Staff Profile: Daniela Gurule

Daniela Gurule flashes her joyful, broad smile and extends a firm, warm handshake as she speaks with potential and current students. Her appreciation for all those who welcomed her when she first came to the college shines through every interaction.

Daniela, SFCC’s Recruitment Coordinator, also currently serves as the Outreach Coordinator for a Title V EXITO en SFCC (Succeed at SFCC) Hispanic Serving Institution grant. She’s proud of this new role that expands opportunities for her to connect even more deeply with students and their families.

The EXITO grant will significantly enhance engagement initiatives at SFCC. These funds will support the college’s efforts to increase outreach to high school students, streamline onboarding processes, and launch new professional development programs. Additionally, the grant will help fund the creation of more “hyflex” classrooms on campus, offering flexible learning options for students. It will also provide a $150,000 match for student financial aid endowment funds raised by SFCC Foundation, strengthening support for students’ educational journeys, in particular for Hispanic students.

Daniela Gurule, SFCC’s Recruitment Coordinator, I find students connect and remember SFCC’s visits best when they get an opportunity to participate in some type of hands-on activity.

Thanks to the grant, Daniela has increased her presence at Santa Fe High, Capital High, and Pojoaque High School. She makes recruiting events as interactive and fun as possible. She invites faculty to bring equipment from various departments such as Nursing, Welding, Automotive Technologies, Biological and Physical Sciences, and Building Science and Construction Technologies to career exploration events. “I find students connect and remember SFCC’s visits best when they get an opportunity to participate in some type of hands-on activity,” Daniela emphasizes.

In the coming year (the second year of the five-year grant), she hopes to reach students’ parents, caretakers, or guardians through a series of events or workshops. “We’ll talk about the value of college, financial aid, and answer their questions. I want to set up an environment of connection like potlucks where people feel welcomed,” she says.

Daniela started working at SFCC as a student employee in the Marketing and Public Relations Department in 2007. She began working full-time at the college in Student Services in 2011. “I am so thankful to work full-time at the college. I am so appreciative for all of the support I received as a student, and my job gives me a great opportunity to pay it forward.”

“I come from a strong Hispanic background,” Daniela adds. “My family has been here for many generations and has always been involved in the community. They instilled in me that cultural pride in being active in the community.” She’s bilingual and often talks with prospective students and their families in Spanish if that is their preference.

“I think it’s important to be able to share my own story and connect with people,” Daniela says. “I tell young people I remember what it was like when I left high school and thought I would just make money. I went to work right away. I wasn’t just hanging out at the house. At the time, school was not a good fit for me. I worked, worked, and worked until I realized I was going to be a mom, and said I wanted to get my GED. I wanted to do it for my child.”

“Then I was a young wife going to school and I remember how demanding that was. I went through a divorce when my boys were only 6 and 9. So, I can relate to single moms thinking about college. Now my sons are 17 and 20, so I know how young people think.”

After receiving her GED, she earned associate degrees in Business and in Accounting at SFCC. She went on to get her bachelor’s degree in Business from New Mexico Highland University.

She says going to college can seem scary and intimidating for some people, particularly first-generation students. “I think it’s important to be real with people. I try to open their eyes to the fact that they can get through college and that a college education is important.”

She doesn’t sugarcoat it for them. “I tell them that there are going to be days when you’re struggling to get your schoolwork done, be there for your family, and also work. I emphasize to them that they can do it, but self-care is important.”

Daniela stresses the need to keep sight of their goals so they can get a college credential that will help them the rest of their lives. “Honestly, I think many students will surprise themselves if they stick to their plans. I know I worked hard for my bachelor’s degree. Just by sticking with it I finished with all As,” she says with a sense of accomplishment.

For information on support and resources for students who are parents, visit sfcc.edu/parenting-students. To learn about ways to help pay for college, go to sfcc.edu/financial aid.