Alumni Profile

Q&A with Cory Sandhagen, UFC Fighter

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:32:47 +0000

Q&A with Cory Sandhagen, UFC Fighter Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:32

Julia MacLean

Cory Sandhagen defeated Marlon Vera in bantamweight on UFC fight night in San Antonio in March 2023.

One of the most powerful strikers in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Cory Sandhagen (Psych’14) forged his status as a world-class mixed martial arts (MMA) contender through years of discipline and self-discovery. The work has paid off with big recognition — including serving as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience.

At �� Boulder, were you already MMA training?

As a student, I wasn’t a professional, but I was competing as often as I could. I wasn’t doing as much MMA at the time, but a lot of jiu-jitsu tournaments and stuff like that. I trained at a few gyms — Easton Training Center in Boulder, Grudge in Wheat Ridge and High Altitude in Aurora. I was bouncing around all the time; my college experience was just planning classes around when I could train.

When did you know you wanted to do MMA professionally?

I was a big sports kid growing up. When I was in high school, I wanted to play basketball in college, but I wasn’t big enough or good enough to play at a school that I wanted to go to. I started doing martial arts because I saw it on TV and thought it was a cool-looking sport. It consumed my life not long after. I poured all of my former basketball energy into fighting.

People don’t realize it, but Colorado has always been a giant hub for MMA. When I was first getting into it, I realized all these professionals were training right down the street from me. I think that’s a big piece of why I’ve gone as far as I have.

What does a typical day look like for you?

It’s usually two practices a day, three when we’re lifting. So six days a week, I can have a practice at 9 a.m., a practice around noon and then a lift around 4 or 5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are a little slower because we don’t push as hard towards the end of the week. Our bodies are pretty banged up by then. But it’s fun. I wake up, hang out with my friends and train all day.

In October, you fought in UFC 320, one of the biggest events on the circuit. What was that like?

It was pretty much as big a fight as it gets for me. I think losing in fighting is a lot more devastating than a lot of other sports, because you don’t get to play again next week. There’s a downswing after you lose, especially when it’s a big opportunity like that one, but you take some time off, start feeling normal again and then get right back to it. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to challenge myself against the best guy, and I did fairly well.

You’re well-known for your fighting style. What’s the strategy behind it?

Success in this sport requires creativity. You have to be able to think outside the box. My early style, I feel, was very creative. There’s a lot of, “Oh, I like this here, I don’t like this here.” At this point in my career, now that I’m past a lot of those learning steps, it’s way more militant. Now I know that if I do all of these certain things at the right time, then I’ll get the outcome that I want.

What are your goals for the future?

I’m 33, and I don’t really want to fight too far past 36 or 37, so I think I’ve got around six to eight more fights left in me before I call it quits. I have a lot of plans, though. I’m starting my own gym here in Centennial. It’ll be a normal martial arts gym where you come in, sign up and take classes. I’m going to teach the classes in the beginning to get it going, and of course, we’re going to have a fight team that I can hopefully train with.

What are your hobbies outside of fighting?

I’ve been doing a lot of creative things in my free time. Right now, I'm getting a couple of comic books that I wrote illustrated. They’re not superhero-type comic books — more like graphic novels about cosmic, existential things. Think Black Mirror, but an animated version for adults.

Who has influenced you in your life?

Most of my coaches growing up were all inspiring guys. I looked up to a lot of them. I’ve had some really good ones. I also look up to my parents, too. The only reason I am half of what I am is because they were good too.

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Photos courtesy Cory Sandhagen

As one of the most powerful strikers in the UFC, Sandhagen, forged his status as a world-class MMA contender through years of discipline and self-discovery.

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Jaxon Statzell Designs Skateparks Around the World

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:31:48 +0000

Jaxon Statzell Designs Skateparks Around the World Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:31

Sara Muderick

Jaxon Statzell (Arch’09) has designed world-class skateparks across the globe, including for the Paris and Tokyo Olympic Games, as well as the X Games. His work blends architectural training, artistic and sculptural design and his own experience as a skater to create spaces that cultivate creativity and community. With nearly two decades of professional experience, Statzell is now bringing this work to his hometown — Evergreen, Colorado.

What was your relationship with skateboarding growing up?

Admittedly, I got into skateboarding in middle school for the image and was pretty much a poser in the clothes and shoes, but I quickly became obsessed with learning to skate. In high school, my basketball coach gave me an ultimatum: give up skateboarding or keep playing. I chose skateboarding. After that, I’d shovel and towel-dry the driveway just so I could skate in the winter. My dad would drive me and my friends all over the state to different skateparks. Once I got my driver’s license, I even drove to Arizona to explore more parks.

What kind of skateboarding community existed at �� when you were a student?

There was a great community of skateboarders at ��. Satellite Boardshop in Boulder, which is still there today, was a great hub to meet other skaters. I would skate all around campus, but doing tricks was off-limits.

Was skatepark design always an interest of yours?

I went through school focused on traditional architecture, but skatepark design was in the back of my mind. Skateboarding was always my passion, but I never imagined it could become my profession.

What does it mean to take things full circle and return to Evergreen?

It means so much, and it’s honestly so much fun. Earlier in my career, I would’ve been stressed and insecure about designing for my hometown. Now, I feel prepared and overwhelmed with gratitude. More than anything, I am trying to soak it all in and enjoy the process.

