Mr. Juaquin Moya is the newest member of Albuquerque Academy’s College Guidance Office. He grew up in New Mexico and attended Sandia Prep. He went on to Wesleyan University in Connecticut where he found his community on the swim team and got his bachelors in political science and government. He found his calling in college guidance and admissions while working in the Wesleyan admissions office.After graduating from Wesleyan, he moved across the country to Los Angeles to work in Occidental’s admissions office when he received a call from his Sandia Prep college counselor asking for Mr. Moya to come back home. He said, “It took leaving and time away to really appreciate New Mexico in all its uniqueness and beauty,” and so he returned with a new appreciation and the intention to make an impact and that he has.

He worked for ten years at Bosque School, where he founded their college guidance program. He started when there were only 40 students in the senior class and helped Bosque become one of the best college preparatory schools in the state with almost all of their students graduating and going on to college.

He then founded the non-profit organization Horizons Albuquerque which he refers to as one of the “babies” of his work. Horizons partners with Manzano Day School, Bosque School, and Sandia Prep to use their facilities to offer access to academic support, college guidance, and instruction in basic life skills, like swimming and playing the guitar, to APS students during out-of-school times. Horizons continues to offer wonderful support to students of Albuquerque and shows Mr. Moya’s dedication to promoting education in his community as he loves to “support students and their aspirations” and “see the impact” he makes.
After seven years of work with Horizons, he was recruited to the Albuquerque Community Foundation where he is serving as Vice President of Philanthropic Advising. He says that philanthropy “can be a catalyst for change” and has “taught him a lot about systems and how intentional systemic change can be implemented.” Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Moya created an endowment called the Pride Circle that supports the LGBTQIA+ community in Albuquerque in conjunction with the Albuquerque Community Foundation.
Now, at Albuquerque Academy, Mr. Moya is ready to help students find their voices. He is excited for the “opportunity to grow in a community where there is diversity and willingness to use resources to support the greater community.” He hopes to guide students to seek higher degrees of education so that they can use their experiences to bring positive changes in their communities. Outside of his work, he has maintained his passion for swimming and in 2018 earned a silver medal in the 200 butterfly at his first international swim competition in Paris!
Mr. Moya’s office is located in the College Guidance offices connected to the music building, and his email is [email protected]. If you have any questions or are just looking to meet this new exciting member of our campus, contact our very own Mr. Moya!