Alicia Ulibarri, a third-year law student at the School of Law, has been selected for the Community Governance Attorney Program (CGAP). Established by the New Mexico Legislature in 2019, CGAP provides legal services to land grant, acequia, and colonias communities. The program connects these communities with law students who offer support and requires participants to work for two years after graduation for an organization serving these communities.

Ulibarri is the program’s third participant. She described her selection as a great honor and expressed enthusiasm for contributing to her community through this opportunity. As a native New Mexican, she is particularly motivated to support her local community. Ulibarri emphasized the role of her education in preparing her for this role, stating that “the UNM School of Law has been instrumental in preparing me for this path, with its emphasis on public service and hands-on learning.”

Arturo Archuleta, CGAP Director, noted the significant involvement of the New Mexico Land Grant Council in establishing and supporting the program. He stated, “The New Mexico Land Grant Council played a key role in its passage and continues to support and monitor the Program’s development. The Council is pleased that the Program has had three participants to date, and that one of those participants is already in practice at New Mexico Legal Aid, serving land grant, acequia, and colonias communities.”

The other program participants include Elisabeth Gutierrez ('23), who is currently in her second year at New Mexico Legal Aid through CGAP, and Victoria Lovato ('23), who deferred participation for a second year due to clerking at the New Mexico Supreme Court.

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