What are some of the most important lessons skateboarding has taught you?

Skateboarding requires so much failure before ever learning even the most basic tricks. A kickflip takes hundreds, if not thousands, of attempts before ever landing even one. It taught me a lot of perseverance and grit. I also love that it’s simultaneously an individual artistic expression and a social activity — winning doesn’t require anyone else to lose.

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Photo courtesy Jaxon Statzell

Statzell's work blends architectural training, artistic and sculptural design and his own experience as a skater.

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Patricia LaMoe: A �� Centenarian

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:30:50 +0000

Patricia LaMoe: A �� Centenarian Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:30

Christie Sounart

In January 2026, Patricia Knudsen LaMoe (HomeEcon’48) turned 100. After more than a month’s worth of birthday celebrations — including a cruise from Nuremberg to Vienna — she sat down with the Coloradan to talk about life at �� in the 1940s, which began with a solo train ride from her home in Des Moines, Iowa, to Colorado.

How did you decide to attend ��?

On my AM radio in my room in Iowa, I used to listen to a late night radio show that came from Denver, the Mile High City. They were playing music records. But it never occurred to me that I would go to Denver. During the war, you didn’t think outside of your house. If the local store wasn’t out of bread when you went, you were lucky.

But about a year after graduating high school, our family friends were moving to Denver, and their daughter was enrolling at ��. They asked me to apply and said I could be her roommate, even though I’d already been taking classes at Drake University eight blocks from my house. I sat down at my typewriter and asked for more information about the university and for admission. I was accepted.

Where did you live and eat?

When I came out here, the Navy V-12 college training program was in full swing, which meant those involved took up all of the men’s and women’s dorm rooms. So some freshmen women were housed in fraternity houses. There were no men for the fraternities because of the war. I was in what they called the International House at the corner of 11th and College. I was in a room with four other girls. We had a community bathroom and did our own laundry in a basement washtub. I lived there for three years. I ate on The Hill most of the time. The Sink was there as the Sunken Gardens in 1945. There was another restaurant across the street on the corner that I ate at for special occasions. They served cheeseburgers and grilled cheese and soup and salad.

I also remember my first meal after I was dropped off by my roommate’s family when we took the train to Boulder. We went to a drugstore and had Twinkies.

What did you learn as a home economics major?

One year, we studied budgets. We had to make a budget for what would happen after you graduated — how to buy food, pay for utilities and buy clothes. Another requirement in home ec was that you had to study economics. They were talking about the cartels in Germany before the end of the war, even.

When we were just coming off the war, we were learning about and transitioning to a new life. People could now stop making Jeeps and tanks and switch to cars and refrigerators as ours were all wearing out.

In foods classes, we made the refreshments for alumni at Homecoming. We served athletes, too. I remember working with so much fresh food. We also studied architecture and learned about Romans and how they took warm baths. We identified three types of Greek columns. But I jokingly say my dad spent $4,000 to teach me how to fry an egg.

What did you do after you graduated?

My parent’s first trip to Boulder was to see me graduate on Flag Day, June 14, 1948. I then worked in an appliance store as a new graduate in Colorado Springs. Freezers were a new appliance at the time. I was hired to teach people how to put food into a freezer and how to take it out and how to fix the freezer. The first frozen foods that people could buy commercially were orange juice and coffee stored in containers.

What other memories do you have of ��?

There was an influx of men who came to campus over my time there. The campus doubled in three years with the vets who were coming back. They lived in the Quonset village [Vetsville] just off main campus.

Tuition was $33 a quarter, but an extra $33 a quarter for me because I was from out of state. You could buy used books.

I remember studying a lot. When you leave home, you don’t have your parents telling you what to do and how to do it. I had the freedom to do what I wanted to do. I learned to become a responsible adult.

Now that you are 100, what life advice do you offer?

Be curious, and stay curious about small things. For younger people, investigate your history of your family. Learn where they came from and what they did. Take advantage of opportunities, even if it’s going for a walk in a new area.

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Photos courtesy Patricia LaMoe

LaMoe describes life at �� in the 1940s, which began with a solo train ride to Colorado from her home in Des Moines, Iowa.

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A Season of Buffs Giving at �� Boulder

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:26:39 +0000

A Season of Buffs Giving at �� Boulder Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:26

April Driver

Darla Thompson (Soc’92) is eager to support her alma mater. As a Forever Buffs Advisory Board member and Homecoming volunteer, she has long enjoyed participating in university happenings. After moving back to Colorado in 2021, she started volunteering to read student scholarship applications and became inspired to contribute even more.

Last March, during �� Boulder’s annual giving day, Buffs All In, she donated to the university, citing her belief in the power of collective generosity.

“When so many people come together, even small gifts add up to something meaningful,” she said.

Thompson chose to contribute to scholarship funds to help make a �� Boulder education more accessible to students.

The Buffs All In campaign runs throughout the month of March, allowing for the creation of a network of �� donors who can see their collective giving in real time, further emphasizing the value of their gifts.

In past years, Buffs have chosen to amplify their giving through challenge gifts, which unlock additional funds when the challenge reaches a milestone, such as a donor quota or collective giving threshold.

