That’s why I was here. That’s why my dad sent me.” He also appreciates that he learned to think independently and make decisions.

He continued his education at UNM, where he studied marketing and Spanish, and then he and Diane, married for 40 years, had lifelong careers at Coca-Cola and PNM, respectively. They both retired close to two decades ago and have since enjoyed traveling, golf, concerts, and their golden retrievers.

“We have no children, so we had been looking around, trying to decide what we wanted to do with our assets when we’re gone,” Brad says. Galvanized by Julianne’s leadership and with guidance about gift-giving options from Joe, he and Diane hope their $2 million estate gift will inspire other alumni to join them in ensuring that an Academy education continues to be among the very best and is accessible to young people from all socioeconomic backgrounds. “Hopefully people will see that we donated and come to the table, too.

“I’ve noticed over the years that my class, in particular, was not as involved as it could be,” Brad says. He encourages alumni from his era to learn more about today’s Academy to find out what’s changed (besides the introduction of girls, many more female teachers than in his day, and the first female head of school), what’s in store for the future, and how they can be part of supporting it. “I felt there was a real open-door policy,” Brad says about meeting with Julianne. “We talked a lot. That makes a big difference for an alum who’s not been active and wants to be.”

Making an Estate Gift to Albuquerque Academy

You can designate the Academy as a beneficiary in your will or estate plan. This is a meaningful way to ensure that future generations of Chargers can benefit from the same benefits of an Academy education that you or your family member received.

The many options include:

• Naming the Academy as a beneficiary of your will or trust
• Adding the Academy as a beneficiary on your life insurance policy, brokerage accounts, or retirement accounts
• Setting up a charitable annuity that could provide you with a steady stream of income for life
• Gifting items of value, such as property, jewelry, or art
• And gifting appreciated stock, which helps avoid capital gain taxes.

In addition, people age 70½ or older may move money from their IRA account directly to the Academy, tax-free, through a qualified charitable distribution.

Most charitable estate gifts are non-binding, meaning that you can make changes in the future.

Please email the advancement team at Albuquerque Academy if you are interested in learning more about these options.

Charger Swim & Pro Shop Opens in Natatorium

Academy swimmers, members of Charger Aquatics, and swimmers from around the state participating in events at the Academy’s natatorium now have access to a new, handy resource for swim gear and merchandise. The new Charger Swim & Pro Shop, featuring TYR products, is now open in the Natatorium during swim practices and meets and is stocked with swimsuits, goggles, swim caps, backpacks, and more.

Summer Headlines

News of Chargers' accomplishments didn't stop for summer break. Here are some highlights that didn't make our final issue of The Path for the 2023-24 school year.

• Four Academy Thespians Participate in International Thespian Festival
• Thirteen Chargers Represent the Academy at the 2024 HOSA International Leadership Conference