Graduation

Coloradan editorial assistant reflects on writing, reading and the value of hard work

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 21:11:20 +0000

Coloradan editorial assistant reflects on writing, reading and the value of hard work Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/30/2021 - 15:11

Maria Kuntz

Grace Dearnley (Engl'21) joined the Coloradan staff in 2020. What's next? Following her passions, catching up on her non-school reading list and aiming for a PhD.

What inspired you to come to ENGL/��/A&S?

I chose �� for the mountains. I wanted to be somewhere I could hike and snowboard with ease. The 300 days of sunshine also helped. I enrolled as an international affairs major, but when I took a women’s literature class in the second semester of my sophomore year, I immediately decided to transfer to the Department of English. I love that the College of Arts and Sciences prioritizes interdisciplinary learning. I felt that by studying literature I could actually study a wide range of topics since there is such a range of material in the books that are assigned.

What is one of the greatest experiences or lessons from your time at �� Boulder that you'll carry with you into the next chapter of your life?

My time working in the UMC dining hall definitely shaped my work ethic. I truly learned the value of hard work. I remember scrubbing stains off the ceilings, waking up at 6 a.m., walking there because the busses didn’t start running until seven, to make meals for hundreds of students a day. I was doing work that wasn’t always fun, but I was surrounded by amazing co-workers from all ages and all walks of life. I learned so many lessons from them, and they inspired me to work hard out of respect for both myself and for everyone I work with. I’ll always carry that with me, no matter what job I’m working in.

Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?

Always read the books that are assigned. You’ll never regret reading a book but you might regret not reading it — especially when finals come around.

Favorite memory?

Snowboarding with my friends on countless bluebird days. Eating PB&Js we brought from home and riding until the chair lifts closed. The drive up to the resorts is always one of the best parts of those days too, listening to music and taking in the view.

What does graduating from college represent for you?

For me, graduation represents the end of a formative chapter of my life, but also the beginning of new opportunities and possibilities. I feel like the entire world has just opened up for me, and I can choose to run unencumbered in any direction I’d like. It's freeing.

What are your plans beyond graduation?

I’m going to take it slow, follow my passions and trust that they lead me in the right direction. I’d like to be a professional writer. I’m learning so much working for the Coloradan now, and I’m excited to stay for a while to keep writing and learning. I’ll apply for opportunities in the writing industry as they come my way. Eventually, I would love to go for a PhD. I’m also planning to make some real progress on my non-school reading list, which, since I started college, has been growing faster than I could keep up.

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Celebrating Our Buffs: 2019 Spring Commencement

Anonymous — Mon, 13 May 2019 16:22:26 +0000

Celebrating Our Buffs: 2019 Spring Commencement Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/13/2019 - 10:22

The Spring 2019 Commencement ceremony at Folsom Field was shortened due to snowy weather, but the fun continued at full force. Here, campus photographers Glenn Asakawa, Patrick Campbell and Casey A. Cass capture scenes from some of the Spring 2019 school, college, department and program ceremonies. Congrats, Class of 2019!

The main Spring 2019 Commencement ceremony at Folsom Field was shortened due to snowy weather, but the fun commenced at full force.

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Campus Photo of the Week

Anonymous — Mon, 07 May 2018 15:36:09 +0000

Campus Photo of the Week Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/07/2018 - 09:36

On Thursday, May 3, more than 3,000 graduating seniors celebrated the end of the spring semester — and for most, the end of college — during Grad Bash at the Koenig Alumni Center. Some were headed off to faraway places such as the Virgin Islands or London. Some were staying in Boulder. All eagerly awaited the beginning of something new.

At the event’s Career Services booth, students wrote their new employers on whiteboards and posed for photos. Companies included Lockheed Martin, Charles Schwab and Comcast NBC Universal. Others joined master’s programs at universities including Cornell, Columbia, Stanford and, of course, �� Boulder.

In total, the university is awarding more than 8,000 degrees this May from graduates of the fall 2017 and spring and summer 2018 classes.

On Thursday, May 3, more than 3,000 graduating seniors celebrated the end of the spring semester — and for most, the end of college — during Grad Bash at the Koenig Alumni Center.

