The community of New Mexico State University honored and celebrated the lives of students, employees, and alumni who passed away in the 2025-2026 academic during the 2026 Aggie Memorial Ceremony on May 1 at the Corbett Center Student Union ballrooms.
After the posting of the colors by NMSU’s Air Force ROTC, the University Treble Singers, which is a student vocal choir, performed the U.S. national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Throughout the ceremony, the University Treble Singers would also perform the songs “Remember” and “All The Way Home.”
Dean of Students Ann Goodman opened the ceremony and welcomed back the Aggie community to the yearly event.
“Tonight we remember the lives of Aggies recently passed and join to celebrate those lives well-lived and honor them,” Goodman said. “To our students, faculty, staff, special guests, and alumni, we would like to extend a special welcome to campus. It has been some time since we gathered in person to share on this occasion, and we hope you find being on campus to be as beautiful and as peaceful as we close out our academic school year. To our honored families and friends know that you do not experience this loss alone.”
As she closed the ceremony, Goodman also invited attendees to visit the Aggie Memorial Plaza near the Corbett Center Student Union and Garcia Hall. The monument underwent a redesign during construction that took place in front of the first-year dormitory.
“I would also like to invite you all to visit our newly renovated Aggie Memorial Plaza, which is just east of Corbett Center, and take in the beauty of our garrisoned flag as our day comes to an end,” Goodman said.
Chair of Employee Council Sonia White honored and listed the names of the four NMSU employees who passed away since the last ceremony. White recited a poem after sharing the names of Adrianne Lucio, Brandon Devine, Gerald Eticitty, and Loretta Salas.
“In every story shared, and every memory spoken, a piece of their light lives on,” White said. “Though their time here ended too soon, the love they gave, the moments they shaped, remain unbroken. May you feel today and always that this Aggie family holds you close with compassion, gratitude, and care.”
Member of the NMSU Foundation’s Board of Directors and Chair of NMSU Alumni Association’s Committee, Carol Smallwood, was the first of several speakers to honor the alumni who passed away within the past year. Smallwood also shared a short poem with attendees.
“We [the NMSU Alumni Association] have been part of this university since 1898, connecting all graduates of NMSU with their alma mater,” Smallwood said. “This is one of those important occasions we observe, and it is very dear to my heart. We are here to celebrate the lives and memories of the incredible NMSU alumni we had to say goodbye to during the last year. We will miss your presence. We will treasure your memory, and we will never forget you. A poet once wrote, ‘whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Our dear fellow Aggies, we salute you. You are always very near.’”
While commemorating the students who passed away in the 2025-2026 academic year, ASNMSU President Wyatt Ziehe said not only should the ceremony serve to share the community’s grief, but it should also celebrate the lives and impact of every Aggie.
“NMSU is built on memories,” Ziehe said. “It is not lectures, degrees, or stucco and Spanish brick that construct our university. This university is made up of the people we reach, the goals we share, and the compassion we show our fellow Aggies each and every day. Each of these individuals offered our community something unique and invaluable. They touched countless other students, professors, and community members with their kindness, laughter, and passion for bettering themselves and those around them.”
