Joe Olguin likes the community in Socorro and enjoys exploring his hometown.
Juan Baeza | El Defensor Chieftain

Joe Olguin is a 22-year-old Socorro native who despite enjoying his indoor activities, has a knack for walks and exploring his hometown.  

How long have you lived in Socorro?

All my life, I was raised here. I played all the sports here, at least once.

What are your favorite things about Socorro?

I really like the com­munity here. Everyone kind of knows each other. Since I grew up here, I am related to a lot of people as well and depending on who you know in town, there are multiple groups of people you can hang out with. It can be really fun.

What kind of things do you do for fun in Socorro?

I like to go for walks around town. I like going around the plaza, and around San Miguel. I haven’t done it much lately, but I like to go over by the channel and river to go fish­ing. That’s really fun. Other than that, I’m a nerd. I like to stay home and play video games and read comics.

What kind of work do you do in Socorro?

I cook. I’ve been cook­ing for several years now, and I just got this job at the Parkview cafeteria. I’m really enjoying that. It’s a nice change of pace. It’s not super hectic and right now we are on summer break, so I’m just waiting for the next school year to start.

What do you like most about cooking?

Well, I’ve been doing it for so long now that I like to critique myself. I’ll be cooking something and each time, I tell myself that I can do it better. I’ll try a new thing one day and if I really like the way it comes out, then I’ll try the same thing the next day.

Why did you get into cooking?

I got into cooking because my mom was a server over at El Camino. This went on for five or six years, and when I was younger, I remember she had multiple jobs as a serv­er in various restaurants across town. I started as a server at the Pizza Hut here in Socorro and I moved my way into being a cook. I enjoyed being a cook so much more. Making the pizza was really fun and eventually, I got more job experience, and I got bet­ter at cooking. It ended up becoming my hobby.

What is your favorite movie?

So here is the thing, I’m a big movie guy, so I’ll give you my top three: “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,” “Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverse of Madness” — I am only saying this one because I watched it recent­ly but I loved it. Lastly, “Detective Pikachu.” I love Pokémon so that movie brought a lot of nostalgia to me.

What kind of music do you like?

I am a big fan of jazz. A bit back, I was living in Las Cruces and this coffee shop that was next to where I used to work, it had a jazz night, so I would go every chance I got.

If you could have din­ner with one person (dead or alive) who would it be?

Shia LaBeouf. Only because he was the voice actor for a character in that movie I mentioned earlier, “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.” I would like to ask him about that role.

Juan Baeza, El Defensor Chieftain Intern