Scott (Econ’79) and Linda Flanders offer a $25,000 challenge each year for the College of Arts and Sciences. “Liberal arts schools are often underfunded compared to business and technology degrees,” he said. “My �� education positioned me for success in business and helped me relate to many different people over a long and varied career.”

The Flanders were inspired after attending an event where a donor matched all gifts received during the dinner, prompting them to give unexpectedly. Now, they create their own challenge during Buffs All In to support the college that shaped Scott’s future.

His advice to Buffs?

“Give what you can. It’ll make you feel good.”

This March, join thousands of Buffs making a difference. Every gift — big or small — supports student success and the programs that can make a real difference. Be all in.

Make a gift or learn more

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Photos courtesy �� Boulder Advancement Marketing and Communications

Buffs All In unlocks potential at the university.

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A Look at Robert Redford's Bat, Ball and Glove from the movie The Natural

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:21:50 +0000

A Look at Robert Redford's Bat, Ball and Glove from the movie The Natural Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:21

Throughout the 1984 film The Natural (1984), Robert Redford’s character, Roy Hobbs, wrestles with the consequences of his past. In a pivotal scene, Glenn Close’s character, Iris Gaines, tells him: “I believe we have two lives. The life we learn with and the life we live with after that.” It’s a line about redemption — and one that echoes Redford’s own early life path.

Redford (A&S ex’58, HonDoc Hum’87) attended �� Boulder from fall 1954 to spring 1956, joining Kappa Sigma and working as a janitor at The Sink. He left to study art in Europe before enrolling in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. He then launched a career that spanned nearly 80 film roles, beginning with War Hunt in 1962. By the time The Natural premiered, he was a household name.

Redford gave the bat, ball and glove from the film to Chancellor James Corbridge, who donated them to the �� Heritage Center in 1992.

Redford died in September 2025 at age 89, but his legacy in Boulder will continue — the Sundance Film Festival, which he founded, moves to the city in January 2027.

Bat, Ball and Glove Facts:

Glove was custom-made for Redford, who was left-handed.
All three items were used by Redford in the film.
Glove and bat feature 1930s styling.

Film Facts:

The Natural was nominated for four Academy Awards.
Film loosely based on a true story about Philadelphia Phillies player Eddie Waitkus
Robert Redford modeled his character after a player he greatly admired, Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox
Robert Redford was 47 years old when the movie premiered

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Photo courtesy Mona Lambrecht, �� Heritage Museum

Redford gave the items to Chancellor James Corbridge, who donated them to the �� Heritage Center in 1992.

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�� Alum Takes An Affordable Approach to Indoor Farming

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:20:19 +0000

�� Alum Takes An Affordable Approach to Indoor Farming Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:20

Marc Zarefsky

Maximilian Knight (EnvEngr’17) was in sixth grade when he saw a documentary that changed his outlook on the world around him.

The Cove, which won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2010, featured an in-depth look at a small town in Japan known for capturing and selling dolphins to aquariums around the world. The film featured graphic footage and raised critical questions about dolphin hunting practices.

Knight was transfixed.

“It was a pretty tough subject, but through that film, I became more aware of things going on in the world,” Knight said. “The whole community of people trying to do good in the world and trying to make the world a better place — that really inspired me and continues to.”

Knight took that inspiration and found his own way to improve the world. As founder and CEO of Boulder-based Rooted Robotics, Knight’s mission is to provide affordable automation systems to indoor farms of all sizes.

The company, founded in 2019, offers game-changing technology to small and mid-size controlled-environment growers who can’t afford industrial-sized — and industrial-priced — services.

“If we look to 50 or 100 years from now, if climate change does get significantly worse, as is largely expected, we need to be able to feed ourselves,” Knight said. “We need to be able to do that at scale without having millions or billions of people starve because we can’t grow as much food in the same ways that we used to.”

Enter controlled-environment agriculture, a term Knight explained refers to incorporating a more technology-focused approach to farming. In these environments, which often exist as vertical farms or greenhouses, growers can control everything from temperature and sunlight to humidity and nutrients, along with countless factors in between.

This flexibility allows growers to customize what they grow and when they grow it in a way traditional farmers cannot.

Rooted Robotics offers products that help farmers with seeding, harvesting and cleaning. Each system is designed with simplicity, reliability and sustainability in mind. Everything the company sells is also made to be upgradable with customized add-ons, allowing the machines to grow with the farms they support.

Knight’s own expertise in the field dates back to his time in �� Boulder’s College of Engineering & Applied Science, where he learned many of the technical skills he routinely applies to his work. But perhaps the biggest takeaway from his time at �� was, as he describes it, learning how to learn.

“I studied environmental engineering, which is not really what I do today,” Knight said. “Even though I’m not doing water treatment engineering or sanitation engineering, I learned how to teach myself new skills.”

Christian Maljian (left), Sebastian Vazquez-Carson (middle) and Maximilian Knight (right)

Knight also met Rooted Robotics’ chief technology officer at the school. He and Sebastian Vazquez-Carson (Phys’17) were friends as undergraduates, and the two reconnected in 2022 when Vazquez joined the company to help with a robotic system.

