On April 5–7, ����ֱ�� Boulder is launching Alumni Weekend, an event where former classmates and fellow can reminisce on old memories while creating new ones during campus tours, Boulder excursions and plenty of opportunities to network and socialize over meals and happy hours. This inaugural weekend will include reunions for graduates from 2020, 2015,

1985 and 1975 and the Golden Anniversary Club, which is for those who graduated 50 years ago and earlier. Participants also are invited to extend their campus visit and attend ����ֱ�� Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs, a cost-free event April 7–10. 

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A New Alumni Volunteer Experience

The ����ֱ�� Boulder Alumni Association is revamping its volunteer experience, starting with an updated online platform to connect alumni and friends to a broader range of ����ֱ��-related volunteer opportunities. Forever Buffs can host or help at events, mentor alumni or current students, and support ����ֱ�� Boulder initiatives. Alumni are also invited to host events in their local areas, further strengthening the Forever Buffs community and fostering deeper connections with each other across the globe.

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Buffs Give Back

April is National Volunteer Month! Join Forever Buffs across the country to make an impact in your community through Buffs Give Back. Last year, over 700 alumni, family and friends volunteered on behalf of ����ֱ�� Boulder through scholarship reading, outdoor clean-up, event planning and mentoring programs. This year, there are plenty of opportunities during the month of April for alumni to get involved.

Find more information.

Scholarship Impact

For the 2024–25 academic year, the Alumni Association, chapters and clubs awarded $317,250 in scholarships, benefitting 204 students. Alumni volunteers and donors make these scholarships possible, which help cover the cost of attendance at ����ֱ�� Boulder and create lasting opportunities for students across academic disciplines. 

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Photo by Ian Scott

2025 Trips

Istanbul and the Turquoise Coast

Sept. 10–20, 2025

Flavors of Tuscany

Oct. 2–10, 2025

Patagonia and Chilean Fjords

Oct. 22–Nov. 2, 2025

Egypt and the Eternal Nile

Oct. 31–Nov. 14, 2025

Iceland and Northern Lights

Nov. 15–23, 2025

For more information about the Roaming Buffs travel program, email roamingbuffstravel@colorado.edu, call 303-492-8484 or visit here.

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For many ����ֱ�� Boulder alumni, the university is more than just the location of their college experiences. It’s a part of their lives today. They want other ����ֱ�� students and alumni to experience this deeper connection too, starting with embracing themselves as “Forever Buffs.”

“Your journey as a Forever Buff begins when you enroll on campus,” said Ryan Chreist (Kines’96,MPubAd’09), Alumni Association executive director. “The day you graduate, you join the larger Forever Buffs community of over 300,000 who live all over the world. It is a way to have a relationship with the university and your fellow alumni for life.” 

For alumni like Rochelle Maki-Williams (Psych’96; ExecMBA’11), being a Forever Buff means more than staying actively involved with the university — it means nurturing future generations of Buffs. Since 2011, Maki-Williams has volunteered for the , the and , a group dedicated to supporting ����ֱ�� Athletics. As a Denver Forever Buffs chapter leader, she’s also helped raise scholarship money for local high school students. 

Maki-Williams’ bond with ����ֱ�� is personal. It’s where she met her husband, T.H. Williams (A&S’95; ExecMBA, MFin’04), built lasting friendships and created cherished memories. 

“Being a Forever Buff is something I live every day,” she said. 

For Royer Lopez (Mktg’18), “being a Forever Buff is about creating endless possibilities — for yourself and others.” 

His involvement is wide-ranging. He holds roles on the Leeds GOLD Board and the Forever Buffs Advisory Board, volunteers as a Leeds School of Business mentor and helps host reunions for the Multicultural Greek Council. Plus, he attends every ����ֱ�� football home game with his family. 

Through his many ����ֱ�� connections, he aims to create a broader impact and ensure that future Buffs have expanded opportunities. Lopez, a first-generation college student, is passionate about helping other first-generation students and often recruits interns from Leeds. 

For Maki-Williams and Lopez, being a Forever Buff is more than a point of pride — it’s a lifelong commitment to give back, stay connected and make an impact. 

Become involved with the Alumni Association to connect with other Forever Buffs. Visit .

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Photo courtesy Rochelle Maki-Williams

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When Karen Shimamoto (Bio’07) first heard about the Forever Buffs Network (FBN) Mentorship Program, she knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to give back and support a fellow Buff. The program offers a unique opportunity to connect with other Buffs through a guided mentor–mentee relationship.

