The Path November 2025

Meaghan Hindman ’05 Started a School Where Every Student is Seen

To highlight the impact of Academy alumni in the field of education, Alumni Council member Ted Alcorn ’01 is sharing the stories of graduates who have devoted their careers to teaching, learning, and inspiring others. Meaghan Hindman was eager for a fresh start. The sixth grader arrived at Albuquerque Academy following two tumultuous years in which a string of her elementary school teachers struggled to control their classrooms, were transferred, or fired. The oldest daughter of attorneys, Meaghan wanted to learn, but she hadn’t been offered an environment in which to do it. She’d made it to middle school, but there were gaps in her academic foundation.

“I still remember sitting with my math teacher, Ginger Whisnant, during lunch so she could go over my test corrections because I didn't understand it, and I just remember crying,” she recalled. Instead of deterring her, those early struggles became a turning point, and the new school caught her fall. On a large campus that could have proven overwhelming, her small “family” grouping put her at ease. She eventually found a bigger community on the swim team, where she became part of a record-setting, 400-yard freestyle relay team. And her teachers gave her individual attention and helped her catch up, within a curriculum and overall structure deftly organized to prepare all students for the year to come. But the rocky start still made an indelible impression. Meaghan had already decided that when she grew up, she wanted to be a teacher, and now she felt viscerally the importance of ensuring no student is left behind. “I want kids to go to a place every day where they feel seen,” she said. “Where they feel important and they're having fun, but also where they're not going to be missed.”

Nearly 20 years later, in 2016, she was back in Albuquerque, putting that belief into action as she co-founded the charter elementary school Altura Prep. Now she could draw on a decade of hard-won experience as an educator. After college, she’d done a stint with Teach for America, learning her own hard lessons in a terribly poor neighborhood in northern California, where her class had 42 students but only 38 chairs. She’d gotten a graduate degree in education policy and leadership, then faced more challenges trying to turn around some of the lowest-performing schools in Tennessee. Her co-founder, Academy parent and board member Lissa Hines, had spent more than a decade as a principal in California, as well. Now settling in New Mexico, where even in the best schools students were lagging their peers elsewhere in the country, the pair dreamed of building an elementary school that would launch kids fully prepared to excel in middle school. Still, as the opening of Altura approached, doubt crept in. The co-founders had rented space in a strip mall they could adapt into classrooms for 50 incoming students, but by the first day, construction was only half complete. (They tread water the first week by taking everyone on field trips.) Meaghan couldn’t help but think about the profound impact of her own chaotic elementary school years. “We've promised these families that we know what we're doing.”

The subsequent years have proven that, in fact, they did know what they were doing. Not that there haven’t been unexpected challenges (like a global pandemic), but Altura’s offerings proved in-demand, with enrollment growing to 90 in its second year and 180 in its third. Today, they have 270 enrolled students and 400 on a wait-list. And the latest statewide test results show they are the second-highest scoring school in math and the highest performing in English and science. Just like she did as a member of the Academy relay team, Meaghan is quick to credit others. “Having somebody to work with and for is important,” she said. “Nothing meaningful gets accomplished or shared or spread without a lot of people involved.” And like swim practices on days she didn’t fell like getting in the pool, there are days she doesn’t feel like going to school. “But you know, there are 30 other people who are going to get in the pool with you. And you know that they're going to be working as hard, if not harder, than you are. And what would it say to them if you didn't show up?” She’d always promised herself that if she started a school, it would have to be good enough to send her own kids there. Next year she’ll get that chance, when her four-year-old daughter begins kindergarten. “It's pretty crazy to be like, ‘Oh, here we are now. Here she comes.’”

Community Day 2025: Chargers Connecting Across Campus

What happens when you give students a day to explore, create, and connect? You get Community Day — a campus-wide celebration of everything that makes Albuquerque Academy vibrant and unique.

Students spent the day sharing what they love, trying new things, and learning about one another. They played badminton, tested their aim in archery, and kept the beat in bucket drumming. They folded dumplings, crafted marigolds, and wrote poetry. Many of these sessions were led by students themselves, turning classrooms and studios into spaces of discovery and collaboration among peers.

