Notes from the Class of 2013

Earlier this year, Michael Belazis (EPOBio) and college roommate Sam Ecenia (Geol) rode their bikes more than 1,500 miles around the state of California, teaching students about water sustainability along the way. They spent 47 days trying to make a difference in a state with dwindling water resources. Michael and Sam recently released a short film, A 1,500 Mile Journey for Water, about their trip. It can be found online.

Rachel Romero (MCivEngr), a building systems engineer at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., was chosen as the recipient of the 2016 New Faces of Engineering award by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers. Rachel is only the second person in NREL’s history to receive this honor.

In his senior year at CU, Douglas Cushnie (Film, Span) made a film in Nicaragua. Now at the American Film Institute, he’s working on socially conscious film projects and fundraising for his thesis, “Neemkomok,” a short film about a lesser-known side of California history.

The Green Bay Packers signed a contract extension making David Bakhtiari (Comm ex) one of the NFL’s highest-paid tackles. In 2013 David started every game at left tackle, becoming the first rookie to do this for Green Bay since 1978.

Jamie Gay (MCDBio; MEdu’15) was chosen by the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation as a member of its 2016 cohort of Teaching Fellows. Jamie is one of 34 early career high school mathematics and science teachers to receive the award this year. She began her second year of teaching at Longmont High School this fall.

In January, Susan Whitehead (PhDEPOBio) joined the department of biological sciences in Virginia Tech’s College of Science as an assistant professor. Susan focuses her research on ecology and the evolution of interactions between plants and other organisms. Previously, she worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University

Brian Ash (Econ) has lived in Kenya for the past three years. In 2013 he co-founded the organization Arrive. The nonprofit organization aids vulnerable children around the world by providing shelter, promoting good health and offering access to education. Brian, a Connecticut native, has raised thousands of dollars for Arrive through fundraisers with his CU fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Edward Hill (Hist) is the founder of Fisher Guiding, an online platform for finding and booking fishing guides. At CU Edward was vice president of the club flyfishing team.

Amanda Laviage (Comm, PolSci) joined McGlinchey Stafford’s Houston office as an associate in the law firm’s commercial litigation practice. Amanda has experience in appellate matters, including those assigned by the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section Pro Bono Committee. She lives in Houston.

Debby Sneed (MClass) was named one of 21 Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellows for 2017 at the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Debby is completing her dissertation, “The Life Cycle of Disability in Ancient Greece,” in the archaeology department at UCLA.

In June, former Buffs track and field athlete Aric Van Halen (Film) competed in the steeplechase at the USA Track and Field Championships. Last year he made it to the Olympic trials. Aric lives in Boulder.

Since graduation, Wisdom Amouzou (Comm) has worked with Teach for America and the African Leadership Academy. In 2015, he co-launched his own venture called the HadaNõu Collective, which aims to create resource centers and schools that partner students directly with the community to help solve real-world problems. 

Jackie Fortier (MJour) accepted a position as a public radio reporter for StateImpact Oklahoma, a collaboration of public radio stations. Jackie travels around the state to report on energy and the environment, education, health and criminal justice.

In September, a group of five CU alums hiked the “Haute Route” in Switzerland — a 12-day, 112-mile hike from the Chamoix Valley in France to Switzerland’s Zermatt Mountain Resort. The hike included a stop on the Euroweng, the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, to unfurl the CU flag they had carried for 100 miles. “Coincidentally, we even bumped into another Buff alum on the route,” writes Michael Ton (CompSci’12; MS’13). Bruce Deakyne (MEngr’12), Max Bohning (ApMath’12, MEngrMgmt’15), Hannah Steketee (MechEngr’17), and Alex Kessock (Mgmt’15) also participated.

Wei Wu (MMus’13) won a Grammy Award in February for his work in the Mason Bates opera “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.” Wu played the role of Jobs’ spiritual adviser, Kobun Chino Otogawa, and took the prize for Best Opera Recording. The opera premiered in Santa Fe last year. Wu was also a nominee in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category. Last March, he appeared in the Eklund Opera Program production of “Sweeney Todd.” His upcoming performances include “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” with Washington National Opera and Verdi’s “Requiem” with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

Subini Ancy Annamma (MSpecEd; PhD’13) is an assistant professor of special education at the University of Kansas. Her research and pedagogy focuses on increasing access to equitable education for historically marginalized students and communities, particularly students of color with disabilities, by linking the ways the intersections of race, gender and disability are under surveillance and susceptible to punishment in public schools and juvenile incarceration.

Kate Harris (Comm) is an assistant professor of organizational communication at the University of Minnesota. Earlier this year, she published her first book, Beyond the Rapist: Title IX and Sexual Violence on US Campuses. In the text, Harris urges schools to recognize that sexual violence is a systemic injustice that injures not only individual students, but also entire educational institutions. Her related research has won awards from the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender; the National Communication Association; and the International Communication Association.

In 2018, best friends and former members of the CU Boulder equestrian team Carolyn Likas (Advert) and Brittany Lloyd (Jour) founded the company Town’s End Outfitters, an online destination for luxury women’s activewear. The company focuses on empowering women to participate in golf, tennis and equestrian sports. “Our friendship formed during our time in Boulder, and our experience in the advertising program enabled us to build a marketing plan which eventually became the foundation for our company,” wrote Carolyn.