When Knight considered undergraduate programs, he was drawn to the community he found at ��. Today, with his company still housed in Boulder, he has kept close ties to the school. Christian Maljian (Engr’19) is co-founder and head of mechanical engineering. Of Rooted Robotics’ seven part-time employees, six are students from the College of Engineering & Applied Science or the Leeds School of Business.

Rooted Robotics also hosts summer interns from �� Boulder. In addition, the company partnered with the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering this year to sponsor a capstone project. The senior students involved with the project are helping Rooted Robotics develop a variation of the company’s seeding machine.

Knight’s hope is that, through the partnership and the innovation he’s brought to the company since its founding, Rooted Robotics can continue to be an inspiration and valuable resource for indoor growers.

“A beautiful vision that could exist in 50 to 100 years would be that we’re growing most of our agriculture in these controlled environments,” Knight said. “Because of that, nature will be able to reclaim a lot of the farmland that blankets the Earth. That can also help with reversing climate change at scale. That’s part of the future that we want to create.”

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Photos courtesy Maximilian Knight

Maximilian Knight’s company Rooted Robotics takes an affordable approach to indoor farming.

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Kara Goucher Is Running at Life

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:17:56 +0000

Kara Goucher Is Running at Life Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:17

Tori Peglar

During the most thrilling three minutes of the 2024 Paris Olympics, NBC Sports broadcaster Kara Goucher (Psych’01) called the race.

It was the much-hyped men’s 1500-meter event, and reigning Olympic gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigsten of Norway seized the lead, followed closely by Kenya’s Timothy Cheriot and Great Britain’s John Kerr. For the first three laps, all eyes followed these three men, each of whom medaled in the event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

But earlier in the race, Goucher speculated that if American Cole Hocker jockeyed into a better position, he could upend the outcome. It seemed unlikely. Yet during the fourth and final lap, Hocker’s legs flew into overdrive, his orange shoes a blur as he overtook the leaders, clinching gold. American Yared Nuguse finished close behind for bronze.

This moment marked the first time in 112 years that two Americans shared the Olympic podium for the 1500. Goucher drew on her experience as a two-time Olympian and world-class marathoner to make the history-defying call.

“I really understand runners’ strengths and weaknesses, like who needs the race to go out quickly from the gun and who can wait and have an incredible sprint finish,” she said. “I can see things that other people can’t see.”

Since 2021, Goucher has used this superpower as an NBC Sports distance running commentator. She also co-hosts the wildly popular running podcast Nobody Asked Us with former Olympian Des Linden. She began running at an early age, developing a passion for the sport that led to an incredibly successful career both on and off the track. Along the way, she’s learned invaluable lessons about the power of tenacity and integrity to overcome the hurdles she’s faced.

The Road to Running

When Goucher was 4 years old, a drunk driver killed her father as he headed to work in New York City. Afterward, she and her family moved to Duluth, Minnesota, to live near her grandparents. It was her grandpa, a lifelong runner, who introduced her to the sport. As he used to tell it, Goucher fell near the start of their first race together, but she eagerly stood up, and they finished together.

“Running was so freeing,” said Goucher, who is arrestingly humble and kind. “I didn’t have to think about what came next.”

In high school, she dominated races, and at the 1993 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego, she met her future husband, Adam Goucher (Comm’98). Coincidentally, they both ran for �� under coach Mark Wetmore, sweeping NCAA titles. In 2001, they married.

Soon after, Nike invited them to join a new team of professional runners — the Oregon Project — coached by famed marathoner Alberto Salazar. They leapt at the opportunity.

What followed was an astonishing streak of victories that transformed Goucher into one of the world’s best and most recognizable runners. Nike plastered promotional ads of her everywhere.

“There’s a picture of me standing next to a cardboard cutout of Kara when I was a junior or senior at a high school national meet,” remembered pro runner and Olympian Emma Coburn (Mktg’13). “I was so proud just to stand next to her, because Kara was a Nike athlete.”

When Goucher finished third in the 10,000-meter race at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, she became the first American woman to medal in an international distance track event in 14 years. A month later, she ran the fastest half marathon by an American woman at the Great North Run in England, beating Paula Radcliffe, the world’s best marathoner at the time.

Afterward, Goucher had a realization. If she could beat Radcliffe at the half marathon, what would happen if she ran a marathon? Five weeks later, she rode on the press truck at the 2007 New York City Marathon as Radcliffe ran the event.

“Watching Paula made me afraid of how much it would hurt, and I wanted to know if I could be that tough,” said Goucher.

Radcliffe mentored her for the 2008 New York City Marathon, where Goucher proudly finished third.

“I was a marathoner,” she said. “I was stronger than I knew.”

But there was something else. The race course winds through all five boroughs of New York, including Queens, where Goucher was born and lived before her dad died.

“In reflection, I felt closer to my dad,” she said. “I never really knew him, but to run through the streets where he lived was a very healing experience.”

Leaving the Oregon Project

As she launched into the world of elite marathoners, there was another item on her bucket list — parenthood. She and Salazar plotted the timing of her pregnancy around races, yet Nike suspended her pay when she was six months pregnant.

“It broke my heart,” said Goucher, who ran the 2011 Boston Marathon with a newborn on the sidelines and without Nike pay. “I truly considered Nike a family.”

Other things at the Oregon Project didn’t feel right, either — syringes in a training condo refrigerator; topical testosterone medicine; Salazar’s unwanted sexual advances and comments.

