Who We Are

AREAS OF EXPERTISE | Leading a coalition of hardworking students, teachers, and educators to further college access for first-generation college-going New Mexicans. Working with financial aid offices, creating partnerships with college access organizations, college counseling students, & biking on gravel roads.

Sam has been working to increase college access in New Mexico since 2007. He began his career as an undergraduate Summer Teaching Fellow with Breakthrough Santa Fe. Following college, he served as an AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow with Citizen Schools at De Vargas Middle School in Santa Fe, NM. Eventually, he returned to Breakthrough Santa Fe as the Associate Director and later Co-Director of the program. In 2017, he became the founding Director of the Davis New Mexico Scholarship.  Connect with Sam on LinkedIn

RECOMMENDED READING | Hold Fast to Dreams, Beth Zasloff & Josua Steckel

M.Ed. Education, Lesley University (Cambridge, MA) | B.A. History, Religion, Carleton College (Northfield, MN) | William H. Hall High School (West Hartford, CT)

AREAS OF EXPERTISE | Building a network of college access professionals, creating organizational systems, wrangling scholarship data, & finding free food.

A staunch advocate for public and equitable education (and a true education nerd), Hanna has spent over a decade honing her perspective on how to effectively impact sustainable and positive change for youth and educators. Her experience has led her to believe in the power of investing in places– in the people already working in their communities; in the social infrastructure that facilitates public connection; and in the culture and history that anchor physical spaces. Prior to joining the Davis New Mexico Scholarship in 2020, she led national data collection, analysis, and dissemination efforts at Breakthrough Collaborative in Oakland, CA.

RECOMMENDED READING | Your Silence Will Not Protect You, Audre Lorde

B.A. Sociology, Pomona College (Claremont, CA) | Millburn High School (Millburn, NJ)

AREAS OF EXPERTISE | College counseling students, case managing college students, working with families, & keeping the office up-to-date on celebrity news and astrology.

Alejandra first joined the Davis New Mexico Scholarship in 2014 as a member of its inaugural class of scholars. In college, she worked in the business office and as a TA for her psychology professor’s Serial Killers class. Though her interests have shifted, her commitment to working with undergraduate students has remained. A former Breakthrough Santa Fe and AVID Santa Fe student, her ties to and knowledge of the city run deep. She joined the Davis New Mexico Scholarship as staff in 2018.

RECOMMENDED READING | Privileged Poor, Anthony Abraham Jack

B.A Criminology, St. Edward’s University (Austin, TX) | Capital High School (Santa Fe, NM)

AREAS OF EXPERTISE | Publicizing summer programs and scholarship opportunities, guiding college searches, helping students voice what is unique about their stories, talking hockey and baseball, & sporting the freshest nail art courtesy of his two daughters.

Matt’s 15+ year career (7 years in college admissions at Stanford and Caltech + 8 years college counseling at Santa Fe Prep) has been largely dedicated to opening doors and spotlighting opportunities for students from limited-income, first-generation, and underrepresented backgrounds. In addition to being the founding Program Director of ROCA NM, he has been a committed volunteer with organizations like New Mexico Simon Scholars, College Horizons, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, The Gates Scholarship, Fidelity Scholars, UNM's Rural Student Connectivity Project, and a national leadership board for Rural and Small Town college access. Matt also serves on advisory committees for Berea, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Smith, and Willamette. In 2021, he was named among Counselors That Change Lives, alongside Sam Ritter (above) and Allie Cooper (formerly of Breakthrough Santa Fe).

RECOMMENDED READING | Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch

B.A. Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity, Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA) | Labette County High School (Altamont, KS)