Rick Johnson Scholars

Rick JohnsonTo Rick, nothing was more invigorating than the potential of youth and the possibilities within creating a future.

Always young in spirit, he loved being on the UNM campus, immersed in an environment where knowledge was shared. He championed success by coaching young people how to achieve their maximum potential, believe in themselves and foster their unique abilities.

There is no better way to honor him and his enthusiasm for learning than to assist individual students on the brink of career development. A Rick Johnson scholarship is a gift to a deserving student, and keeps his dreams alive.



2014 Rick Johnson Scholars

Lauren Wade

Lauren Wade Lauren Wade has a clear vision of her future. Her passion is graphic design and she is dedicated to pursing a BBA in Marketing that will allow her to use her graphic design skills to capture people’s once intangible dreams and make them a reality.

Lauren has held leadership positions with LoboTHON, raising money for the UNM Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, Associated Students of UNM, a Student Representative on the Athletic Council, and a Student Representative for the Student Publications Board. As a student taking a full course load, working three jobs, and still finding time to enjoy moments with her friends, Lauren says she knows the fear of being unable to finish her journey. But she says she will not stop. The Rick and Debbie Johnson Marketing Scholarship will allow her to take summer classes to ease her fall and spring semester work and class schedule.

Lauren loves the challenge of a jigsaw puzzle and has increased that challenge by growing the number of pieces in the puzzle as she grew older. She says marketing is her next “jigsaw puzzle”. Lauren says her heart beats a bit faster every time she develops a new marketing plan, advertising campaign or company logo. Her goals for the future include earning an MBA at Anderson and ultimately becoming a Marketing Director.

Sophia Baldonado

Sophia BaldonadoMarketing student Sophia Baldonado is pursuing her BBA with a concentration in the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program. After receiving her degree from UNM Anderson she plans to go into one of the digital media fields and her goal is to be a producer for a development team that creates animated videos and films, video games and other types of software.

Sophia is well on her way to achieving her dream. Over the past ten months she led a group of 13 students to create a 2D platform video game called Siphon. As Producer, she specialized in project management to aggregate work from programmers, artists, musicians, and game designers into one cohesive game. Through her impressive work on Siphon she was asked to produce a short animated public service announcement in January 2014. She is also a producer in the Reality Augmented Virtual Environment Lab and has worked as a lead web developer and designer at Explore Media.

Sophia is responsible for her education. She works and attends classes while maintaining an overall GPA of 3.9. She says she works hard for A’s because she sees the value in her education and wants to be a good role model for her sister, who will attend Anderson this fall. Sophia realizes her ideal job will require a significant amount of problem solving and she says that is what she looks forward to the most as she moves through her career path.

2013 Rick Johnson Scholars

Meagan Ayoub

It takes more than just tenacity to succeed in college, it take heart. Meagan Ayoub has dedicated her time, energy and passion to devote as a volunteer for Amigos de Las Americas, as a senior trainer. This study abroad program empowers young adults to grow as leaders and increase their multi-cultural understanding through training and community service projects in Latin America. Megan has spent the past 6 years changing the lives of people from third-world countries. Her community service has provided her with a “constant reminder of the hard work it takes to succeed and the unique opportunities here at UNM.”

Meagan is also a stellar student. She was an integral part of the 2013 winning team for the Anderson Marketing Club Challenge. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Golden Key International Honor Society and the UNM Honors College, and maintains a 3.98 GPA.

Megan aspires to work for Disney upon graduation, using her skills to brainstorm advertising ideas to continuously improve the way the company promotes advertisement and culture to their customers.

Kathleen Dubyk

Kathleen Dubyk wants to change the world we live in through marketing. Not just as a form of advertisement or promotion, but as a way to create an experience for people through resourceful event planning. Kathleen worked hard over the summer coordinating a graduation celebration, a wedding, and a going-away party for her first clients. In addition to pursuing her career path, Kathleen has proven herself as a true leader in the classroom, maintaining a 3.92 GPA. She was the lead in the Campaign Strategy Implementation Project in her Promotions Management course, which included encouraging members of her group to recruit additional students to the event, increasing its exposure throughout campus. She has held both an undergraduate and graduate student internship position at Sandia National Labs—a highly competitive process—and has recently been charged with the scheduling management of incoming undergraduate student intern duties.

Kathleen is interested in obtaining an event management position with a hotel or event management company, marketing the venue and monitoring and improving the quality of customer service in this industry.

2012 Rick Johnson Scholars

Stacy Caldwell

Stacy Caldwell Stacy's love of softball taught her both leadership skills and how to pitch: both are proving invaluable in pursuing a UNM Anderson School Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (4.06 GPA) and a focus on Marketing and Management Information Systems. Stacy is a member of the American Marketing Association, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Secretary of the Hispanic Business Student Association, and is deeply committed to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Her goal is to achieve an MBA in Marketing and Operations, and she believes her hard work to do her best, passion for learning, leadership experience and daily care for others will get her there.

Stephanie Fawver

Stephanie Fawver A consistent theme for Stephanie Fawver is a focus on helping others such as the Adelante Development Center, The Storehouse and New Mexico AIDS Society. Just as active academically as in volunteering, Stephanie graduated from UNM ‘s Valencia campus with a 4.08 as an Associate of Science in General Science plus an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts, and is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a double major in Nutrition/Dietetics and Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. A Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society alumnae and a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, Stephanie hopes to enter the UNM Anderson School MBA program for a career in marketing.