As a basketball player, Rochelle Lopez is the team leader and point guard.
Off the court, the sophomore from Peñasco is taking those leadership skills and applying them to a statewide leadership program.
“She’s just a natural-born leader,” said Peñasco Girls Basketball Coach Mandy Montoya. “Those qualities are innate. You see it not just in athletics, but in academics as well.”
Lopez is one of 18 students statewide on the New Mexico Activities Association’s Student Leadership Advisory Council. The Council has, since 2016, advised the NMAA on students’ perspective, with representatives from large and small schools from various regions around the state.
“I thought it would be a good way to get more involved with my state, and be involved with other students and know what they think about certain things going on,” Lopez said.
In March, during the state basketball tournament, before every game one student from each team gave announcements about sportsmanship and fandom. NMAA Assistant Director of Sports Chris Kedge said that was an idea that originated from the Council. They meet throughout the year with regional meetings for other students to join, and meet often over video calls, with a couple of in-person meetings. Their first in-person meeting will be on Monday.
“Something that’s really come to the forefront over the last couple of years is, of course, mental health,” Kedge said. “And that’s a topic that they brought to our offices, saying that they need a lot of help with.”
Lopez is a multi-sport star at Peñasco. In cross country, she finished second in the state championship, and led the Panthers to a state championship for the second straight year. In track, she was an individual state champion in both the 1600 meters and 3200 meters, making her the fourth-highest individual scorer in 2A. And in basketball, she was an all-state selection while averaging 12 points per game.
And in addition to her athletic prowess, Montoya described her as a 4.0 student who takes dual credits through Northern New Mexico College.
“We ask them to be the leaders in their areas,” Kedge said. “Not just in their school, but maybe like Rochelle might be a leader in that whole Northeast area where she can go to games and let us know what’s going on. Or maybe spearhead some initiatives with students from other schools.”
The girls basketball coach, Montoya, is also the school’s Athletic Director, and has had a close relationship with Lopez ever since she was a manager with the high school basketball team. In Spring 2021, the middle school did not have any sports. So, during a shortened COVID season, the seventh-grade Lopez worked with the high school team. She learned the ins and outs of Montoya’s system and of high school basketball, picking up skills that have helped immensely on the court.
Montoya said that she remembers when Lopez was a manager she would be part of the scout team. She would run plays with Montoya. And even as a seventh-grader she would correct the head coach if she went to the wrong spot during a play.
Lopez, along with classmate Kaileb Atencio, attended a regional meeting during the previous school year. Lopez said that she learned about topics including referring, scholarships and sportsmanship. This year, Montoya nominated her for the council, and the NMAA selected her.
“We had met her at the regional meeting last year, and she was very outgoing and very well spoken at that time,” Kedge said. “We said, she would be a great candidate.”
Lopez said that she wants to advocate for smaller schools, and provide them with similar opportunities and activities as big schools have.
“I’m hoping to just get an experience, to learn more about the state,” Lopez said. “I want to be aware of what’s going on around us, rather than just here. I want to know what’s going on around the whole state. We all have our own voice, and if we just speak up, that would be great because we could all be on the same page.”
Lopez has enjoyed meeting students from around the state through the council, and said she is looking forward to having a great year “one day at a time.”
Kedge mentioned that every year, the NMAA selects two students to attend a National Student Leadership Council meeting in Indianapolis, which he called “outstanding.” And he said that Rochelle could be considered as one of the selections.