CYFD worker loan repayment program: Keeping New Mexicans in New Mexico

The Higher Education Department’s Children, Youth and Family Department Loan Repayment Program has allowed 133 CYFD workers to enter careers in social work without being burdened by student loan debt.

One of those workers is Rio Rancho’s Larissa Rascon.

“This program is absolutely needed,” Rascon said. “It’s one of the benefits we look forward to.”

Born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Rascon said that she is part of a culture that values family responsibility and learning.

Rascon wanted to contribute to the local youth community, so she decided to prepare for a career as a juvenile probation officer, earning her associate degree in criminal justice from Luna and her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2015 from New Mexico Highlands University. With a young son to support, Rascon moved with him to Albuquerque and set out to find her first job.

Rascon eventually landed a part-time intake position with CYFD, a job which eventually became full time.

Through her job, Rascon saw her colleagues returning to school, but while she wanted to do the same, she didn’t think she could take it on. Her supervisor encouraged her to apply for the CYFD Loan Repayment Program and follow her goals. COVID had just set in, so Rascon was able to work, study and look after her small son from home in Albuquerque.

In 2023 she finished her master’s degree in social work through NMHU and is now a home service practitioner supervisor with CYFD. She now lives in Rio Rancho and oversees three counties: McKinley, Cibola and Sandoval.

Rascon points out that one of the CYFD Worker Loan Repayment Program’s primary benefits was helping her overcome crippling self-doubt as to whether she could accomplish what she wanted to do. The relief of watching the debt decrease and eventually disappear removed the strain of financial obligations.

“I loved that moment when the balance went to zero,” Rascon said. “The program empowered me to know I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. I can’t imagine being here without it. It has opened doors.”

Rascon has since inspired her now-teenage son to broaden his horizons as he looks toward a college education himself.

“This experience has transformed our perspectives,” Rascon said.

The ripple effect of the program is strong among colleagues, but it affects the young people they work with as well, giving them hope of a better future.

Having the loan repayment program removes a great deal of stress and is a significant incentive to recruitment and retention at CYFD.

To learn more about the New Mexico Higher Education Department’s Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) Worker Loan Repayment Program, visit hed.nm.gov.