Longtime Los Lunas educator honored with state-wide award

LOS LUNAS  — In a quiet corner near the entrance of Los Lunas High School, Jessica Baldonado speaks excitedly about working with students, including her work with Lending a Paw, the student-run service group she helped found at LLHS eight years ago.

“I’ve worked with teenagers for 27 years now, and it’s not true that they don’t care. They want to be respected,” Baldonado said. “This is my fulfillment, to see these students grow.”

At the end of 2025, Nusenda Credit Union recognized Baldonado as the recipient of the 2025 Financial Education Innovation Award for her work with Lending a Paw, which has grown into a district-wide initiative tackling issues from student food insecurity to financial illiteracy through innovative, student-led projects.

The $5,000 award will help expand LAP’s mission to show that community service and financial literacy go hand in hand.

Though it is an individual honor, Baldonado said it highlights the club’s long-term commitment to strengthening the community and preparing the next generation for financial success, while also giving students practical skills that will help them find jobs after high school.

“(The award) was basically to promote financial literacy,” explained Baldonado. “Through these initiatives, students gain hands-on experience with budgeting, inventory, and resource management while addressing food insecurity and basic needs among classmates.”

Along with Baldonado, Nusenda recognized three organizations — Umoja ABQ, Film Las Cruces, and Girls Inc. of Santa Fe — with awards, as well as 12 students from Central New Mexico Community College, Eastern New Mexico University, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, New Mexico State University, the University of New Mexico, and the University of the Southwest in Hobbs.

Lending a Paw began quietly about eight years ago, co-founded by Baldonado, Cecilia Adkins and Linda Ole, with a small group of 10 to 15 students. By the end of last school year, membership had moved beyond 100 students.

The club’s motto, “To change the world one project at a time,” is evident in its prolific work, which includes more than 200 projects in the community, such as working with New Mexico Ramps, the Valencia County Animal Shelter and local organizations such as Jubilee Los Lunas.

The thrift store at Los Lunas High School was the club’s first venture, started about seven years ago, followed by the food pantry three years ago. The decision to start a thrift store was a strategic one, designed to remove the stigma of need, Baldonado said.

“It was kind of born out of an idea,” she explained. “We advertised it within our school as thrifting. That way, everybody would come and we wouldn’t isolate students that were just in need. Students come in, ‘I need this.’ There’s no shame. They get what they want, what they need. Then, the idea for the food pantry came from that.

A key to the club’s success is its student-led model. The adult sponsors act as facilitators, guiding the students but allowing them to take the reins. Projects are often born from student proposals, fostering leadership, communication, and real-world skills.

“I think one of the big complaints of adults now is that students don’t know how to talk on the phone ... or how to shake a hand or stand up,” Baldonado states. “And these students, without even realizing it, are learning those skills because they’re out and about and they’re leading.”

The community has noticed as well, with calls for help now coming directly to the club. The club’s success has spread district-wide, with other high schools now establishing their own thrift stores.

Beyond the immediate impact, the club also offers tangible long-term benefits for its members, such as scholarships and internships. Active graduating seniors can earn up to $2,000 in money raised through grants and donations, which she said “goes right back into the hands of the kids.”

For Baldonado, who started as a teacher and is now the community capstone coordinator for the Los Lunas School, her duties at LLHS, Valencia and Century high school — as well as her work with Lending a Paw — keep her wanting to continue working with students.

“I wouldn’t have stayed this long,” she said. “This is my fulfillment, to see these students grow.”

Baldonado said she hopes to see the program continue to grow, with new teachers taking on the facilitator role and continuing the vital relationships and services the club has established.

“I mean, I love what I do here. I am in my 27th year, so what I really hope is that there’s teachers that are coming after us that are saying, like, ‘I love this,” she said. ‘And we do have a lot of teacher volunteers, so I would love to see this continue to grow and for other teachers to take it on in a few years and say, we can’t let this go.

“I really want to see it continue. I don’t know if it’ll look exactly the same,” she added. “Everyone has their own vision, you know, but I feel like the food pantry and the thrift store and relationships that we’ve made need to continue.”