Rosa De La Torre-Burmeister didn’t allow humble beginnings to deter her from living the American dream. The Advising Technology assistant director at New Mexico State University credits her pursuit of higher education to helping her go from living in a cardboard house as a child to owning her own home.
De La Torre-Burmeister immigrated with her family to Fairacres, New Mexico, from Juárez, Mexico, in 1971 to join her father who worked as a bracero—a Mexico laborer admitted to the United States for seasonal contract agricultural work.
“Who would have ever thought that someone who was picking onions and tomatoes in the field would be a director at any point in her life at an institution of higher ed? I’m proud,” De La Torre-Burmeister said.
After graduating from Mayfield High School, De La Torre-Burmeister was a first-generation, English as a second language college student at Doña Ana Community College. She went on to earn an associate degree from DACC, bachelor’s degree from William Penn University and master’s degree from NMSU.
“I can proudly attest to the empowerment that I have received and continue to receive from many at NMSU,” she said.
De La Torre-Burmeister is an example of why NMSU is among the top tier of institutions for economic mobility for its students.
On the Economic Mobility Index, NMSU ranks No. 79th out of more than 1,300 institutions. The ranking places value on how well institutions serve their low-income students in addition to the proportion of low- and moderate-income students a school enrolls.
“Rosa’s journey is a prime example of how a college degree positively impacts economic mobility,” said Tony Marin, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. “Postsecondary education attainment remains a primary indicator of social mobility and economic prosperity.”
As one of eight children, De La Torre-Burmeister thanks her parents for instilling the importance of education.
“My parents were both proponents of higher education, since we never had that opportunity in Mexico, because you have to pay for your education. Here, I managed to get my education as part of the benefits too, because I never paid for my tuition. The only thing I had to pay for was books.”
Previously a director for the NMSU TRIO Upward Bound Programs and DACC Center for Career and Student Success, De La Torre-Burmeister continues to encourage new generations of students.
She helps recognize first-generation students as the chair of the first-generation committee, which will host NMSU’s fifth annual first-generation celebration Nov. 14 on the Las Cruces campus.
“Without that higher education piece, I wouldn’t be here,” she said. “I wouldn’t be so happy each and every day, and I don’t have to struggle. I want to share my story so that others know that if they’re in the same boat, they can do it.”
De La Torre-Burmeister believes connecting with students is critical to their success, and values the mentors she’s had at NMSU and DACC, which include Patricia Sullivan, Tony Marin and James McLaughlin.
“They’re true leaders when they help others move forward,” she said. “Students are everybody’s business. It’s more than numbers and data – it’s the impact that we can have on one student.”
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CUTLINE: Rosa De La Torre-Burmeister is an Advising Technology assistant director at New Mexico State University. She is among the numerous NMSU graduates whose economic mobility improved because of a college education. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)