Class Notes

SparkBoulder is a student co-working space and entrepreneurial laboratory where Ben Buie (MBA’13) and other students and alumni work. The nonprofit organization is designed to connect student entrepreneurs, local businesses and community leaders in a collaborative environment to spur idea sharing, creativity, sustainability and innovation.

Basketball standout Sabatino Chen (Math’13) plays for the professional team Yulon Dinos in Mucha, Taipei, Taiwan. He says he is excited to see where this next step takes him.

Golfer Derek Fribbs (A&S’13) shot a 17-under-par 193, taking the victory at Twin Peaks Golf Course in the 31st and final Colorado Golf Association Public Links Championship last summer. Derek lives in Castle Rock, Colo.

At the Boulder Sprint Triathlon in June Flora Duffy (Soc’13) finished first of the women with a time of 1:08:36. The race took place at the Boulder Reservoir. Flora is a two-time Olympian for Bermuda and graduated from CU in May. “This is the first triathlon I’ve done since November,” Flora told the Daily Camera.

Greeley, Colo., KUNC radio station promoted Jaclyn Fortier (Jour’13) to a full-time position. She is the All Things Considered host and producer, which is the second highest-rated show after Morning Edition. Jaclyn airs Wednesday through Friday from 2-7 p.m. She lives in Windsor, Colo.

Distance runner Emma Coburn (Mktg’13) ended her collegiate running career with her second NCAA steeplechase title in June. Her race time was the fifth-best in NCAA history. Within hours of winning the title, she signed a professional contract with shoe company New Balance. As she begins her professional career, Emma will remain at CU as a volunteer assistant coach.

Ally Chapel (ArtHist’14) lives in New York City where she started an all-female, nine-piece New Orleans style brass band called Brass Queens. She writes she adopted the colors black and gold for her brand in CU’s honor. The band’s 2023 album is called Black & Gold, and Ally wrote the title track as an anthem fully from the perspective of a CU fan. In December, they toured through Colorado. She writes that she “co-founded the band, dedicated to showcasing the talents of female musicians, in 2019 as a way to disrupt a landscape that was dominated by male musicians and bandleaders.” The band has played iconic venues like Blue Note Jazz Club and major events like the Met Gala, Governors Ball Music Festival and Exit Zero Jazz Festival and made TV appearances on Good Morning America.

During the pandemic, Joshua Siegel’s (Fin’14) business partner David Right began delivering ice cream to homes via Instagram. The ice cream was a hit — it was named Denver’s best ice cream shop by Westword in 2022 — and the pair decided to open a standalone ice cream store. Right Cream opened earlier this year in Denver’s Rosedale neighborhood at 2423 S. Downing Street and specializes in unique, homemade ice cream flavors and mix-ins.

Christina Manzi (Psych’14) is a wildlife rehabilitator at the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES), a nonprofit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center located in Belize. Based in Ambergris Caye, ACES is dedicated to the conservation and protection of Belize’s native wildlife and critical habitats. Their team of volunteers provides 24/7 emergency response for injured, ill, orphaned or displaced wildlife and offers assistance with human wildlife conflict resolution. Visit aceswildliferescue.org to learn more. 

As a real estate broker for Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties, Leah Canfield (Fin’14), of Breckenridge,  Colorado, sells millions of dollars in property every month. She was named to the National Association of Realtors’ “30 Under 30” list for her work. Prior to attending CU, Leah competed as an alpine ski racer for Breckenridge’s Quantium Sports Club, and at one point was the fastest super-G skier in the country. Leah also strives to give back to her community by volunteering with Mountain Mentors and dedicating her time and financial support to the Family and Intercultural Resource Center and the Summit Foundation.

Patrick Fort (Jour’14), co-host and producer of the podcast “Dish City,” won a James Beard Award in June for a story on how American Chinese food restaurants pioneered food delivery. The show was also named one of the 50 best podcasts of 2021 by The Atlantic. Dish City wrapped its fourth season earlier this year. Patrick lives in Washington, D.C. Read more about him in our Five Questions Q&A on page 56.

The Denver City Park farmers market, owned and operated by Peter (Mktg, Mgmt’14) and Margo Wanberg (SLHSci’15), ran from May 14 through Oct. 29, 2022, for its second season. More than 90 Colorado-based farmers and agriculture-focused brands lined the City Park Esplanade to offer market attendees fresh seasonal produce, prepared foods, baked goods, beverages and more. This year, the number of participating farms grew from 12 to 16 thanks to the couple’s small farm program, which gives flexibility to small-scale farmers. The market also began accepting Colorado’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and partnering with Double Up Food Bucks to increase access to fresh Colorado-grown fruits and vegetables. Peter and Margo met at CU, and after graduation Peter founded Jubilee Roasting Co., while Margo was co-founder of 3 Sisters Honey Harvesting.

On Feb. 1, Anshul Bagga (Law’14), assistant director in the prosecution and code enforcement section of the Denver City Attorney’s Office, started as legislative counsel, where he serves as a legal advisor for the Denver City government. He has worked for the Denver City Attorney’s Office since 2014.

In June, Kirsten Runyan (ChemEngr) launched a mission-driven apparel company, melomys (melomys.com), a California-based online store that plants five trees for every purchase. The company is named in honor of the tiny island rodent Bramble Cay melomys, the first species declared extinct due to human-caused climate change. The company has a goal to plant 1 million trees by 2025. The products are ethically made from eco-friendly fabrics with dye processes that minimize water use and pollution. Every product is made to order. 

CTO and co-founder of Atom Computing Ben Bloom (MPhys; PhD) is seeking to use quantum mechanics to build a quantum computer out of naturally quantum materials. The company raised $15 million in a Series A round of funding and debuted its first-generation quantum computer, Phoenix.

After graduating from CU, Kimberly Bellis (CivEngr) became a special operations officer and was deployed overseas. Now, she leads the special purpose acquisition division at Academy Securities investment bank. She also volunteers to help young girls develop healthy habits for Girls on the Run and is a veteran mentor at Veterati.

In May, Callie Fiedler Higgins (ElEngr; PhD’17) was named a finalist in the 2021 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals. Callie works for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and invented a technology to detect microscopic flaws that threaten the safety and reliability of 3D-printed products, potentially revolutionizing the medical, plastics, coatings, optics and additive manufacturing fields. 

Artist Andrew Jensdotter (MFA) was featured in his first regional solo show since exhibiting at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2019. “Road Work” opened May 15 at Denver’s K Contemporary and is the largest exhibition he has put together. The work is a result of his reflections during the pandemic.

Michael Salka (EnvDes) was awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a PhD in architecture. Michael writes he has worked on a variety of design projects targeting the intersection of ecology, technology and society, as well as research initiatives regarding the circular bioeconomy and nature-based solutions for development. He hopes the PhD program will further his studies of how locally integrated processes can optimize holistic environmental, economic and social sustainability in architectural and urban production.

In January 2021, Kissinter & Fellman P.C. announced that attorney Brandon Dittman (Law) had become a shareholder in the law firm. Brandon joined Kissinger & Fellman in 2015.