Love Like Chris Carnero Scholarship

His Legacy in Action

The Love Like Chris Carnero Scholarship Fund

Chris Carnero’s life began with unimaginable hardship. For the first four months of his life, he endured abuse and exposure to multiple drugs before finding his forever home with the Carnero family. Once officially adopted and surrounded by unconditional love, Chris made it his life's mission to share that same warmth with the world. Throughout his short but profoundly impactful life, he worked alongside his family to give back to the community. Whether he was handing out presents at Christmas, delivering food at Thanksgiving, providing backpacks and shoes for the new school year, or assembling Easter baskets, Chris understood the value of community and made sure those around him never went without.

He was the kind of person everyone gravitated toward and wanted as a friend, yet he always looked out for those on the margins. If he saw someone sitting alone, he became their friend because he couldn't bear the thought of anyone feeling left out. Chris also knew what it meant to struggle and overcome; after battling severe dyslexia and working tirelessly for years to learn how to read, he turned around and read to other children who were struggling. He was a fierce protector who stood up to bullies, giving them a simple but firm ultimatum: stop being unkind, or lose his friendship entirely. His heart was a safe haven, and he loved everyone he ever met just as deeply as they loved him.

Tragically, Chris lost his life doing exactly what he did best—helping someone in need. He had opened his room to a friend who didn't have a place to sleep. That individual brought a gun into the home and shot him, ending Chris's beautiful life. The "Love Like Chris Carnero" Scholarship Fund was created to honor his extraordinary spirit of radical empathy and unwavering kindness. By supporting future social workers at New Mexico State University, Chris’s legacy will continue to do what he always did: protect the vulnerable, comfort the lonely, and leave the world much better than he found it.