For a long time, she dismissed them as one-offs. However, a trip to South Korea for the 2011 World Championships marked a final straw. Goucher said it started with Salazar propositioning her on the plane ride and continued with her throwing out blue pills he dispensed to her and her teammates. Salazar said they were B12 vitamins, but she couldn’t be sure. After finishing a disappointing 13th in the 10,000, Goucher and her husband headed to the airport, sharing the same thought.

It was time to leave the Oregon Project.

Kara’s Milestones

1984: Runs her first race, a one-mile course in Minnesota.

2000: Receives the Honda Sports Award as the nation’s best female collegiate cross-country runner.

2000: Becomes the NCAA outdoor champion in the 3000m and 5000m, the NCAA cross-country champion and a 5000m Olympic trials finalist.

2001: Graduates from �� Boulder and marries Olympian and Buff Adam Goucher.

2004: Joins The Oregon Project, a Nike-sponsored elite running group.

2007: Clinches a silver medal in the 10,000m at the World Championships in Japan.

2008: Places third in the New York City Marathon as the fastest American woman to run the race.

2009: Becomes the first American woman in 16 years to podium at the Boston Marathon.

2010: Gives birth to her son Colton Mirko Goucher.

2012: Takes 11th place in the marathon at the London Summer Olympics.

2021: Travels to the Tokyo Summer Olympics as an NBC Sports commentator, calling distance races.

2023: Launches her running podcast Nobody Asked Us with runner Des Linden.

2023: Book The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team reaches No. 4 on the The New York Times Best Seller list.

2024: Returns to the Summer Olympics in Paris to call distance races for NBC Sports.

Back to Boulder

After placing 11th in the marathon during the 2012 London Olympics, Goucher returned to �� Boulder to finish her racing career where it began — with Buffs coaches Wetmore and Heather Burroughs (Bio’99).

“It was the happiest time in my career,” said Goucher, who trained with Jenny Simpson (PolSci’09), Shalaya Kipp (IntPhys’14; MS’17) and Coburn. “Everyone wanted me to do well.”

Even with the Oregon Project behind them, the Gouchers felt they should share with authorities their suspicion that Salazar was promoting doping.

Goucher was worried about repercussions. But she decided to speak up, especially about Salazar’s sexual assaults.

“What I kept thinking about were my nieces who were being raised how I was — to treat people with kindness — and it was the same kind of thing that could happen to them,” Goucher said.

The Gouchers joined former athletes and coaches in testifying against Salazar in a trial that resulted in a four-year ban from athletics. Shortly after, he received an effective life ban from coaching after a SafeSport investigation found him guilty of four violations involving emotional and sexual abuse.

“People say I’m brave,” Goucher said. “I’m not. I hate fighting. At the end of the day, I’m just telling the truth.”

After Salazar’s widely publicized sanctions, Goucher wanted to address misinformation about her in the media. She shared her story in the book The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping and Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team. Released in 2023 and co-authored by Mary Pilon, it made The New York Times Best Seller list.

These days, Goucher runs daily, although it’s more arduous since she was diagnosed with focal dystonia. A neurological condition, it causes involuntary muscle contractions, which means her left leg, in particular, doesn’t always move as it should.

Her persistence to push through it has inspired her husband, Adam, to slowly get back to running.

“Besides being the most amazing, thoughtful, caring woman, mother and wife, she’s a warrior,” Adam Goucher said. “It amazes me what she does despite all that ails her. She’s like, ‘I’m going to do it.’”

Goucher approaches her condition with the same tenacity and grace she has used to overcome all other adversity in her life, and she’s modeling that to her son, Colt, already a standout high school runner.

“My grandpa taught me to not be afraid of pain and hard work, but to always have integrity,” she said. “Because what’s the point of victory if you don’t have integrity?”

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Photos by Glenn Asakawa

Kara Goucher overcame numerous hurdles to become a two-time Olympian, NBC Sports broadcaster and New York Times bestselling author.

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Celebrating 150 Years of �� People

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:16:07 +0000

Celebrating 150 Years of �� People Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:16

Julia MacLean

Over 150 years, �� Boulder has been shaped by the vision, courage and tenacity of many students, faculty, staff and alumni. These Buffs have spurred change for the university and left an imprint on the legacy that propels it forward.

Joseph Sewall

1877 — Became ��’s first president

A 19th-century American physician, scientist and educator, Joseph Sewall served as �� Boulder’s first president from 1877 to 1887. Before he arrived in Colorado, he trained in medicine and natural science and taught as a professor of chemistry at Illinois State Normal University. When �� opened on Sept. 5, 1877, there was only a single building — Old Main — which contained classrooms, a library, a chapel and the living quarters for the Sewall family.

Today, Sewall is remembered as the man “in at the birth” of ��, who directed its first steps and helped lay the foundation for what the university would become. In 1935, the university built Sewall Hall in his honor, which is the oldest continuously used residence hall on campus.

Mary Rippon in 1882.

