Leah Lawhon
Leah Lawhon is an adult education advocate, communications professional, and emerging leader dedicated to expanding educational opportunities and advancing literacy initiatives throughout New Mexico and beyond. Her journey began when she returned to school to earn her High School Equivalency, an experience that transformed her life and inspired a deep commitment to educational equity, student empowerment, and lifelong learning. Today, she serves as a Communication and Engagement Specialist with PropelNM and a leader within the adult education community, working to ensure learners have access to the resources, support, and opportunities they need to succeed.
Leah’s work spans advocacy, professional development, strategic communications, and student leadership. Through her roles with the New Mexico Adult Education Association and the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), she collaborates with educators, policymakers, businesses, and community organizations to strengthen adult education programs and advocate for sustainable funding and legislative support. She has played a key role in expanding student ambassador and peer leadership initiatives, helping adult learners develop advocacy, digital literacy, leadership, and mentoring skills that empower them to make meaningful contributions within their communities.
Currently pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts with a focus on Psychology at the University of New Mexico-Valencia, Leah is passionate about building bridges across cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic barriers. She is a recognized voice for adult learners and has helped elevate student-centered advocacy efforts to both state and national platforms. Guided by her belief that “an educated New Mexico is a better New Mexico,” Leah remains committed to creating pathways for educational success, fostering inclusive communities, and inspiring others to discover the transformative power of learning.
• Social Media Blueprint
• Canva Essentials
• University of New Mexico-Valencia
• Next Steps UNM Valencia
• National Recognition from Coalition on Adult Basic Education
• Youth Group Bible Study Leader
• Presbyterian Medical Services Head Start
• Mountain Valley Church
What do you attribute your success to?
My success comes from facing my own fear and not letting myself down. When I went back to school for my GED, my husband said, you know, get your GED, and go to school, and do something that you love, and get paid for it. I was afraid I was going to fail as an adult to get my GED because educational techniques have changed so much with COVID, you have this HyFlex and this hybrid learning, and I'm like, duh, you know? But I rose up to meet my own fears, and I found out that I am absolutely able and capable of digging my heels in and getting this done, but then not just stopping there. I think just encompassing that has just been everything coming together, from one end of life experiences to the other end of facing my own fear and challenges, and not wanting to let myself down. Not even my loved ones, just myself. Yeah, I got my GED. Why should I stop there? No! My heart has always been meeting people where they're at. I learned a lot with working with the disabled individuals, and teaching them job coaching, and just having the patience, and just really just taking in who they are, seeing them, meeting them where they're at. My heart has just always been there. And I am so the idea of when I went back to school for the GED, the direction and the motivation behind just facing my own fear, you know, and not just stopping there.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from my husband when I went back to school for my GED. He said, you know, get your GED, and go to school, and do something that you love, and get paid for it. That was the direction and the motivation behind just facing my own fear.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice would be to phase it out, break it up, and really choose one step at a time, and make it tangible. You have to take it one step. You have to get those smaller steps. Use AI if it helps. I use AI and ask them to put your words into something tangible that you can look at, and augment that to how you see your steps being taken to get to your next goal. And to be kind to yourself, and to love yourself through it, and allow yourself enough room in your heart to say, okay, I need to back off on this a little bit, and I need to put more energy in this. I think we forget that there's a dance inside of our minds, in our hearts, and sometimes they're going in different directions. And they're both trying to lead, or they're both trying to separate, and you have to allow yourself to breathe, and to recognize it, and just be honest with yourself, but don't ever stop.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My motto is, an educated New Mexico is a better New Mexico. And it's not just K-12, it's not just higher education, but for all of us who are trying to start over again and fix maybe some of the things that adults failed us when we were growing up as children. My heart is to make sure that my grandchildren grow up to know that they are able and capable, especially in a world that is so heavy and not always for the positive and the bad distraction, and I want to make sure that they have some grounding. I'm not looking for a large stage. If it happens, beautiful. I want to make sure that my impact is solid. So sometimes that's not a room full of 100, or 1,000, or 10,000 people. Sometimes it's in a room full of 5 or 10, and to be okay with that. That's on me to be okay with that. Where my power lays. I will be still working with adult education for the next several years. I still want to stay intimate, and I don't mind having even a few causes them to be bigger than me. My heart has just always been meeting people where they're at, seeing them, meeting them where they're at.