Notes from the Class of 2008

Houston resident Laura Pommer (Geol’08) married Luke Fiddler in July in Lyons, Colo. Laura graduated from Boulder High School, attended CU and then earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin. She is a geologist.

On July 6 Lieschen Gargano (IntlAf’08) married Aaron Quilling (Engl’08) at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colo. Lieschen is a University of Denver Korbel School of International Studies master’s student in peace and conflict resolution and works for CDR Associates. Aaron is a chef at Oak at Fourteenth in Boulder. The couple will celebrate with a trip to Southeast Asia this winter.

Adventurer Shawna McKeown (Span’08) writes for the outdoors and sports section of 303Magazine. She enjoys getting lost in the woods and checking out Denver events and eateries. She lives in Westminster, Colo.

Last October Longmont-based design and manufacturing company Texas Instruments introduced an envelope tracker for smartphones and tablets to make your batteries last longer. John Hoverston (ElEngr’08, PhD’10), a systems engineer at Texas Instruments, helped develop the product that began as a Texas Instrument-funded project at CU-Boulder. John lives in Boulder.

After Christopher Lane (Law’08) practiced at a Boulder-based law firm as well as at a larger regional firm, he joined the real estate group Davis Graham & Stubbs in Denver as an associate attorney in February. His practice focuses on all areas of real estate transactions. He lives in Boulder.

Adam Barenblat (Film’08) works as a video producer for the website Polygon, which is part of Vox Media. This website is a major producer for the video game industry. Adam visits CU-Boulder annually as a guest lecturer and talks about the history of video gaming. He is based in San Francisco.

The Bivouac, formally the Allaire Timbers Inn, has become a popular destination in Breckenridge thanks to Bond Camp (Fin’08) and Worthy McCormick (Econ’10). They decided to turn the small lodge into a premium hostel. They hope the word “hostel” doesn’t distract people from checking it out. The Bivouac offers craft beer on tap and a rotating list of wines. Visit their website at thebivvi.com.

Philosopher Diana Hsieh (MPhil’08, PhD’09) specializes in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. Her Internet radio show on the subject, “Philosophy in Action,” airs live Sunday mornings and most Wednesday evenings. She lives in Sedalia, Colo.

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Allison Aiken (PhDChem’08) was named to the Thomson Reuters list of the “World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds.” The list recognizes 3,000 of the most influential authors in 21 fields of science or social science.

An unreasonable entrepreneur, speaker, traveler, adventurer, contrarian, designer and dog-lover — that’s how Daniel Epstein (Phil’08) describes himself. He is the founder of the Unreasonable Institute, which helps young people start social ventures and assists them in setting goals and making networks. Forbes magazine named Daniel to its “Impact 30” list, which identifies 30 leading innovators. He lives in Boulder.

On Aug. 16, 2014, Whitney Bombard (IntlAf) and Andrew Mohler (Aero) were married at the Dennis Inn in Dennis, Mass. They met in Boulder their senior year and tied the knot last summer with some of their favorite Buffs in attendance. They live in Boston and write, “Go Boston Buffs!”

The Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand law firm added Jason Reed (IntPhys) to its financial services group. Jason focuses on corporate trustee representation, issues relating to corporate trust litigation and bankruptcy concerns. He lives in Minneapolis.

Lewis Roca Rothgerber appointed Dieter Raemdonck (PolSci) to the law firm’s regulatory and government practice in Denver. He represents the legislative priorities of clients in energy, real estate and health-care industries, as well as religious institutions.

Associate professor of marketing at Virginia Tech Rajesh Bagchi (PhDBus) was named the Richard E. Sorensen Junior Faculty Fellow by the university’s Board of Visitors in recognition of his teaching and research excellence. It is a three-year appointment.

Jon Bortles (EnvDes) is sustainability program manager for CU Facilities Management. His father, former Buff football player Bart Bortles (Mktg’69), was inducted into the CU Living Legends Hall of Fame at the CU vs. Oregon football game in October.

Born in the village of Chukudum, South Sudan, Micklina Peter Kenyi (PolSci) was the first “lost girl” from the Kakuma Refugee Camp to flee and resettle in Colorado after bombing hit her community. Separated from her parents, she walked for weeks to the border of Kenya and was placed in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, which put her and other girls in danger of rape and violence. After her graduation, she raised funding for a school in South Sudan that will open in 2016. She has worked to bring lost girls from Sudan to the U.S.

Rajesh Bagchi (PhDBus), associate professor of marketing at Virginia Tech, received the Early Career Award from the Society for Consumer Psychology for his contributions to the field of consumer psychology. Rajesh’s research interests are in pricing, numerosity, goals and loyalty rewards. He has co-authored many journal articles examining how consumers view or deal with numbers in their decision making. His other research has involved how willingness to buy is influenced by color and word sounds. He has also won several research and teaching awards, including the Young Scholar Award from the Marketing Science Institute in 2013.

After graduating, Orla Stiles (Comm) moved to New York to work in fashion, got engaged and moved back to Los Angeles, her hometown. While wedding dress shopping, she felt there wasn’t a stylish option for the “carefree, fashion-forward” bride in L.A. She took a risk and in January officially opened Solstice Bride on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice, Calif. “Imagine a fuss-free space where you can drink champagne with your friends, listen to your favorite tunes and try on effortlessly cool wedding gowns,” said Orla. She has even sold a few gowns to CU alumni.

Nikita Duncan Coulombe (Art, Psych) co-authored Man, Interrupted, a book that explores why young men are struggling academically and socially, which was published in April. Nikita is passionate about understanding human nature and co-founded the sex education blog BetterSexEd.org.

Jevan Fox (Engl) writes that he is keeping CU Boulder front-of-mind at all times. He is helping launch Bixler Collegiate (bixlercollegiate.com) licensed fine jewelry, and is launching in a big way with CU. The line, in sterling silver and 14k gold with diamonds and gemstones, will be available via the company website and local retail outlets, as well as through the Alumni Association. Jevan resides on the East Coast with another Buff, his wife Jerusha Fox (Engl’11).