LOS LUNAS — Working with Los Lunas Parks and Recreation since he graduated high school, now nine years later, Matthew Jaramillo is the new recreation supervisor for the village of Los Lunas.
“I hope to bring some excitement and pizzazz and to continue adding bigger and better things to our events,” said Jaramillo. “My prior team and colleagues did an amazing job of setting these all up, and I really just want to take them and turn them up.”
Matthew Jaramillo
Jaramillo grew up in Los Lunas and is the son of Los Lunas Public Works Director Michael Jaramillo.
Working with the parks and recreation division as a part-time aid was Jaramillo’s first job. He was later promoted to a recreation assistant, which he did for five years until he became a recreation specialist in 2021.
“As a recreation specialist, I took care of a lot of paperwork, licenses and insurance, and also the more hands-on stuff like party planning, event organization, music booking and stuff like that,” said Jaramillo. “Now, as the supervisor, I oversee all that, so I kind of do a little bit of it all now.”
Jaramillo was officially hired as the recreation supervisor May 11. He says he’s got some big shoes to fill following his predecessor, Marcos Castillo, who he looked up to and learned a lot from, but he is up for the challenge. Castillo was recently named the human resources director for the village.
Jaramillo has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and is currently in the process of finishing up his master’s degree in public administration from the University of New Mexico.
“Initially, I was getting a degree in criminology and was planning on going into law enforcement, but the more I began to work with kids, the community and musicians and artists, the more I fell in love with the job,” said Jaramillo.
As a musician himself, Jaramillo loves being able to help give everyone a platform and put emphasis on arts and culture through his recreation roles, so halfway through his criminology degree he switched to sociology.
“It’s more fun than it is a job at times because I get to truly do what I love and be around art, music and sports,” said Jaramillo. “It’s a crazy, rare opportunity, so I definitely try not to waste it. That’s part of why I feel an obligation to do as much as I can in this role.”
Jaramillo said his new role as recreation supervisor has him wearing a lot of different hats and juggling numerous projects at once, but he feels his education is definitely helping him navigate the challenges.
“Part of getting these degrees is to try and make some structural changes and leave things better than I found them,” said Jaramillo, “especially with where we’re going and where we got to head with the new (recreation) facility and new opportunities that opens up.”
Jaramillo also wants to utilize social media more to build a sense of community and emphasize the recreation division’s role as a public service.
“I encourage everyone to keep an eye on our social media. We’re constantly doing stuff so they’re updated regularly. Facebook, Instagram and the recreation tab on the village website are the three primary sources at the moment,” said Jaramillo.
In his free time, Jaramillo plays bass guitar in the Albuquerque-based band called Right on, Kid. The band performs throughout the state and nation-wide. In July, Jaramillo said they will be flying to Indiana to record some new songs.
He also recently became a father, so Jaramillo says he loves hanging out with his 8-month-old son and staying active.
Felina Martinez was born and raised in Valencia County. She graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2021. During her time at UNM, she studied interdisciplinary film, digital media and journalism. She covers the village of Los Lunas, Los Lunas Schools, the School of Dreams Academy and the town of Peralta.
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May 2, 2024