Mary Rippon

1878 — Appointed ��’s first female professor

Mary Rippon’s distinguished career at �� Boulder spanned over 30 years. Besides making history as the first female professor at ��, she is also believed to be one of the first women in the United States to teach at a state university. Beloved by students, Rippon taught language and literature, eventually earning a position as head of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature. She is honored today by the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre on ��’s campus. Rippon also lived a fascinating hidden life — in 1888, she secretly married a �� student, Will Housel, and gave birth to their daughter, Miriam Housel. She concealed this truth for decades to retain her position and support her family.

Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Jones (Ger’1918)

1918 — Graduated from ��

Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Jones was an educator and the first known Black woman to graduate from �� Boulder. Born to parents who had been enslaved, she grew up in the Barnum subdivision of Denver, where her family became the area’s first Black property owners. Before attending ��, she broke barriers by becoming the first Black graduate to earn a two-year teaching degree from what is now the University of Northern Colorado. In 1918, she earned a bachelor’s degree in German from �� — however, due to racial prejudice, she was not allowed to walk across the stage at commencement or appear in the yearbook. Her diploma was handed to her off-stage, an act that led her to vow that she would never return to campus. Nearly 100 years after her graduation, �� formally recognized Buchanan’s achievement, and during the 2018 commencement ceremony, a diploma was symbolically accepted on her behalf by CMDI associate professor Polly McLean.

George Norlin

1919 — Appointed president of ��

George Norlin joined �� as a classics professor in 1899, became acting president in 1917 and began serving as permanent president in 1919, where he remained until 1939. Under his transformative leadership, �� underwent a dramatic period of expansion, despite the Great Depression: the student body more than tripled, several university buildings were constructed and architect Charles Klauder redesigned the campus in the Tuscan vernacular style. Norlin left a lasting moral and cultural legacy at the university. He is famous for resisting pressure from the legislature (influenced by the Ku Klux Klan), refusing to dismiss all Catholic and Jewish faculty. He also wrote The Norlin Charge, first read at the 1935 commencement ceremony, which remains a part of �� tradition today.

Byron White (Econ’38)

1935 — Earned the Buffaloes national attention

Byron “Whizzer” White is among the most celebrated student-athletes in the history of Colorado Buffaloes football. His senior year, he led the Buffaloes through a successful season, earning national attention and helping elevate the profile of the program. He was later inducted into the Buffaloes’ Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his elite play and impact on �� athletics. After his athletic career, White distinguished himself in public service, eventually serving as a justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Peggy Coppom (A&S ex’46) and Betty Hoover (A&S ex’46)

1940 — Began cheering on the Buffs

The “�� Twins” earned legendary status on campus through decades of unwavering devotion to �� athletics. The sisters first began cheering for the Buffs as Boulder High School students. They were loyal season ticket holders for �� football (beginning in the late 1950s) and basketball (late 1970s). Wearing matching goldenrod �� sweatshirts and waving pom-poms, Peggy and Betty became a fixture in the stands and remain one of the most iconic fan duos in school history. After Betty’s death in 2020, Peggy’s dedication to �� has remained as strong as ever. In recognition of her lifelong commitment, Peggy was honored with the 2025 Chancellor’s Impact Award.

David Bolen (Mktg; MBA’50)

1948 — Competed in the Olympic Games

After David Bolen served in the Army Air Force for two years during World War II, �� Boulder track and field coach Frank Potts recruited him to the university. He then earned All-America honors. At 25, Bolen became the first �� student to qualify for the 1948 U.S. Olympic Team, where he placed fourth in the 400m race at the London games. After graduating, Bolen began a distinguished diplomatic career, serving as U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland beginning in 1974, and to East Germany beginning in 1977. He also was the first Black ambassador to a nation behind the Iron Curtain.

Billy Kidd

1964 — Won an Olympic alpine skiing medal

In February 1964, at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Billy Kidd became the first U.S. man to win an Olympic alpine skiing medal, a silver in the slalom. Over the next several years, he captured gold in the combined event at the 1970 World Championships in Val Gardena and became the first American man to win a world alpine title. He then went professional, claiming the pro world championship that same year. After graduating from ��, Kidd remained in Colorado and became the long-time director of skiing at Steamboat Ski Resort in 1970. Beyond instruction, he helped initiate ski-based outreach and inclusion efforts, supporting Special Olympics athletes, wounded veterans and Native American youth through ski camps and mentorship programs.

“Ralph”

1966 — Folsom Field debut

The first official Ralphie mascot, “Ralph” was the live buffalo that launched one of the most beloved traditions at the �� Boulder. In 1965, �� freshman Bill Lowery was determined to bring a live buffalo to Buffs football games instead of a costumed mascot. With the help of his rancher father, he successfully brought a buffalo calf from northeastern Colorado to Boulder. Ralph made her debut at Folsom Field on Oct. 1, 1966, charging onto the field with Lowery and a few of his fellow students flailing alongside her in cowboy boots.

Juan Espinosa (Jour’74)

1972 — Launched the newspaper El Diario de la Gente

As a �� Boulder student, Espinosa launched the bilingual newspaper El Diario de la Gente in 1972 as a member of the United Mexican American Students, a campus group aimed at bringing cultural awareness to Boulder’s Chicano community. The Vietnam War veteran later moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where he co-founded the alternative community newspaper La Cucaracha and worked for 22 years at The Pueblo Chieftain.

