Class Notes

Brothers Sean Chenoweth (EnvSt’17) and Wylie Chenoweth (ChemBioEngr, MCDBio’12) founded Aircada, an industrial augmented reality HMI (human machine interface) and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) company, which helps maintenance and manufacturing teams simplify their operations. Wylie taught industrial automation after graduating from CU, and saw a need for industrial technicians to have better access to their facility’s data. Aircada offers augmented reality displays of plant data so workers can point their camera at their equipment and see 3D meters, machine schematics, maintenance records and other documentation. Visit aircada.com.

Sean C. Slattery (Soc’17) graduated from the New York City Police Academy in December 2021. Sean is currently working as a police officer in Manhattan.

In his free time, Garrett Cease (Engl, Phil; MEdu’20) can be found rock climbing, skiing, meditating and practicing yoga. As a teacher, he often uses methods learned from rock climbing, such as risk mitigation and staying present, to guide his actions in the classroom.

Commercial real estate appraiser Jim Presley (Econ) was named one of Tulsa Community College’s 50 notable alumni.

While studying at Colorado Law, Ariel Diamond (Law) served as editor-in-chief of the Colorado Technology Law Journal and an active member of the Silicon Flatirons student group. Now, as an associate attorney at the global law firm DLA Piper, she advises telecommunications industry members on compliance issues. She also does pro bono work representing clients in immigration cases.

Chelsea Heveran (PhDMechEngr) and Juan Pablo Gevaudan (PhDArchEngr’19) were selected as one of seven winners of the National Science Foundation’s Idea Machine competition. Their idea centers on durable, recyclable structures that could be used on Mars. The competition solicited 800 entries. Chelsea is an associate professor at Montana State, and Juan Pablo recently accepted a position at Penn State’s architectural engineering department.

Joey Azofeifa (PhDCompSci) was named to this year’s Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. He is founder and CEO of Arpeggio Bio. Housed at CU’s BioFrontiers Institute, Arpeggio develops important RNA drug-screening processes, providing critical data and improving drug success.

Allison Hester (Law) joined Moye White law firm as an associate in the litigation department. She was previously a law clerk to Chief Justice Steven Bernard of the Colorado Court of Appeals.

John Cevaal (CivEngr) joined Ascent Engineering Group in Winter Park, Colo. He is an engineer-in-training working on designing residential and commercial structures.

Aspiring science writer Amanda Grennell (PhDChem) was awarded an AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship. She will be writing in a newsroom for 10 weeks for PBS NewsHour. At CU, Amanda used ultrafast lasers to study biomimetic nanoparticle-enzyme systems that can turn sunlight into fuel. She was also the senior editor for the graduate student-run blog Science Buffs.

After graduation, Bryce Arai Mawhinney (Acct, Econ, Mktg) embarked on a one-month expedition to Nepal to work with the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund, a nonprofit that promotes endangered animal conservation initiatives. While in Nepal, Bryce transported camera equipment, supported sustainable honeybee projects and helped care for a rhino calf. Bryce currently works for Deloitte Consulting in Denver and writes that he hopes to merge his business and environmental interests in the future.

Comic artist Emma Oosterhous (Span) was awarded a Marshall Scholarship, which offers recipients a full ride to any university in the U.K. Emma will work on a master’s degree in comics and graphic novels starting in September at the University of Dundee in Scotland. She is creator of the web comic Alphabet Soup. 

Teacher Rawa Abu Alsamah (MEdu) writes that she is CU Boulder’s first Saudi Arabian woman to earn a master’s degree with an emphasis in teaching English to culturally and linguistically diverse students. Rawa is a sixth grade special education teacher at Denver’s STRIVE Prep-Kepner.  

In September, Rudy von Berg Jr. (Mktg) and his father, Rodolphe von Berg, competed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. It was the first time that a pro (Rudy) and his father competed in the same 70.3 championship. Rudy placed 13th overall; Rodophe placed 2nd in the 60-64 age category.

On Dec. 6, Andreas and Allison Deptolla (MLing) welcomed a son, Benjamin Victor Deptolla. The couple also has a young daughter, Clara.

Alejandro Brown (IntlAf’18) is the founder of I-70 Things, a page on Instagram (@i70things) with more than 400,000 followers. Some of the account content serves as entertainment and some content is safety-oriented for those traveling the I-70 corridor through the Colorado mountains. “I wanted to be able to provide an outlet for people to not only share what they’ve seen but also check it out before they go to the mountains or before they come home,” Alejandro told The Denver Post in January.

In 2021, inspired by a mushroom foraging trip in the Rocky Mountains, Nick Erokhin (CompSci’18) founded Urth Naturals, a mushroom supplement company aimed at making mushrooms more accessible. Made from a powerful blend of 10 functional mushrooms, Urth Naturals’ gummies are designed to help people reach the fullest potential of their mind and body. The gummies are made in the U.S. and sourced with ingredients from local farmers.

This spring Kelsey Simpkins (MJour’18) left her position as science writer in media relations at CU Boulder after more than three years. She joined Colorado’s Regional Air Quality Council, the lead agency for improving air quality in the Denver metro area, as its communications and programs coordinator. She lives in Broomfield, Colorado.

On Sept. 15, the poetry collection Gash Atlas by Jessica Lawson (MFA’18) was published by Kore Press Institute, which also selected the book to receive its poetry prize. Jessica is a Pushcart-nominated writer, teacher and activist based in Denver. To learn more about Jessica, visit lawsonlit.com.