Students in Focus

From the perspective of her father, who immigrated to the United States from Liberia, West Africa, education isn't a guarantee, it’s a privilege.

When Clare Wise joined the Colorado ski team as a freshman in 2012, the message from team leaders was simple and to the point: “It is made clear that when you join the CU ski team the expectation is that we have the highest team GPA and we win national championships,” Wise says with a grin. “That’s just how it is. That’s our legacy and that’s what we strive to do.”

Bridgette Zuckerman never planned to join the Army. She grew up in an Army family and graduated from high school in Colorado Springs. Her mom and dad both enlisted and, by the time Zuckerman was starting college, her sister Briana (15’IntPhys) was already a cadet in the ROTC program at CU-Boulder. But family tradition won out. Briana convinced Bridgette to give it a shot.

Like in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, CU-Boulder ended up being just right for Matthias Malojer, 2016 outstanding graduate from the Leeds School of Business.

Connor Winter's path at the University of Colorado is nearly at an end — but he has used that path to map out a road for the future that has stirred his competitive fire and passion to new heights. Saturday, the Buffs cross country and track standout (two-time first team All-American, a Pac-12 individual champion and member of two national championship teams) will graduate with his degree in mechanical engineering.

John Logan Brock doesn’t remember when he first wanted to be a medical doctor, but in kindergarten, he didn’t nap with his classmates. He used nap time to peruse human anatomy books, and to ask his teacher how old she was so he could calculate her number of red blood cells. Brock, 21, is graduating from CU-Boulder with a bachelor's in neuroscience and a minor in economics.

Bridgette Zuckerman never planned to join the Army. She grew up in an Army family and graduated from high school in Colorado Springs. Her mom and dad both enlisted and, by the time Zuckerman was starting college, her sister Briana (15’IntPhys) was already a cadet in the ROTC program at CU-Boulder. But family tradition won out. Briana convinced Bridgette to give it a shot.

Yessica Canas got her first pair of glasses when she was 3, and has since wondered what it would be like to help others see the world around them more clearly. Next fall, she’ll find out when she heads to Midwestern University in Arizona to pursue a lifelong dream and a doctorate in optometry.

It was a long journey from the tiny Mexican town of Tlazazalca Michoacan to Boulder for Emmanuel Melgoza Alfaro. And an equally long distance, culturally, to become his family’s first high school and college graduate. On Saturday, Alfaro will complete this journey when he graduates from CU-Boulder with a degree in ethnic studies.

This fall, Renee Paiement will join a highly-selective group of 12 to 15 students admitted to Columbia University's MFA program in screenwriting. The CU-Boulder senior applied to the Ivy League school last fall, submitting the first long screenplay she wrote. Acceptance is a high honor since only about 6 percent of applicants are granted admission.