First person: Math whiz

Kim Luna of Portales studied math in school but was hired to teach computer science classes in the early 1980s at Eastern New Mexico University at the Clovis and Portales campuses. Luna, 54, soon returned to math and taught the subject for 30 years. She officially retired at the beginning of the summer but will continue teaching part-time for a while.

What’s in a subject?: I like math because it’s problem solving. I know when I was in high school what appealed to me, it wasn’t an objective kind of thing. You’re certain one thing means another. It’s like a big puzzle.

Teacher: I like the students. You can teach the same course over and over but it’s new every time because of the new people. I never wanted to be a teacher. In high school, I said that was the last thing I want to do and it’s all I’ve ever done and I like it.

Farmville: I grew up on a farm between Floyd and Portales. I enjoyed the space and it’s quiet. It was great just growing and watching the seasons change.

Hobbies: My husband, kids and I really like music a lot. I play the guitar and my husband plays every instrument. If he doesn’t, he will pick it up and learn it. We try to get together to play. There are two bluegrass festivals we try to get to each year. It’s a unique group of friends and we try to gather and enjoy music when we can.

Retirement: I want to do all those things people do when they retire. I’m in the phase where I’m just trying to catch up with things I let slide over the last year or two. After that, we’ll see. I would like to travel.

— Compiled by CNJ staff writer Liliana Castillo