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January 11, 2016 | Volume 120 | Issue 35
Alum opens Abq’s newest escape-the-room location
Student dean leaves for Texas A&M
Tomás Aguirre
By Denicia Aragon
Diana Cervantes / Daily Lobo / @dee_sea_
Cristal Everette co-owner of esQape it!, showcases the different thrift shop findings that help create the esQape it! experience. EsQape it! opened on Dec. 16, and is designed to have teams of people try to escape from a room using clues and teamwork.
By Elizabeth Sanchez University of New Mexico alumna Cristal Everette and her husband recently unveiled their new small business, esQape it!, a unique gaming experience based on various escape rooms, an idea born from lessons she learned at UNM. Everette graduated in 1996 with a bachelor of science in medical technology. She said her experiences at UNM helped with her role as a business owner and ultimately led her to an organized job that keeps her “on [her] game at all times”. Everette said she understands that
following a set goal, working together and planning are all key components to a successful business, but she said she also understands perseverance. She advised students aspiring for a career in business to be motivated. “You’ve got to work hard. [Sometimes, young people] have a false sense of reality that things will fall into their laps,” she said. Everette’s father is a first-generation Filipino immigrant, she said, and her mother worked on a farm for a large part of her life. Both are UNM alumni. “They’re some of the hardestworking people I’ve ever met,” she said.
While at UNM, Everette was the song leader and fundraising head of Alpha Chi Omega, which she said taught her organization skills. She said it also gave her the drive to get things done and planning skills to figure out how to achieve set goals. Everette cited a class she took on interpersonal communication as being particulary helpful. “I use what I learned daily,” she said. “Communication is for all ages, income levels, beliefs. It knows no boundaries. It should be a requirement for all degrees.” Most games at esQape it! are designed for ages eight and up. Every room is family-oriented,
Diana Cervantes / Daily Lobo / @dee_sea_
but fit any occasion, Everette said. Albuquerque resident Mark Reese said he visited esQape it! with his family, as part of the original game test group. “[We] loved every minute of it; we all contributed to the game and all came away saying we can’t wait to see what they come up with next,” Reese said. “It’s great to have this kind of family-friendly activity in Albuquerque.” Everette said success at esQape it! involves hands-on work, observational skills, math problems and listening. Armed with scratch paper and evolving communication skills, guests work together to solve puzzles. Everette and others watch each game while in-play and give hints on a monitor when necessary, Everette said it was important that every team must find solutions with only the monitor as a form of electronics. She sees her escape rooms as a way of reconnecting with those on one’s team. “We’re in a world where our thumbs do more communicating than our tongues,” she said. As of now, Everette said she is excited for the future of her business, which includes plans to add a room designed for younger ages as well as wheelchair-accessible rooms, along with more New Mexico twists on games to celebrate the state’s history and a spy thriller-themed room called “DeepSky” within one to two months. Anyone interested can visit esQapeit.com for details on prices. Elizabeth Sanchez is a reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Beth_A_Sanchez.
UNM’s Dean of Students Tomás Aguirre has resigned to take a position at Texas A&M-Commerce, according to Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres. Aguirre will be an assistant vice president and dean of campus life and student development at Texas A&M-Commerce after his last day at UNM. Aguirre said the thing he will miss the most are the students of UNM. “Everyday they reminded me what a privilege and an honor it was to work with them,” he said. “(I’ll) miss my staff...and it’s important to point out that they played an integral role with everything they did. I will also miss that many likeminded staff and faculty (gave) 100 percent everyday to make UNM a better place.” Two of Aguirre’s biggest impacts during his tenure at UNM — which started in June of 2013 — have been LoboRESPECT and the LoboRESPECT Advocacy Center. “LoboRESPECT is a model that addresses abuse against students through compliance, advocacy, response and education while the LoboRESPECT Advocacy Center is a physical manifestation of that model that provides advocacy for students and coordinates the educational efforts of the LoboRESPECT model,” he said. Aguirre said that, after his departure, he hopes to see LoboRESPECT continue to reduce all forms of abuse against students. He also said his greatest accomplishment during his time at UNM was “demonstrating that great things can happen in a short amount of time if you build a model that supports the mission and put the right people into place to get things done.” According to the website for UNM Student Affairs, Aguirre came to UNM in the summer of 2013 from CSU Humboldt State University in California, where he served as associate dean of students. Aguirre earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration
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Aguirre page 2