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    nsoriano on November 21, 2019

    URGENT: Correction to the Fall 2019 edition of the Menaul School magazine. Sandra Duran Poole and Orlando Duran’s biographies in the Class Note section were mistakenly combined. Menaul School extends our sincere apologies to Sandra and Orlando for this error. The following are the corrected biographies.

    Sandra Duran Poole, Class of 1970

    Sandra Duran Poole ‘70 worked as an intern for the late Senior Senator from New Mexico, Joseph M. Montoya in Albuquerque the summer after graduation. He assisted her in obtaining a scholarship to attend New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU). Her sophomore year at NMHU, she participated in the Cooperative Education Program (Co-op) where she worked for the Social Security Administration in Riverside, California. Her second co-op assignment was with the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D. C. After those assignments, she completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science, Education and Spanish. She was selected as Commencement Speaker at graduation.

    After college, she worked at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) in Washington, D.C. Part of her work entailed working directly with Ralph Nader at the National Association of Neighborhoods. The National Association of Farmworker Organization was an affiliate of NCLR and Sandra also worked with Cesar Chavez. Sandra returned to New Mexico but shortly thereafter returned to Washington, D.C. as she won the Lyndon Baines Johnson Congressional Internship from New Mexico awarded by (then) Congressman Bill Richardson.

    After completing the internship, Sandra, again, returned to New Mexico to accept a Graduate Assistantship at NMHU in pursuit of a Master of Business Administration Degree. She ultimately completed her studies at the satellite campus on Kirtland Air Force Base.

    Sandra married a Marine Corps Veteran and they live in Albuquerque. During her marriage, Sandra worked various jobs in the private sector and in county, city and state governments before working for the federal government. Her federal career started at the Farmer’s Home Administration (now the Farm Service Agency). As upward mobility opportunities presented themselves, she worked for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and finished her career at the U.S. Small Business Administration.

    Sandra and her husband like to travel and have visited, Belize, Mexico, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Israel, Jordan, Greece and Turkey. They would like to visit Egypt next.

    Sandra attends Second Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque where she has been an elder, lay leader, acolyte and usher. Her activities have included participation in United Presbyterian Women, Bible Class, Sunday School, Mission and Personnel Committees and the Transgender Asylum Seeker program. She is looking forward to seeing her classmates for the Golden Graduate reunion in 2020.

    Orlando Duran, Class of 1974

    Orlando Duran ‘74 actually accomplished all his required credits in December of 1973 and walked with the class of 1974. He worked the whole semester before graduating. He attended New Mexico State, New Mexico Highlands and the University of New Mexico after high school.

    After his college years, he married an old Menaul School sweetheart, Sandra Padilla. They moved to Colorado where Orlando worked as an intern in a low-income Dental Program. After completing the internship, they moved back to New Mexico where their children, Christian (deceased) and Lucinda were born. They both attended Menaul School.

    Orlando decided to follow his true passion of working outdoors and with his hands. He pursed the course of study to become a licensed general contractor. His work has attracted the attention of large prime contractors. Because of that association, Orlando has worked on multi-million dollar homes selected for the Parade of Homes event in Santa Fe. Orlando and Sandra also have two granddaughters, Leyla and Desaray, who currently attend Menaul School.

    The couple are members of Second Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque (Second). Orlando has served as an elder and a deacon as well as serving on the Grounds and Mission committees. A few years ago, Orlando and his wife participated in a work mission trip to Guatemala where a church there is a sister church to Second. They dug the foundation for a home, organized a makeshift dental clinic, and assisted with the construction of green houses and planting gardens.

    The Duran’s also like to travel and have visited Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, France and frequently travel to Alaska for the annual Salmon run along the Kenai River.

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