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��’s First Graduate

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 07:00:00 +0000

��’s First Graduate Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/01/2017 - 00:00

Eric Gershon

Drumm Roll, Please

There are more than 250,000 �� Boulder alumni today. For a few moments on a spring day in 1882, there was just one: Henry Alexander Drumm.

When roll was called at the University of Colorado’s first commencement, held at Old Main on June 8 of that year, Drumm’s name came first alphabetically in the class of six, making him, in a sense, the university’s first graduate.

Many years later, his diploma, pictured above, found its way into Norlin Library’s files. Today the original parchment resides in the �� Heritage Center, which occupies the top floor of Old Main, bringing the diploma full circle.

Drumm came from a pioneer family originally from Iowa, and he seems to have had a trailblazer’s taste and energy for trying new things, according to research by Heritage Center curator Mona Lambrecht. In the course of his 79 years, he worked as a barber, newspaper reporter, teacher, legal clerk, real estate and insurance broker, railroad level-man, lawyer and, for decades, mapmaker and publisher.

Raised in Colorado, Drumm also lived in New York City — where he attended Columbia Law School — and Omaha, Neb.

After returning to Colorado for good in the late 1890s, he was elected to the state legislature and served on the Boulder City Council.

Amid all this, he married twice and fathered seven children.

Shortly after that first commencement, in 1882, the class organized an alumni association. Drumm served as founding president.

First among his classmates, Drumm was the last one standing when, on April 17, 1937, he died at home on Grove Street in downtown Boulder. He rests in peace in Green Mountain Cemetery, near Chautauqua Park.

Photo courtesy �� Heritage Center

There are more than 250,000 �� Boulder alumni today. For a few moments on a spring day in 1882, there was just one: Henry Alexander Drumm.

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Two Generations Leave Their Mark at ��

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Two Generations Leave Their Mark at �� Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/01/2009 - 00:00

Phil Distefano

One of the great things about serving the University of Colorado at Boulder for 35 years as a professor, dean, provost and now chancellor is I get to see two generations of graduates joining our alumni family.

Not long after I started as an assistant professor of education at ��-Boulder in 1974, Dain Fritz (Comm’77) and Hillary Kramer Fritz (Engl’78) graduated. On May 8 their son Matt became a newly minted graduate.

Seeing the family at commencement reminded me of the late summer day four years ago when I bumped into the Fritz family as they helped Matt move into Farrand Hall — the same hall where his mother lived as a freshman in 1974. Perhaps with nostalgia sweeping over her, Hillary said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

There is charm when the ivy-covered places on campus that nestle into our memories remain unchanged. But the fact is, things are changing more rapidly now than at any time during my 3½ decades at ��.
If you return to campus, you will see familiar sights you fondly remember. But like our classrooms, our residence halls are being reinvented for education in the 21st century.

We are moving forward with innovative residential colleges called for in our Flagship 2030 strategic plan. Freshmen through upperclassmen with common interests and ambitions will reside in combined living and learning environments alongside a resident professor who conducts lectures, seminars, recitations and tutoring in the residence hall.

This gives students the opportunity to pursue their academic passions together in both a structured and social environment, studying together and exchanging ideas. It also creates a small-college environment within a comprehensive research university.

The first residential college, the Kittredge Honors Program, opened this year at Arnett Hall. The Engineering Honors Program will open next fall in Andrews Hall with a faculty-in-residence. Soon, the Global Studies program will move into Smith Hall after it’s renovated.

Eventually students will be able to study with a resident professor, choosing from residence halls that focus on everything from natural sciences, fine arts and the American West to international interests, business, global leadership and liberal arts.

Some of the fondest memories for the next generation of students may come from experiences in their residential college or from other Flagship 2030 initiatives, such as experiential learning, civic engagement and studying abroad.

Watching two generations of the same family graduate from �� fills my heart. I have had the pleasure of watching all three become part of the Buff family. Now, Matt’s younger sister, Jacquelyn, has her eye on ��!

<p>Chancellor Phil DiStefano's column from the summer 2009 issue. </p>

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Graduation

Coloradan editorial assistant reflects on writing, reading and the value of hard work

Grace Dearnley (Engl'21) joined the Coloradan staff in 2020. What's next? Following her passions, catching up on her non-school reading list and aiming for a PhD.

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Celebrating Our Buffs: 2019 Spring Commencement

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