Class Notes

Sam Goodman (PhDChemEngr) writes that he has authored a book on “climate change, how we can take action on it right now and how that will impact society.” Titled Beyond Carbon Neutral, his book is slated to be published in April 2021. 

This year, Luke Woodruff (IntPhys) launched Bump Up, a financial savings app. In an interview with VoyageDenver, he said, “Though my current and past endeavors have nothing to do with a career in the medical field, I could not be any more happy with where I am in life.”

After her time at CU, Kathleen Ross (Engl) has been dedicated to a career in music. Last August, she was signed as an artist to Warner Music, and then in March was signed as a songwriter to Sony ATV Music Publishing. Her first single, “The Longest Year,” was released March 13. Her friend and collaborator Will Mustin (Film ex’16), who she met in Libby Hall at CU, directed the song’s music video.

Tyler Huggins (PhDCivEngr) and Justin Whiteley (PhDMechEngr) completed the first round of venture investments for their company Emergy Foods, which uses a proprietary protein to produce meat alternatives. They can grow the equivalent of a chicken breast overnight. The two friends met in graduate school, and plan on having Emergy products in Boulder area restaurants during the early part of 2020.

In 2016, Lauren Zavala (ArtHist) founded her company Zavala Bespoke and began applying her art to unique surfaces, including clothing, purses, fabrics and a variety of other “canvases.” In June, Lauren and Zavala Bespoke were featured in Forbes.

Zoe Yeros (Fin) is an analyst at the Chartis Group, a healthcare management consulting company. Before joining the Chartis Group, Zoe worked for DaVita, a healthcare company headquartered in Denver. She lives in Chicago.

"Bio battery" gurus Tyler Huggins (PhDCivEngr) and Justin Whiteley (PhDMechEngr) received an alumni campus sustainability award from CU’s Environmental Center. The duo, who co-founded the startup technology company Emergy Labs, are transforming wastewater from the beer brewing process into energy cells for “bio” batteries.

Filmmaker Eric Stewart (MFA) is working on Off Country, an experimental documentary film and oral history archive that examines the nuclear landscapes of three regions in the West — the former Rocky Flats Plant, the White Sands Missile Range and the Nevada Test Site.

Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan, (EngrPhys, MPhys), founder and CEO of Surya Conversions, a Boulder-based startup that provides hybrid conversion kits for vehicles in developing countries, will travel to India to test the kits for efficiency and emissions reduction. Maithreyi founded Surya Conversions in October 2013 while a student at CU Boulder. The Superior, Colo., native graduated in May.

Although she graduated in the spring, CU Boulder club triathlete and Denver native Brittany Warly (MechEngr) qualified to represent the U.S. in the World University Championships in Switzerland in August by winning the USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships. Brittany began her post-collegiate career as a professional triathlete on July 9 by racing in the Balanced Art Multisport Triathlon in Utah.

After winning the Vuelta a España in September and becoming the first American in a decade to win a Grand Tour in cycling, Sepp Kuss (Advert’17) planned a celebration of his win in his hometown of Durango, Colorado, Oct. 17. Sepp and his wife live in Andorra. 

In September Phillip Lindsay (Comm’17) joined the weekday after-noon show lineup at the 104.3 The Fan radio station in Denver. His show, “The Drive with Zach Bye and Denver, Colorado’s own Phillip Lindsay,” airs from 2–6 p.m. Phillip is a former Denver Bronco and Pro Bowl running back. He most recently played football for the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons. At CU, he was team captain for the Buffs and was the all-time leader in all-purpose yards and yards from scrimmage. 

Comedian Morgan Gallo (StComm’17) is the creator, producer and editor of the Let’s Fight About It podcast, which features comedians and artists debating topics such as McDonald’s versus Wendy’s, the worst type of pants or time travel. She took her comedy on tour this fall. Morgan is based in Denver. 

Matt Isola (Advert’17; MStComm’18) started the nonprofit Generation Exchange while he was still a CU student. Generation Exchange is a program that links together young adults and elders to swap knowledge, advice and stories. Matt came up with the idea after being assigned a project at CU to fix a social issue. He helped his grandfather’s friend set up a new iPad and gained a close friend out of the experience. “I unlocked a mentor that day,” Matt said in an article written by Sarah McKinney Gibson (Mktg’98) for PBS’s Next Avenue. “I thought I was going over there to help him, but he helped me 10 times more with life.” More than 2,000 people have participated in Generation Exchange workshop. 

Muhammad Khan (MBA’17) is a community gardener and environmental activist who has won several awards for his tireless work in the environmental domain. His day job is in digital advertising at Adcellerant, a digital marketing company, where he also is the head of the company’s charitable arm, Adcellerant Gives, and the sole proprietor of Adcellerant’s zero waste initiative. He helped earn the company Denver’s Certifiably Green Business designation and a zero-waste designation in less than two years. Muhammad served as an activist with Boulder-based Eco-Cycle, an advocacy group for zero-waste policy and business practices.

Since graduating from CU, Frederick “Flick” Mooradian (StComm’17) has launched a sparkling tequila company, Tequio. A tequila cocktail in a can, Tequio is made with 100% additive-free blue agave tequila, sparkling water and a hint of lime. The word “tequio,” which means “community service” in the Aztec language, was the inspiration for his brand. Tequio supports local Mexican communities that make its business possible. Tequio has won a gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and raised close to $1 million in funding. Tequio is created in Arandas, Jalisco in partnership with the family who started Cazadores Tequila.