Class Notes

The Integer Group announced the hiring of Jennifer Jelsma (Mktg) as digital producer, Adam Sponnick (Comm’08) as client financial accountant and Katie Walker (Advert’04) as account supervisor and the promotion of Pete Curtis(Advert’01) to senior copywriter. The group is based in Lakewood, Colo.

Selected from a pool of more than 180 applicants, Eric Rasmussen (EBio, MEdu’14) and Rosemary Wulf (Phys, MS’14) received five-year teaching fellowships from the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. Eric teaches at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, Colo., and Rosemary teaches at Thornton High School in Thornton, Colo.

Matthew Davis (Jour) of San Francisco received second place for the 2013 best sports story from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for his article titled “Young Guns” in The Ark newspaper of Tiburon, Calif. He writes as a freelancer for the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Adobe and various other companies.

Friends Christian Nitu (Mktg) and Cory Finney (Fin’12) sold their outdoor ski locker system to Best Lockers, a 46-year-old Maryland firm. The pair started their concept, a high-tech kiosk that networks with an app, after a friend’s skis were stolen. In February 2013, 71 of their lockers were installed at Winter Park Ski Resort. “For us, it was a validation that we could build a product while we were in school that means something in the real world,” Christian told The Denver Post.

Alumni Association advisory board member Kate Spencer (IntlAf, Jour’11) and Matt Wessels (Jour’09) met at CU-Boulder and were engaged this fall. The couple was sure to get an engagement photo taken outside of the Armory building on campus, which houses the journalism department.

Torey deRozario (Fin’11) proves that with perseverance, one person can make a difference. She serves as executive director for Hope for Life Ministries, a home for street boys in Rwanda. After December she hopes to start a new international business.

Colorado native Danielle Kreutter’s (Jour’11) career has taken her all over the state. She has spent two years reporting in Grand Junction and some time in Aurora, where she helped cover the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting. Last September she joined KKTV 11 News in Colorado Springs.

After helping to develop the C-Unit, the popular student section at CU-Boulder athletic events, Zack Shapiro (Jour’11) co-founded Luna, a company aimed at making shipping more efficient and package delivery easier. The company was acquired by Doorman, a San Francisco-based package delivery service company. Zack continues as an adviser.

Peace Corps education volunteer Emily Spiegel (Soc’11) works as an English teacher trainer in Dangila, Ethiopia. Read more about her experiences in northwestern Ethiopia at emilyinethiopia.tumblr.com.

After graduating, Hamad Albarahem (Econ’11) worked at Boston Restaurant Associates, a firm that owns 21 restaurants. He then moved home to Kuwait to work for Booz and Company, a leading consulting firm. Since then Hamad started a financial management firm for restaurants called InBetween Restaurant Management. He says it is the first of its kind in Kuwait.

Aric Franzmeier (Econ’11) founded FlipTask, a website that matches personal or business-related errands posted by task posters with task runners to carry out the jobs. Tasks include picking up laundry and making copies at an office. 

The Integer Group in Lakewood, Colo., promoted Landie Viljoen (Mktg’11) to media planner/buyer and Kira Torgersen (Mktg’06) to senior account manager. The Integer Group is a worldwide promotional, retail and shopping marketing agency.

Sarah Berger (BioCh’12) received a five-year teaching fellowship from The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Last fall she began teaching at Clayton Valley Charter High School in Concord, Calif.

Little Forest is a novel series self-published through Amazon by Jessica Coleman (Film ex’11). The book takes inspiration from Jessica’s home country, England. Jessica attended CU as part of her film studies and American studies degree at the University of Sussex in England. She writes she took many literature classes at CU that inspired her and is planning her next holiday to visit Boulder again soon.

Former CU-Boulder Alumni Association student worker Amanda Kudron (Engl’11) celebrated the completion of one year at Teach for America in May. She is a language arts teacher at West Generation Academy in Denver. She lives in Federal Heights, Colo.

Forever Buffs Student Award Winner Daniel Omasta (PolSci’11) is land stewardship assistant at Crested Butte Land Trust. Crested Butte Land Trust works to protect and preserve open land for wildlife, recreation and ranching. Daniel lives in Boulder.

The Denver Post writer Kristen Painter’s (MJour’11) article “New era takes wing for business in Japan” appeared in the June 12 issue. The story is about the first direct flight from Denver to Tokyo that took place on United Airlines in June. Read more about Kristen’s stories, blogs and tweets on her trip to Japan at denverpost.com.

In June Travis Peters (Econ’11) received certificates of completion for the Diplomatic Leadership Corps, a one-time program designed by the Buckhead Coalition. It is a high-intensity, one-week introduction to business leadership and is free-of-charge to the applicants chosen. Travis lives in Boulder.

Beer department manager Geoff Penley (Mgmt’11) and former Alumni Association student worker is employed at Cherry Hills Wine Shop, a small, specialty liquor store that focuses on mid-to-high-end wines and beers while offering some rare and collectible bottles as well. Geoff checks inventory, creates lists to order and meets with the representatives of liquor distributors to place orders. He lives in Boulder.

Three CU alums, Brett Wagner (EnvDes’11), Ryan Wagner (Aero’08), and Seamus James (Phil’10), are involved in a family business called The Bespoke Edge. The men’s clothing company operates by appointment only in northern Colorado and sells clothes nationally online through its website bespokeedge.com. Brett helped create the art direction and website for the company and lives in Boulder. His brother Ryan runs the business development side of the company and lives in Littleton, Colo. Seamus is the web developer helping build the online store and website and lives in Boulder. The Bespoke Edge was started by Brett and Ryan’s father in fall 2012.