Student Impact and Career Paths

When Rebecca Baca of New Mexico wanted to raise her family’s standard of living, she embarked on a life-changing journey through the Networking Academy.

At the age of 27, Rebecca Baca was a single, working mother who was struggling to make ends meet. After discussing her situation and career goals with a friend in the networking industry, she moved back home to attend the Cisco Networking Academy at Central New Mexico Community College.

At school, Baca was driven to succeed not only for herself, but also for her family. Two of her academy instructors, Robert Hennigan and David Clauss remember her as a helpful and driven student. “Rebecca displayed the hard work, diligence, and dedication required to succeed in the highly competitive networking field,” recalls Hennigan. “She was always willing to help other students in the networking lab,” adds Clauss. “We think she realized that helping others deepens your own understanding of the complex concepts needed to achieve the Cisco certifications. We believe the hard work she demonstrated in the classroom has transcended into her professional career as well."

Baca received her Cisco CCNA certification two weeks after graduating from college and less than a year later, she completed her Cisco CCNP certification.

After obtaining her certifications, Baca began working for INX, a Cisco Gold Certified Partner, as a consulting engineer. “The Networking Academy gave me the strongest background I could have hoped for,” she says.

Baca is currently pursuing her Cisco CCIE certification, and is the technical lead for a large management solution project at INX, which will be utilized at 19 sites across the United States.

She offers the following valuable advice to others entering the Networking Academy: “Get focused, make the decision to work hard, and don’t stop until you have completed the program.”

To learn more about the Networking Academy at Central New Mexico Community College, visit www.cnm.edu.