Our People: Working hard and playing hard

Whether it's in the barn, the hospital or the classroom, Portales native Chelsea Pinedo can always be found working hard.

Raised on a dairy, Pinedo grew up working with cattle and has developed a love for the trade and the animals. She jokes that when her parents first brought her home from the hospital, they brought her straight to the barn.

Pinedo today works as an OB/GYN technician at Clovis' Plains Regional Medical Center. On top of her job at the hospital, Pinedo is studying for a business degree from Eastern New Mexico University.

When she isn't working hard, she's playing hard. Pinedo loves to travel and take in scenery. From Alaska to South Africa, she appreciates pristine views and natural wonders.

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in this area?

A: The friendliness of the people. The community is like family and everybody looks out for each other. Everybody helps each other out. People will give you the shirt off their back.

Q: What makes you laugh the most?

A: Probably seeing my niece grow up and her developing her own little personality... she's perfect.

Q: What is the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?

A: I went to South Africa ... and they had these little ... fish jerky stands all over the place. It was fish that were soaked in salt water and then dried, just air dried. I ate that, and it was terrible ... really gross.

Q: What is your favorite family tradition?

A: I love my family Thanksgiving dinners, and afterwards we always have a Christmas craft. It's just something I look forward to every Thanksgiving. Sometimes we'll paint ornaments or make gingerbread cookies, or those salt cookie ornaments.

Q: What is your favorite childhood memory?

A: My favorite childhood memory is probably when I used to go help my dad feed (the cows). (I) got to ride the tractor or ride the flatbed trailer and we'd go feed the cattle in the afternoon. ... I always thought it was fun to go on the tractor with him.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: My dad and I - we help kids around the area with their dairy heifer 4H and FFA projects. We just help (teach) them (how to) feed, fit, (and) show (their cows). It's really cool that we can go around all of New Mexico and help these kids do that. I love cows. Anything with cattle is a good thing.

Q: If you could join any past or current music group, which would you join?

A: This is a tough one, but I really truly think because I love, love, love the band and my favorite song is "Midnight Train to Georgia," -- it would be Gladys Knight and the Pips, for sure. That (song) is one of my all-time favorites. From (the time I was) a kid on. I know it word for word. They're my favorite. I love them.

Q: Where was the best trip you've ever taken?

A: There's a lot of places that are really beautiful, that's a tough one. It's probably South Africa. It was just beautiful, absolutely beautiful: beautiful weather, the ocean was beautiful, the landscape. ... It was just a neat trip. We went kayaking with the penguins. There were seals. It was so cool, so neat. We saw zebra and ostrich ... and flamingos just out in the wilderness ... It was so cool.

Q: What celebrity would you like to meet for lunch?

A: I am a huge baseball fan, Dodger baseball fan at that -- so can I choose a baseball team? The Dodgers! Clayton Kershaw and Dave Roberts.

(Roberts is) the manager of the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw's the greatest of all time, the best pitcher. I feel like they'd be so down to earth.

Clayton Kershaw especially is a very family oriented man and he's super down to earth and playful and fun, and just seems like a really cool person. ... I went to spring training one year in Phoenix and I was super stoked because I met Dave Roberts, and Austin Barnes winked at me! He's the catcher for the Dodgers. (I was like), "Oh my goodness!"

Q: What is your life's motto?

A: Get up, dust the dirt off and keep going, keep moving forward. Just because you fall down doesn't mean you can't get back up and keep going, and that is the honest truth. ... Sometimes you have to go through hard things and learn life lessons to appreciate the beauty and the good around you.