Students in Focus

Emily Schaldach’s college experience is not quite what she expected. She is on a tight schedule, trains hard and goes to bed early. And she is taking calculus. As a competitive racer for the CU-Boulder Cycling Team and Ridebiker Alliance, Schaldach spends time on her bike every single day.

One plans to inspire teens in music. Another aims to change the world through physics. Still another is cooking up snappy advertising slogans sure to be remembered. This winter’s outstanding graduates reflect the best of CU-Boulder, from their passion for a field of study to their desire to share their knowledge and make the world a better place.

While interning at the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Longmont, Colorado, over the summer of 2013, Wendy Duran realized what she really wanted to do with the rest of her life.

It’s been a busy four years for Natasha Goss, who will graduate summa cum laude May 10 with a major in chemistry and a minor in mathematics from the University of Colorado Boulder. She’s been deeply involved in campus life, most notably through the CU Environmental Center, participated in two research projects, submitted papers for publication and even spent three weeks abroad in Australia. This fall, she’ll begin a Ph.D. program in atmospheric chemistry at Harvard University on a three-year National Science Foundation fellowship.