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All Lobos Go To Heaven
for the Student Affairs Louie Awards 2025
There is dog
in our DNA.
Part “Man's best friend.”
Part passionately protective of our pack.
Because…whelp…
there is nothing more ferocious
than a canine's love
for her pack.
And this
motley crew of backpackers
that we call a “family.”
This population of pupils
as far as they eye can see.
This naturalization of next-door neighbors
now linked in lineage to this
Lobo Nation.
This kinfolk in kind.
We don't just “like”...
we wolf-like
in a way that only comes
from going from
the brink of extinction
to the rarest of breeds.
There is resurrection in our biology.
The repopulation of a planet
of people with a certain wherewithal
and what oftentimes amounts to
werewolf-like self-esteem.
The de-extinction of humility
is the life's work of those who work here.
In this den
where we can be ourselves, together.
Where family gathers to listen
and learn.
To gather for game nights
and Game Night.
To root for one another,
share our hopes
and fears and
lick our wounds, together.
And like any den,
here is a place of safety,
nourishment, and protection
from the harshness of the outside world.
But what we know
is that these conditions
do not create themselves.
These conditions
can only be created
by other Lobos.
In fact,
these are the conditions
that create lobos.
And it is a responsibility
that we do not take lightly.
This labor of love,
not unlike our Big Cat cousins
and their cubs,
we do this job with pride.
Model “right from wrong,”
practice perseverance with a smile,
and set our expectations 5,312 ft. high.
Where the standard is the standard,
no matter how diverse our dreams.
Where we do the data,
do the deadlines,
and all the dancing in between.
Where the F in faculty
stands for friend.
And the S in staff
is emblazoned across each
and every members chest.
Where what you bring to the table on day one
is as important as what you bring
to your retirement party potluck.
In other words,
all you have to bring
is yourself.
Because there is a
spirit-tunnel-deep bench
of future Louie Award winners
to do the rest.
They say,
“All Lobos go to heaven”
and as much as I pray that to be true…
what I know is
that the best of us
do our very best
to cultivate a lil’ piece of heaven
down here
for you
too.
© Hakim Bellamy June 9, 2025
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