Students in Focus

This October, a few months after his commissioning as an active duty field artillery officer on May 10, Eric Brown-Malone will report to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to continue his training at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School.

The School of Education's outstanding doctoral graduate and a PhD graduate in the Literacy Studies program, Mónica González Ybarra will begin her faculty career as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Texas, El Paso in the English department.

Read about just a few of the talented, motivated and innovative students who are graduating and starting on their next adventure. Congratulations, Buffs!

Buffs soccer standout Joss Orejel will be the first in her family to earn a college degree, the latest in a series of firsts for her. The first-born child of immigrants, she grew up doing what people around her suggested couldn't be done, including athletic pursuits.

Toby Bollig, graduating summa cum laude, overcame a traumatic brain injury in a 2016 car accident. He used that experience as a jumping-off point for one of his two honors theses, as well as in his leadership on campus and in his community beyond.

Accepting a certain piece of local lore as a personal challenge, mechanical engineering student Ross Fischer got outside of his comfort zone during his college career, traveling to Fairbanks, Alaska; Bangkok, Thailand; Kathmandu, Nepal; and soon, to Tanzania with the Peace Corps.

Cori Fagan has spent the better part of a decade balancing a full-time job, parenthood and school. This month marks a major milestone for her; she is graduating with a bachelor's degree in Classics.

Ask Leo Borasio about his time as a student and he'll tell you it was pretty straightforward. Probe a bit deeper, and he'll mention his internship-turned-job at a startup, his recent trip to LA, or digging up ancient artifacts across the Southwest.

Known for his thoughtful insights and engaging lessons, Tyler LeCroy found his love for math and science when he started community college and then transferred to CU Boulder, soon driving a passion for education.

With steady dedication to her studies and to her 6-year-old son, Alita Smith shows strength in every endeavor of hers. After two decades in the hospitality industry, Smith took the leap to pursue her lifelong dream of being an educator.