Alumni Class Notes
Submit a Class Note
The UCCS Alumni and Friends Association invites all alumni to submit a class note at any time! Whether you graduated from UCCS just a few months ago or 50 years ago, we want to hear from you! Tell us about:
- Your first job out of college
- Earning your advanced degree
- Any new jobs or career changes
- Exciting personal updates (new house, spouse, baby, and more!)
- Your retirement
- Anything else you would like to share with the Mountain Lion Family
B.A. in Sports Communications, M.A. in Communications
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Lauryn Shockley '21 & '23, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Communications and a Masters of Arts in Communications. "I have had the opportunity to work as the Director of Operations for the women’s tennis team at the United States Air Force Academy. This has been an amazing experience so far gaining knowledge in social media marketing, updating recruiting databases, and increasing my knowledge behind the camera. I plan to stay in Colorado Springs at least for the next year and play one last season of volleyball for the mountain lions! I am thankful for everything UCCS has given me and taught me over the past 4 years."
M.A. in Inclusive Early Childhood Special Education
College of Education
Jenn Wells '23, graduated with a Masters of Arts in Early Childhood Special Education.“One of the best professors that I have ever had the honor of taking her class is Dr. Katie McCabe. The honoring of students with physical, mental, and neurodiverse needs who worked so hard and diligently to earn their degrees was the best part of graduation. Each graduate last night had worked through personal issues to complete their degrees such as the death of a parent, the death of grandparent, working full-time, raising children, juggling schedules to meet class Zoom meetings and complete work, finding times to work in small groups with other students, having car issues, paying rent and mortgages, having very little money to live off of, and working through requirements with abilities and disabilities to complete a degree of success." Jenn is now a pre-kindergarten teacher at Springs of Life Childcare Centers!
B.A. in Communication
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Nathan Grissom '22, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. “Don’t give up on your dreams, chase them! Never be afraid to take necessary risks because they can turn into the perfect reward!” Nathan is now a flagger for Road Work Ahead LLC.
B.A. in Environmental Studies and Geography, GIS Certificate
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Pru Crawmer '21, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Geography. Since graduation, Crawmer has found fulfilling employment as a GIS Technician at NV5 Geospatial, North America's most comprehensive and most capable geospatial services firm. Crawmer has advice for current UCCS students and new alumni: “Never be hesitant to apply for jobs that don't match 100% of your experience! If the job description states they want 3 years' experience and you only have 1 year, still apply!"
B.S. in Biology
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Jen Raskin '20, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Environmental Science with the EnvEuro program. She was the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and recently moved to Austria to complete her degree at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. Jen also volunteers as a Project Manager for Sustainability at Actory, where she works with the Development of Innovative Solutions to fight against waste. In her spare time, Jen enjoys exploring Europe and is learning German.
B.S. in Finance
College of Business
Alexandria Monson '19, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. She has worked as a licensed registered representative at T. Rowe Price for 2 years and recently made the switch to USAA. She is very happy with her current position as a Licensed Insurance Professional at USAA!
B.S. Business Administration, Sports Management
College of Business
Dalia Regev '19, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Sports Management. She now lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and completed an MBA in Sport Management & Entertainment at Maryville University of Saint Louis in 2021 and is an Executive Board Member of the College to Sports Networking group. Regev offers advice for current and future UCCS students: “Take advantage of the incredible networking opportunities available to you while at UCCS. It is never too early, nor too late, to start networking. You truly never know when or how a connection you make can help your career. I met many sports business professionals during my time in the UCCS Sport Management program, many of whom I have worked with professionally and consider mentors. We are talking about connections from freshman year!”
Master of Business Administration
College of Business
Beau Kelly '19, graduated with a Master of Business Administration. His career journey has included working as a Development Officer at UCCS in the Advancement division, Assistant Vice President at Stockmens Bank in Colorado Springs and today he is a Business Development Manager for Nunn Construction.
B.A. in Sociology, Women's and Ethnic Studies
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Amodj Manga '18 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Women's and Ethnic Studies. Since graduating, she is an aspiring lawyer, and recently accepted a position as a Court Judicial Assistant for the Denver District Court. Amodj has a passion for Immigration, Family and Civil Rights Issues.
B.S. in Business Administration
College of Business
Zach Woolweaver '17, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He and his wife excitedly moved back to Colorado during Summer 2022, as he accepted an amazing new position at National Bank Holding Company as Assistant Vice President and Legal Counsel.
B.A. in Psychology
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Amelia Loving '17, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. After working at UCCS as the Annual Giving Program Manager for over two years, Amelia accepted a position for the University of Colorado Systems Office as a Program Manager of Digital Marketing. Amelia reflected on her time at UCCS and shared: “I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to work for my alma mater! UCCS is a place I can return to again and again for not only continuing my education but events like speaker series, networking opportunities, sporting events, and theatre productions. If you haven't found all the ways to stay connected, I highly recommend the A-List emails!”
B.A in Communications
M.A. in Leadership with a Concentration in Student Affairs in Higher Education
PhD in Educational Leadership, Research and Policy
Dr. Sandy Ho '09, '10 & '16, graduated with three degrees from UCCS. They are currently the Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer for the Colorado Department of Human Services. Dr. Ho is an accomplished alumni, obtaining their Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degree from UCCS over the years. Ho has received many honors and awards, including but not limited to the Colorado Springs Business Journal 2021 Women of Influence, Pikes Peak Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Transformational Award 2021, Colorado Springs Mayor’s Young Leader Award Finalist 2019 and many others!