Tom Cech

1989 — Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

A distinguished professor of chemistry at �� Boulder, Thomas Cech is a renowned biochemist whose work has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of molecular biology. After earning his doctorate degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975 and completing postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he joined the faculty of �� Boulder in 1978. In 1982, he and his research group made a groundbreaking discovery that RNA molecules, specifically from the pond organism Tetrahymena thermophila, could splice themselves, acting as enzymes in cellular reactions without proteins. In recognition of this paradigm-shifting work, Cech was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989. Cech continues to lead research and education at �� Boulder as the founding director of the BioFrontiers Institute.

Ceal Barry

2018 — Inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame

As head coach for over 22 seasons, Ceal Barry left an undeniable mark on �� Boulder’s women’s basketball. In her time as coach, she accumulated a record of 427-242, the most wins by any head coach in �� sports history. Under her leadership, the program flourished. She had 13 seasons with 20 or more wins, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the Elite Eight. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 in recognition of her impact and achievements. After stepping down as coach, Barry served for 15 years in �� Athletics administration, including a year as interim athletic director in 2013. The university unveiled Ceal Barry Plaza in her honor in January 2026.

Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09)

2018 — Elected to Congress

At �� Boulder Joe Neguse was involved in student government, served as co-student body president under the “tri-executive” system and worked on issues like diversity, affordability and higher-education finance. After graduating, he went on to serve on the �� Board of Regents, co-founded a nonprofit aimed at youth civic engagement and worked in Colorado politics. In 2018, Neguse was elected to represent Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Black Coloradan elected to Congress. During his time in office, he has focused on priorities like public-lands protection, affordable higher education, consumer protection and government accountability.

Wei Wu (MMus’13)

2019 — Awarded a Grammy Award

A bass singer from Beijing, Wei Wu has built a remarkable career in opera, earning international acclaim. Upon arriving in the U.S. in 2007, he auditioned for graduate work at �� Boulder’s College of Music, officially enrolling in 2008. During his time at ��, he honed and perfected the vocal technique, diction and stage presence that became instrumental to his professional success. Wu received his big break after performing the role of Kôbun Chino Otogawa in the world premiere of “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” at Santa Fe Opera. The recording won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.

David Ellsworth (Art’71; MFA’73)

2021 — Honored with the Smithsonian Visionary Award

David Ellsworth helped elevate wood turning from a utilitarian craft to fine art. While studying sculpture at �� Boulder, he developed his signature approach, “blind turning,” a method using a set of bent tools that enables woodturners to hollow out wood into elegant, thin-walled vessels. Ellsworth taught his strategies at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and Anderson Ranch Arts Center, going on to found his own Ellsworth School of Woodturning. In 2021, he was honored with the Smithsonian Visionary Award by the Smithsonian Institution in recognition of his “ground-breaking, innovative and transformative career in wood art.”

Sarah Gillis (AeroEngr’17)

2024 — Played the violin in space

Sarah Gillis made history on Sept. 13, 2024 when she became the first person to play the violin in space, performing “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft more than 870 miles above Earth. Her crewmates captured her performance, which took place in zero gravity conditions during the Polaris Dawn mission, and sent to Earth via Starlink. Gillis first developed an interest in space in high school and went on to study aerospace engineering at �� Boulder. After internships and work at SpaceX, she joined the Polaris Dawn crew as a mission specialist, where she became the youngest astronaut to participate in a spacewalk.

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Photo credits: In order of appearance: Courtesy Carnegie Library for Local History/Museum of Boulder Collection (Mary Rippon); �� Heritage Center (Joseph Sewall); �� Heritage Center (George Norlin); Glenn Asakawa (Peggy Coppom and Betty Hoover); Courtesy the Buchanan Archives (Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Jones); Courtesy Tom Cech; Glenn Asakawa (Tom Cech); Polaris Dawn crew (Sarah Gillis); Glenn Asakawa (Wei Wu); Courtesy Juan Espinosa; �� Heritage Center (David Bolen); �� Heritage Center (Byron White); �� Athletics (Ceal Barry); Courtesy Joe Neguse; Roshni Gorur/Courtesy of Anderson Ranch (David Ellsworth); Courtesy Billy Kidd; Coloradan archives (Ralphie)

�� Boulder has been shaped by the vision, courage and tenacity of many students, faculty, staff and alumni since 1876.

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Spring 2026

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Capturing Campus Life

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:34:02 +0000

Capturing Campus Life Anna Tolette Mon, 11/10/2025 - 11:34

Julia MacLean

Glenn Asakawa (Jour’86), 1986 �� Boulder yearbook editor, took this photo his senior year during move-in day. Now a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, Asakawa serves as the university’s lead photographer and multimedia producer.

Looking back, he recalls the unique spirit of �� Boulder in the mid-1980s.

“�� Boulder was its own universe, where legendary throwdowns like the Trivia Bowl, Alferd Packer Days or any of the amazing Program Council con - certs mattered more than politics,” Asakawa said.

He recalled big changes, too, such as Coach McCartney taking the Buffs to the 1985 Freedom Bowl football game versus Baylor, Gordon Gee becoming the university president and the loss of astronaut Ellison Onizuka (Aero’69; MS’69; HonDocSci’03) aboard the Challenger space shuttle.

“Still, the campus was brightening up,” Asakawa said. “Boulder had more open space and quirky local spots, like Naoki’s on The Hill or the LA Diner, where you could get liver and onions, which I actually ordered from time to time!”

