RIO RANCHO, N.M. — It was a day of celebration Wednesday for Rio Rancho Public Schools, after more than five years and countless partnerships Rio TECH is finally open.

“Today not only marks celebration of progress and partnership but a powerful step forward for our community, students and future of education and workforce development here in New Mexico,” said Dr. Kristopher Johnson, the principal of Rio Tech.

The 70,000 square foot campus will allow students to earn their high school diploma and CNM certification in a trade skill. Central New Mexico Community College President Tracy Hartzler said the $55 million investment is one of a kind.

“We are really proud of our Rio Rancho campus here with CNM, but this is a tremendous opportunity to do something different,” she said. “It took a leap of faith and commitment.”

Welding students we spoke with said the opportunity to jump straight into the job force after high school is a dream.

“It’s just very hands-on and I think it’s good to get into your career and college early,” said Jesse Baca, a Rio TECH student. “It’s very good to start dual credit early because if you want you can get out of high school and start a job immediately, which I think is great.”

“This is something fascinating and I’ve always been fond of blue-collar workers, and I’ve always wanted to do something with my hands,” said Donn Palmer, a Rio TECH student and student ambassador. “Seeing welding as an option I just looked into it more and was like, ‘Yeah, this is something I think I would like to do.’”

Students said they also like the non-traditional setting where your day is split between high school classes and CNM trade classes. 

“I’m excited about having one core class every semester so it’s not like all core at once, back-to-back,” said student ambassador Kyree. “I can take time focusing on one thing rather than worry about all these different core subjects at the same time.”