Generous donors and funding from the New Mexico Higher Education Department are helping College of HEST students and professionals focused on special education, and communication and autism spectrum disorders.
Abel Covarrubias, CEO of Aprendamos Intervention Team and an NMSU alumnus, provided 50% of the funding in 2022 for the Papen-Aprendamos Professorship, which was matched by the New Mexico Higher Education Department to equal $500,000. The Papen-Aprendamos Professorship will train professionals for careers in speech language pathology and autism spectrum disorders in schools.
In addition to his gift for the professorship, Covarrubias made a donation to name the Autism Diagnostic Center the Papen-Aprendamos Autism Diagnostic Center. Both the professorship and the center honor former state Sen. Mary Kay Papen, who advocated for people with autism spectrum disorder.
The higher education department also awarded $25,000 from its Higher Education Endowment Fund to help establish the Esperanza/Covarrubias Endowed Helping Hands Scholarship for students working toward degrees in special education. Covarrubias and Monica Marrujo, his wife, donated $25,000 towards the scholarship.
Covarrubias.
1220 Stewart Street
O'Donnell Hall, Suite 301
Las Cruces, NM 88003
