Bergen Backes

Bergen Backes, a senior Media Production major at the University of Colorado Boulder's College of Media, Communication and Information, embodies the adventurous spirit of campus life. From sailing across the seas for a semester to exploring the mountainous landscapes at home in Colorado, Bergen seizes every opportunity to grow personally and creatively. Her journey highlights the value of saying "yes" to new experiences.  

Read more of Bergen’s story:  

What is your favorite memory from your time at CU Boulder, so far? 

My favorite memory from my time at CU would definitely be doing Semester at Sea in the spring semester of my junior year. It was such a unique experience most college kids don’t get, even with traveling abroad. I was able to visit 10 different countries over four months and met a lot of people from CU Boulder on the ship. I created some of the best friendships and best memories I’ve ever had in my life on that ship.  

What is something you would like to accomplish before your graduation?  

Some of the things I still want to accomplish before I graduate are actually a lot of the classic “Boulder-y” things I haven’t done. I just want to hike more, be outside more and enjoy our campus more because we are so lucky to live in such a beautiful state and be right next to the mountains. I want to take more time to appreciate campus while I’m a student before I have to leave in December [2024].  

What life lesson have your experiences here taught you that will be valuable beyond CU?

I think the biggest life lesson I’ve learned as a student here that [applies] to my time on this campus and during Semester at Sea is to just say “yes” to everything. I came into college not being very outgoing, but I’ve taught myself that the best way to have great opportunities or experiences is just to say yes. If people want to go out, you say yes. If they want to go to a football game, you say yes. The same thing goes for being on the ship—if there was anything people wanted to do, you said yes to going and doing it.  

What one word describes your role or a quality you bring to our campus community? 

I think the one word that would sum up my character on CU’s campus is being “adventurous.” Because, again, that’s not really something I did in high school, and I feel like college has driven me so much more out of my shell, and I’ve done things that I never thought I’d ever do in my life just being on campus.  

Do you feel like this word encompasses all your contributions, or is there more to share?

I think that word encompasses a lot of what I have done because I believe the word “adventurous” encapsulates so much, from going out of my way in terms of being a leader in a job position or a classroom to being more creative and outgoing in my major itself. Media production is very broad, so I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of creative projects I never saw myself doing. I think it is just a good word to encapsulate everything.