By Chloe Stanley, NASFAA Communications and Engagement Assistant

MVP: Most Valuable Professional is an occasional series that features a brief Q&A with a different NASFAA member. Do you know a financial aid colleague with something interesting to say? Send the names of potential future MVPs and a short note about why you're nominating them to [email protected]. 

MVP Eddie Salazar, FAAC®

Meet Eddie Salazar, FAAC^®, associate director of financial aid at the University of New Mexico.

Eddie started his work in financial aid as a work-study student and turned that experience into a fulfilling career of 25 years.

For Eddie, initiating conversations about improving processes and encouraging collaborative communication are the most fulfilling aspects of his work in financial aid. 

“I’m at the point in my career where it's really about how I can support our staff so they can continue to support our students,” Eddie said. “It is rewarding to find ways to remove barriers and boundaries for students and make their education accessible.”

Eddie has served as the president of the New Mexico Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NMASFAA) and as the secretary for SWASFAA. He has also been working to organize and support his region's boot camp for new financial aid administrators for several years, bringing new professionals into the fold. 

With NASFAA, Eddie has strongly advocated for helping other aid administrators gain certification and credentials. In particular, Eddie has taken time out of his day to participate in Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions for NASFAA Certification Workshops, where attendees could ask Eddie questions live about certification. As a holder of all 16 credentials, Eddie has also been influential in mentoring new professionals to obtain their NASFAA credentials to get the FAAC^®. To further support the program, Eddie has also been a test development volunteer to ensure NASFAA’s certification exam continues to meet the demands of an evolving world of financial aid. 

Learn more about Eddie, his interests, and his career path in the Q&A below!

How did you get your start in financial aid?

I started as a work-study student in 1996 and have been a full-time financial aid administrator since 2000. I took a brief break to work with the University of New Mexico’s reporting team for about two and a half years. I also transitioned to the School of Medicine in 2016, where I worked for six years. In 2022, I returned to my home here at the main campus. 

Tell us about your institution. What are some unique aspects of working at the University of New Mexico?

The university truly reflects the state it serves. It has a large population of first-generation college students, many from rural communities. UNM is a genuine reflection of the state, it brings together people from various backgrounds and regions. We’re fortunate to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution and a Division I, R1 research university. Even the architecture tells a story. It celebrates a Pueblo style with brown stucco and flat roofs. I’ve visited many campuses across the country, and UNM stands out. It’s not the traditional brick-and-column or Victorian look; it’s uniquely New Mexico. Having been born, raised, and shaped by this place, getting to serve the state and its largest university is truly something special.

What do you find the most rewarding and fulfilling about your work?

I really enjoy improving processes, evaluating, and removing barriers wherever possible. A few years ago, the Department of Education released guidance about removing barriers for vulnerable populations, and I’ve carried those sentiments with me. I find it incredibly fulfilling whenever I can contribute to that effort. It’s those moments, big or small, where I feel like the work really matters. 

If you could change one thing about financial aid, what would it be?

Make it more human. The financial aid process can be incredibly dehumanizing. We take someone’s entire household, culture, and life experience, and reduce it to a number. Our job is to take that number and rehumanize it; to bring the person back into the equation. I think it is important for us as financial aid administrators to be aware of how dehumanizing it is.

What's something you wish all higher ed folks knew about financial aid?

I think a lot of administrators outside of financial aid just know that students get their aid and bills get paid, but they don’t see the work behind it.

A lot of effort goes into making that happen, and it’s because there are so many people doing really good work and making it look easy. It’s like watching someone at the free throw line consistently making shot after shot – you start to think, 'How hard can that be?' But the reason it looks effortless is because you’re watching a professional who knows how to shoot free throws, hitting 80-90% of the time.

That’s what we do in financial aid. We make it look easy, but most of the institution has no idea what goes into it.

Do you have any recommendations for people just getting started in the field?

Don’t undervalue yourself. In my experience within financial aid, many of us come from the very communities we serve. We’re often first-generation college students, from disenfranchised backgrounds, or part of communities that have faced discrimination. 

We often undervalue ourselves, but recognize your worth. This is a real profession, filled with dedicated and talented people. And like anything else, the effort you put in will reflect in what you get out of it.

What's something you couldn't function without?

A team, whether professionally or personally, is essential. Having people around you who support you, who you can ask questions of, who help validate you and whom you can also validate, makes all the difference. Personally, I couldn’t do this without the peers I talk to, bounce ideas off of, get suggestions from, and work through challenges with.

What’s a recent experience or accomplishment that has brought you a lot of joy?

I'm retiring at the end of this year. And honestly, it feels good. There’s this sense, like approaching the seventh day, where you can look back and say, 'You know what? The past six days –  it was good. It wasn’t perfect, but each day had something good in it.' And there’s a real peace in reaching this point and being able to say that.

Anything you have learned in the past year?

I’ve learned to make peace with not having a definitive answer for everything. No matter how many years of experience someone has, nobody knows it all.

What’s important is understanding that you don’t have to have all the answers – what matters is making peace with that, and knowing that we can support and rely on each other in times of uncertainty. 

Are you looking forward to any spring or summer plans?

I’m sentimental. As I wind down and the sun begins to set on my career, I’m really enjoying savoring this final cycle of everything. I’m appreciating each moment – like this May’s satisfactory academic progress run, knowing it will be the last one I’m a part of.

And don’t even get me started on orientation – the energy, the optimism, the potential you see in the eyes of students and their parents. For me, it’s become about observing and appreciating the work we do and the impact we make. 

Publication Date: 5/7/2025

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