Faces of CNM: Andre Anderson

If you ask Andre Anderson to tell you his life story, plan on being there for a while. Over the past 44 years he’s packed a lot in. The short version goes like this. 

He was in the Navy for six years and oversaw a team of 30 people on a 683-foot amphibious boat. He says the job was total chaos at times, but that he excelled when things got busy. After leaving with a medical discharge, he went on to become a personal trainer for over a decade. He then spent several years as a professional photographer and also worked in the outdoor industry for a while.

Eventually he landed at CNM because his wife was attending and loved the college. He decided to study Pre-Law and take a variety of Political Science and Philosophy classes because he wants to eventually enter politics. 

“I’m not that happy about where the country is going with all the partisanship and I want to be able to make a difference,” he says. 

To that end, Andre says he’s been impressed with many of his CNM instructors and their ability to help him understand how the political system works. In one recent Philosophy class, they broke down the process of argument and Andre says that helped him completely rethink how politicians make their case. He’s also spent time in his Political Science classes thinking about the two-partly system and how that might box in politicians who have broader views.

Andre admits that he’s struggled in school before but found all the help he needed at CNM.

“At some of the other schools I attended I had trouble with things like finding the right classes and understanding college jargon, but no one seemed to care. They were just there to do their own thing. It’s been completely different at CNM. Everyone is helpful and I’ve been blown away watching people like my counselors help me navigate everything I need to know,” he says. 

At CNM, it’s a little slow going because Andre has a 17-month old toddler who you can hear every time you get him on the phone. He’s a committed dad and only taking two or three classes each term. But that doesn’t stop him from creating goals. After CNM he plans to attend UNM and then he’ll be onto his career. 

When he tries to explain his general philosophy about where he’d like politics to head, Andre refers back to the Navy. On his boat the stakes were sometimes very high and there were a lot of people involved. But there was never any doubt the job would get done in a way that  benefited everyone and ensured the boat kept running.  

“That’s my hope for politics,” he says. “That we can all work together in a way that benefits everyone.”