On Monday, the Bernalillo County Commission named an Albuquerque educator to the state House District 16 seat.

Yanira Gurrola, a Democrat, has taught for 22 years and has a degree in electronic industrial engineering. She is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, and has lived in District 16 for more than 14 years.

Gurrola is a bilingual math, technology and gifted teacher who served at Washington Middle School in Albuquerque as a bilingual coordinator, math department chair and union representative.

Currently, she works for Dual Language Education of New Mexico where she gives training and support to teachers and public school districts inside and outside New Mexico.

“As a state representative, my priorities are to ensure equal access to a strong, inclusive education for all children, create more places and activities to keep young people occupied and safe and bring better transportation and also offer career advancement and training to the West Side,” Gurrola said.

The position was vacant because of a series of events that included Antonio “Moe” Maestas being named a state Senator. After this, county commissioners named Marsella Duarte as his replacement for the rest of the term—which ended at the end of 2022.

The new-look county commission opted to choose Gurrola to fill the position for the rest of the current term, which runs through the end of 2024.