B.A. in Psychology
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Travis Tafoya '16, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. After receiving graduating from UCCS, Travis went on to complete his Master of Education degree with DePaul University in 2022. Now, Travis is a Manager for Inclusive Access & Collective Impact for Vail Resorts. In this role, Travis supports corporate giving to youth and adaptive serving organizations.
B.S. in Business Administration
College of Business
Eric Robinson '16, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Today, Eric is “living the dream" - enjoying ownership of a townhome, is happily married, and has two children. Robinson works as a Financial Systems Analyst for The Walt Disney Company.
B.S. in Business Administration, M.A. in Business Administration, Marketing
College of Business
Jake Duenckel '16 & '22 graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Business Administration, Marketing. “My time at UCCS has been profound for my career. In 2020, I realized I was in the wrong career field, a change fueled by the pandemic and lack of a work-life balance. I appreciate all that I learned and the experience I received at UCCS. Because of that, I was able to make a career pivot and end up in an industry I love. Now, after having the time to finish my graduate degree, I cannot wait for what's to come in the future!” Since earning his master's degree he became a Founding Partner of JN Web Studio, a website design company that designs, builds, and supports websites for small businesses and the underserved. Jake is also an Experimentation Strategist for Fanatics.
M.A. in Leadership, Student Affairs in Higher Education
College of Education
Sabrina Wienholtz '11, graduated with a Master of Arts in Leadership, Student Affairs in Higher Education. After working at UCCS in a variety of roles for nearly 15 years, Sabrina started as the Executive Director of Leadership Pikes Peak, a local non-profit, in early 2022. Sabrina returned to UCCS and currently serves as the Senior Director of Operations for the Ent Center for the Arts.
B.A. in Political Science, English Literature
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Joshua Green '09, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English Literature. He worked on Capital Hill for over 10 years before returning to Colorado Springs “to help build philanthropic support for students and our growing community”. Joshua is currently the Senior Vice President, Scholarship Program for the Daniels Fund.
B.A. in Philosophy, Political Science
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Matthew Weidinger '09, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politicial Science. After practicing law in Grand Junction and Colorado Springs, Matthew moved to Denver and started a family. Matthew and his wife have a daughter in preschool and a newborn baby boy. Matthew left the life of large firms and co-founded a boutique small practice – Weidinger & Smith P.L.L.C. where he is a Founding Partner and Personal Injury Attorney.
B.A. in Communication
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Denise Brill '92, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. She returned home to Colorado Springs in 2020 after being selected to serve the transitioning and separating military and their family members. Denise was stationed at NATO headquarters on Ramstein Air Base where she grew up, as well as other military installations throughout Germany. Since returning to Colorado Springs, Denise now works for National University as a Business Development Manager - Military & Veteran Strategic Partnership Manager.
B.S. in Biology & Chemistry
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Ed Chan '82, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemisty. After graduation, Ed went on to get his Doctor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Later, ED accepted a fellowship at the University of Colorado Medical Hospital Program, Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine in 1997. Now, Dr.Chan is a practicing physician at Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center, with specialties in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, and Critical Care Medicine. Dr.Chan is also affiliated with Denver’s National Jewish Health and University of Colorado Hospital. Dr.Chan is also a Professor of Medicine - Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Chan fondly remembers his time at UCCS for the small class sizes, professors, and classmates. He is amazed and happy to see how much UCCS has grown.
B.A. in English, Physics, Educational Technology
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Barbara Nickless '82, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Physics, Educational Technology. “My latest mystery/thriller novel came out in 2022. It's my sixth novel and was a chance to revisit my undergraduate love of Old English poetry.” Barbara has an impressive portfolio of works and describes her publishing's as a dream come true: At First Light, Dark of Night, Blood on the Tracks, Dead Stop, Ambush and Gone to Darkness. Say in touch with Barbara and her literature.
B.A. in Distributed Studies
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Brian McCullough '83, graduated with a Bachelor in Arts in Distributed Studies: “It's been a wild ride since graduation, starting with a stint at a Bay Area non-profit, followed by time in Silicon Valley recording, producing, and optimizing speech and sound effects for embedded applications (mostly toys, clocks, and telephone systems). In my speech and sound effect work, I had the privilege of working with many celebrity voice actors. Later I became a technical writer. My work has won multiple awards from the Society for Technical Communication in competitive judging. More recently, I published an independent novel which has won competitive awards of its own. In 1986, I married fellow UCCS graduate Kimberly A. Robinson (BA Chemistry, 1985). We have one daughter, Anya McCullough.”
M.P.A. in Public Administration
College of Public Service
Michael Kirkland '81, graduated with a MPA in Public Administration. Since graduating, Kirtland received his Juris Doctorate from the Jones School of Law at Faulkner University, and his L.L.M from the University of Alabama. Kirtland returned to Colorado Springs to open his firm – Kirtland & Seal, LLC where he is now a Managing Partner. Visit Kirtland & Seal LLC for careful, compassionate guidance to informed decisions on estates and aging issues affecting your Colorado family. Kirtland was awarded the Colorado Bar Association's John Campbell Award for Outstanding Contributions to Elder Law.