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Photo by Glenn Asakawa

Glenn Asakawa reflects on his senior year in 1986, recalling the campus spirit, iconic events and local Boulder culture.

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Fall 2025

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Art, Science and Polar Bears

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:32:16 +0000

Art, Science and Polar Bears Anna Tolette Mon, 11/10/2025 - 11:32

Julia MacLean

Lianna Nixon is an educator who blends science and art.

As a wildlife photographer and conservation storyteller, the Arctic is Lianna Nixon’s (Class’17; MEdu’21) second home. What began as a college expedition evolved into a career that blends art, science and education. From drifting on sea ice to counting polar bears, her adventures are as fascinating as they are meaningful.

Tell us about some of your Arctic adventures.

I first went to the Arctic in 2017 with Sea Legacy, a nonprofit organization run by two National Geographic photographers. Perhaps my most transformative Arctic photography and film experience was working on the MOSAiC Expedition (the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) while at ��. I was able to create connections about the Arctic climate system we see today, the experiences of scientists and the prowess of intersectional storytelling through visceral art-science narratives. While out on the ice floe, we were also visited by quite a few polar bears!

What are some things you work on now in the Arctic?

Six to eight weeks out of the year, I guide on expeditions out of Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, photographing arctic wildlife. It’s not just about posting on Instagram — it’s being able to create conversations and share the beauty, vulnerability and importance of this region. My work is taken further into the scope of science and conservation outreach to be used in citizen science projects that observe wildlife behavior and other communication needs.

What do you want people to take from your storytelling work?

My work focuses on applying new-age media, which includes photography, film, immersive 360-degree film and storytelling. When we humanize and bring different perspectives to abstract, difficult or polarizing topics, which is essentially the premise of climate science.

What motivated you to return to school for an education degree?

I always wanted to be a scientist, but my brain is programmed for art. That’s why I chose education — it’s a fantastic mediary space to bring those two together.

What are you doing when you aren’t in the Arctic?

I mainly do graphic design. My job has had to be very flexible with guiding, because I also hold my own BEAR Expedition a couple of weeks a year in Alaska, which allows people to view brown bears. The flexibility of my job is also due to the work of my husband, Casey VanCampenhout (Class’17), who is an F-15 fighter pilot. We’re stationed here in Vancouver, Washington. I’m also director of Tsé Bii’, a nonprofit which works with the Diné of the Navajo Nation located in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park to bring sustainable off-grid electrical and water resources to their homes.

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Photo courtesy Lianna Nixon

Lianna Nixon turned her college Arctic expeditions into a career as a wildlife photographer and conservation storyteller.

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Fall 2025

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Alumni Profile

Q&A with Cory Sandhagen, UFC Fighter

At ���������� Boulder, were you already MMA training?

When did you know you wanted to do MMA professionally?

What does a typical day look like for you?

In October, you fought in UFC 320, one of the biggest events on the circuit. What was that like?

You’re well-known for your fighting style. What’s the strategy behind it?

What are your goals for the future?

What are your hobbies outside of fighting?

Who has influenced you in your life?

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Jaxon Statzell Designs Skateparks Around the World

What was your relationship with skateboarding growing up?

What kind of skateboarding community existed at ���������� when you were a student?

Was skatepark design always an interest of yours?

What does it mean to take things full circle and return to Evergreen?

What are some of the most important lessons skateboarding has taught you?

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Patricia LaMoe: A ���������� Centenarian

How did you decide to attend ����������?

Where did you live and eat?

What did you learn as a home economics major?

What did you do after you graduated?

What other memories do you have of ����������?

Now that you are 100, what life advice do you offer?

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A Season of Buffs Giving at ���������� Boulder

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A Look at Robert Redford's Bat, Ball and Glove from the movie The Natural

Bat, Ball and Glove Facts:

Film Facts:

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���������� Alum Takes An Affordable Approach to Indoor Farming

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Kara Goucher Is Running at Life

The Road to Running

Leaving the Oregon Project

Back to Boulder

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Celebrating 150 Years of ���������� People

Joseph Sewall

Mary Rippon

Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Jones (Ger’1918)

George Norlin

Byron White (Econ’38)

Peggy Coppom (A&S ex’46) and Betty Hoover (A&S ex’46)

David Bolen (Mktg; MBA’50)

Billy Kidd

“Ralph”

Juan Espinosa (Jour’74)

Tom Cech

Ceal Barry

Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09)

Wei Wu (MMus’13)

David Ellsworth (Art’71; MFA’73)

Sarah Gillis (AeroEngr’17)

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Capturing Campus Life

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Art, Science and Polar Bears

Tell us about some of your Arctic adventures.

What are some things you work on now in the Arctic?

What do you want people to take from your storytelling work?

What motivated you to return to school for an education degree?

What are you doing when you aren’t in the Arctic?

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At �� Boulder, were you already MMA training?

What kind of skateboarding community existed at �� when you were a student?

Patricia LaMoe: A �� Centenarian

How did you decide to attend ��?

What other memories do you have of ��?

A Season of Buffs Giving at �� Boulder

�� Alum Takes An Affordable Approach to Indoor Farming

Celebrating 150 Years of �� People