The energy continued with the annual Reynolds-Lydon Regatta — a favorite tradition that challenges teams to design and race duct-taped cardboard boats. The regatta parade and community fair turned the afternoon into a lively festival.

By the time students gathered on Harper Field for awards (and cupcakes to celebrate the Academy’s 70th birthday), the sense of connection across campus was unmistakable — the perfect finish to a day spent learning, sharing, and having fun together.

Senior Wins Scholarship at Statewide Vocal Festival

Kadiah Dragone-Gutierrez ’26 was awarded a $3,000 scholarship to attend the National Youth Opera Academy in Santa Fe next summer after her performance at the 16th annual Vocal Artistry Art Song Festival, held at UNM. The festival is a celebration of classical repertoire for voice and piano that attracts student competitors from around the state in various divisions, from middle school through college. This year’s theme was English and American songs.

Ty Andrews ’28, Mira Thompkins ’30, and two collaborative pianists, Ida Shelton ’27 and William Leng ’28, were all selected for the final awards concert, in addition to Kadiah. William Landahl ’26 and Nayeli Solis-Jacobsohn ’28 also performed in the final concert with their collaborative pianists.

Corbin Carroll ’28 and Bonnie Li ’26 also participated in the school division, and Aspen Boswell ’31 competed in the middle school division.

Ramo Lecture Series Welcomes U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers

Last week, Academy students across all grades got the chance to hear from, and ask questions of, this year’s guest of the Ramo Lecture Series — Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, U.S. District Court for Northern California. She also joined juniors and seniors in an AP Government and Politics class in the afternoon.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers shared details about her family and early education in Texas, which led her to Princeton, the University of Texas at Austin, and UC Berkeley, where she completed her law degree. She began her career as a lawyer in a large firm in the Bay Area, where she found it hard to believe that she was the first Latina hire.

She decided to become a judge because it allowed for a better work-life balance, "and you can still do good and important things." When she was appointed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 to fill a vacancy as a Superior Court Judge for the State of California in Alameda County, she was only the second Latina to hold this role. And then in 2011, Judge Gonzalez Rogers said, she received a call from the White House. "President Obama wants to change the face of the judiciary. Would you consider putting your name in as a federal judge?" While it may not have been the ideal time, it was an opportunity she could not pass up, especially because, as she acknowledged, she has a competitive streak.

She chairs the Northern District's Committee charged with administering the Criminal Justice Act as it relates to indigent defense and has sat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The job sees her presiding over all types of cases, from civil rights and gang cases to employment law, including a case that resonated with Academy students — the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit that returned Fortnight to Apple product users. Because the law touches on so many things, she advised students interested in a legal career to study what they love. Another important aspect of her job, said Judge Gonzalez Rogers, is getting jurors excited about serving because "they decide the answer" to a court case, and jurors need to represent all backgrounds. But she will dismiss teachers, she added, because "they're doing community service" every day... unless it's summer time.

This lecture series, established by Albuquerque lawyer Roberta Cooper Ramo, the first female president of the American Bar Association and the American Law Institute, is funded by a gift in honor of Cooper Ramo from the ECMC Group, a family of companies that provides financial tools and services, nonprofit career education, and job placement services to help students succeed and achieve their academic and professional goals.

Alumni Council Nominations Now Open

Academy alumni, the Alumni Council is now accepting nominations for a three-year term. This group plays a key role in strengthening our alumni community and supporting the school. Serving on the council is a meaningful way to stay connected and contribute to Academy life.

Council members:

• Attend monthly meetings and contribute meaningfully to discussions and decisions.
• Serve on at least one working committee with clear deliverables.
• Volunteer at key events and initiatives throughout the year.
• Bring time, energy, and follow-through to foster a vibrant culture of philanthropy and engagement.

We welcome alumni who reflect the diversity of our graduates and who want to help build connections — whether you live in Albuquerque or across the country.

If you are someone who shows up in both spirit and action and would like to be considered for the Alumni Council, please submit your nomination by January 31. Let’s build something meaningful together.