SILVER CITY, NM – Going to college was never part of the plan when WNMU undergraduate Kelly Snyder was younger. "I dropped out of high school when I was like fifteen," said Snyder. "I grew up outside of Philadelphia, and I pretty much lived on the streets for a long time in Philly."

After having her two daughters, however, Snyder knew she needed to make a change in her life, so her first move was to leave Philadelphia and settle in New Mexico. "I just got tired of everything [in the city], the rat race and everything," she explained. "I just needed to get out of there and change my lifestyle."

Her life in New Mexico has been far from the urban bustle of Philadelphia, as she made the decision to homestead, first in Belen, then Williamsburg and eventually in Pie Town, in rural Catron County, where Snyder and her husband are homesteaders on just over eleven acres.

They are now living "off grid and in the middle of nowhere," as she puts it. They raise animals—rabbits, chicken, and quail—and are trying their best to garden in the often-unpredictable climate of New Mexico's highlands.

In addition to homesteading, Snyder is also completing her bachelor's degree at WNMU, a life trajectory prompted by what she describes as an "epiphany" she experienced in 2020. "I needed to prove something to myself," she explained. "And I have two girls—they are 23 and 24 now—and I needed to show them if I could do it, anybody could do it."

Snyder, who has a triple major in English, philosophy and communications, said that there are some challenges to taking classes online while living off-grid. "I wasn't sure I would have enough power to charge my computer this morning," she said in a Zoom interview, noting that her solar power banks were low following a string of cloudy days.

But Snyder has thrived in her undergraduate experience and has recently been accepted into graduate school at WNMU, where she plans to get a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies. "I want to teach," she said. "I want to be an online professor, preferably at Western New Mexico University."

In particular, Snyder said she is interested in teaching ethics, a passion fueled by her undergraduate philosophy courses.

"The first philosophy class I ever took was the [Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences]class with Dr. [Phillip] Schoenberg, and I just fell in love with it," said Snyder. "It is kind of what I do. I am living my philosophy right now—of land and environment and animals. We take care of everything. I am not a religious person, but this is my religion, I guess you could call it."

Another passion of Snyder's is writing, and she has published both poetry and prose in "The Maverick," the student-run academic journal.

Snyder's academic success is no surprise to Assistant Professor of Philosophy and English Phillip Schoenberg. "Kelly is always a great addition to my classes," said Schoenberg. "She is hard-working, curious and inspires other students with her courageous spirit. She really has what it takes to think a problem through."

Snyder emphasized that her undergraduate experience was made possible by the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, a state-funded scholarship that covers 100% of tuition and required fees for NM residents pursuing a first degree. "Without it," said Snyder, "I would not be able to accomplish my dreams here at WNMU."