NNMC News:
ESPAÑOLA — Pursuing their degrees just got a little easier for Esperanza Gonzales and Josiah Martinez, two Northern New Mexico College recipients of the Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) Danny Nichols and Dennis Huddleston Memorial Scholarship. These two remarkable students have persevered despite major obstacles throughout their lives. Now one obstacle is removed. Gonzales, Martinez and University of New Mexico-Los Alamos student Jimmy Gurule will each receiving a $9,000 scholarship to ease their financial burdens.
“These students embody the future of our industry and the efforts we undertake to safeguard the environment,” said N3B President and General Manager Brad Smith. “Supporting their education is an investment in their future and the ongoing success of the cleanup project at Los Alamos. We are proud to provide support as they pursue their degrees.”
The Danny Nichols and Dennis Huddleston Memorial Scholarship supports students pursuing degrees that align with careers in environmental remediation and other fields contributing to the ongoing cleanup mission at LANL. The aim of the scholarship is to encourage students to pursue careers in environmental remediation, energy or radioactive and hazardous waste management.
“At Northern New Mexico College, we are grateful for partnerships that create real opportunity for our students, and thanks to N3B’s generous $9,000 scholarship support, two of our students are better positioned to achieve their goals.” President Hector Balderas said. “This partnership reflects a shared dedication to strengthening Northern New Mexico—together we are supporting students in pursuing their dreams and building a stronger, more skilled workforce for our communities.”
The scholarship honors the lives of longtime environmental and nuclear professionals Danny Nichols and Dennis Huddleston. Both men had distinguished careers working at Department of Energy Environmental Management sites across the U.S., including in New Mexico. In addition to N3B, the contractor responsible for the remediation of legacy waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), scholarship sponsorship involves parent companies HII and BWX Technologies (BWXT), along with key subcontractors Longenecker & Associates (L&A) and Tech 2 Solutions (T2S), in collaboration with the Roy G. Post Foundation.
Gonzales and Martinez, with more than 50 other Roy G. Post Foundation scholarship winners, were recognized during an awards ceremony on March 9 at the 2026 Waste Management Symposia (WMS) in Phoenix, Arizona—an international conference focused on radioactive waste management and environmental cleanup. The symposium made an impression on both students.
“It was awesome. It was really eye opening,” Gonzales said. “We got to attend technical sessions from some of the leading minds in the nuclear industry and we got to hear what work N3B is doing here in Los Alamos. It was an amazing experience.”
“I met a lot of interesting people and learned about a lot of new things being developed. There is so much going on,” Martinez said.
Esperanza Gonzales
Esperanza Gonzales is a native of Española. She inherited her dedication to education from her great grandmother, who raised her. Growing up amid family instability, poverty and profound loss—including witnessing her father’s death—she faced trauma that ultimately led her to choose a path grounded in purpose, resilience and personal growth.
Gonzales graduated from Northern Magna Cum Laude with an Associate of Arts in Business Administration (AABA) and a Project Management Certificate in 2025. She is working toward completing a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2026 and bachelor’s in Project Management in 2027. She was married with two children and working full time at El Centro Family Health in 2024 when she decided it was time to pursue her education. She continues to work full time but is currently exploring two new options. She has been offered an internship opportunity at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and just learned that N3B will also be offering both her and Martinez internships this summer.
Gonzales feels her education will help prepare her to ensure publicly funded projects like the LANL legacy waste cleanup stay within budget and comply with all applicable rules. She also believes her project management degree can help companies like N3B to navigate the financial and legal implications of environmental laws.
“Getting this scholarship means the world,” Gonzales said. “It’s a very, very generous scholarship. It’s the most I’ve ever received. And so it really will get me through after my Pell Grant finishes this year. It will get me through the rest of my undergrad to get my second bachelor’s, and it will make a large contribution to my master’s degree.”
Josiah Martinez
Josiah Martinez is freshman pursuing his degree in electromechanical engineering at NNMC. He was studying at NNMC when he lost his mother in 2022. His father had passed away when he was eight years old, so he had to shoulder the responsibility of supporting himself. He left college and took two jobs in construction and caregiving. Returning to Northern was a turning point. Engineering gave Martinez a sense of direction and a chance to build a future that honors the people who raised him. He continues to work two jobs but hopes this scholarship will allow him to cut back to one.
“Receiving the N3B scholarship means a lot to me because it represents an opportunity to continue my education and move closer to my goal of becoming an engineer,” Martinz said. “It also shows that my hard work and decision to return to school are paying off. This scholarship not only helps support me financially but also motivates me to keep pushing forward and take full advantage of the opportunities in this field.”
Martinez has always had a strong interest in mechanical systems and making things work. At Northern, that interest has been channeled into CAD design, electronics and troubleshooting. He wants to use what he is learning at LANL or N3B to help design and maintain the mechanical and electrical systems used for environmental sampling, waste containment and safe site operations. He is also interested in supporting efforts that improve the efficiency and safety of remediation technologies, such as robotics, automated monitoring and improved filtration or containment systems.
Cleaning up historical waste is personal to Martinez. He wrote, “Supporting historical waste cleanup means ensuring that future generations inherit a safer environment. This mission is meaningful to me because Northern New Mexico is my home. I want to contribute directly to improving the land, water and environmental health of the communities I grew up in. Joining an organization like N3B would allow me to combine my technical training, hands-on background and commitment to service in a way that makes a real difference.”