Shimamoto was paired with Gennah Penalosa (Fin’23), a recent graduate who joined the program looking for help in navigating her new career.

“The program was the perfect opportunity to guide me,” said Penalosa. “In looking through the various alumni profiles, I was astonished to see the diversity of ethnicities, careers, interests and other identities across the community.”

For Shimamoto and Penalosa, one of the biggest benefits of the mentorship program has been the opportunity to see the world through each other’s eyes.

“She has taught me so much. Her approaches to professional and personal situations have helped me widen my perspectives and find ways to be more inclusive,” said Shimamoto.

The FBN Mentorship Program offers participants prompts and guided activities to help make the meetings more comfortable and intentional. For example, one prompt that Shimamoto and Penalosa had was to do a learning activity together. They chose to listen to a podcast episode on leadership in the professional setting which focused on women of color. After listening, they discussed their shared experiences as women of color and the different ways in which they approach leadership. The activity helped them learn about each other and deepen their relationship.

“It’s truly an honor to understand how a recent graduate is experiencing and navigating the workforce,” said Shimamoto. “She is also helping me understand how I can advocate, encourage and uplift women of color professionals.”

Whether as a mentor or mentee, you can expand your knowledge and grow with a fellow Buff. Learn more about how to apply for the mentorship program here. 

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Photo courtesy Karen Shimamoto and Gennah Penalosa

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For a decade, Sima Bhowmik (PhDJour’24) worked as a journalist in her home country of Bangladesh. But she felt called to education in the U.S., despite not speaking fluent English. 

After a journalism fellowship from the State Department and the completion of the U.S. English testing requirement in only four months, she obtained a scholarship to attend the University of Mississippi for her master’s in journalism. She started the doctoral program in journalism at ����ֱ�� Boulder in 2020. 

But the pandemic made the move to Boulder difficult for her and her husband. 

“We couldn’t meet anyone. Everything was on Zoom,” Bhowmik said. 

Bhowmik volunteered on campus in 2021. She welcomed students to campus with the New Student and Family Programs office and worked with the Graduate and Professional Student Government to advocate for graduate students and help build community. She also became a Forever Buff s Network ambassador through the Alumni Association. 

“Many people asked me, ‘Why are you doing this?’” she said. “But these things were important to me.” 

Through her online role with the Alumni Association, Bhowmik spoke with alumni who joined the Forever Buffs Network, a free platform that functions like a ����ֱ��-only LinkedIn, about their college experiences. 

Soon she met Jim Stanczak (Fin’93), who became her mentor. The two talk often about job prospects, interviewing techniques and general career advice. 

“Sima is incredibly talented and impressive, and she and her work are doing a lot to raise the status of ����ֱ��,” said Stanczak, who lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. “Her perspectives and experience offer a wildly diff erent viewpoint and help me better understand how I might contribute to a stronger Buff s alumni network.” 

Bhowmik, who also teaches media law and ethics at ����ֱ��, plans to graduate two years from now with her doctorate and hopes to someday land a permanent job in academia. 

“Connections are really important,” she said. “I want to have some impact on the ����ֱ�� Boulder culture.” 

Become a Forever Buff s Network ambassador. Applications for the three-month program open this spring. Visit to join and apply. 
 

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Photo courtesy Sima Bhowmik

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After a two-year pandemic hiatus, Buffs Give Back returned in force this spring. 

The revival of this annual volunteer event gave around 80 ����ֱ�� alumni the opportunity to perform meaningful work for their communities across the country. Each local event was coordinated by an alumni volunteer, who helped select and plan the project and recruit fellow volunteers. 

Vanessa Lopez (Bus, EthnSt’09) was the project leader for the Boulder area, organizing a day of support at the Marshall Fire Donation Center with the ����ֱ�� Boulder Latinx Club and Forever Buffs Boulder alumni chapter. The group spent the day unpacking, sorting and shelving donations for individuals impacted by the fires in Superior, Louisville and unincorporated Boulder County.

“I know our work may have been a small part of the rebuilding effort, but it takes a lot of small acts to help make it to the finish line,” said Lopez, who has participated in four Buffs Give Back projects to date.

All told, nine different ����ֱ�� volunteer groups in ����ֱ��, Florida, Oregon, California and Washington, D.C., helped clean up parks and beaches, volunteered at food pantries, restored river habitats and provided support for their communities. 

“I don’t think your college experience ends when you graduate — we have to continue to help build up the future generations of Buffs, and a great way to do that is through connecting with others in the community,” said Lopez. 

“While we all can’t reach global or even national recognition for our contributions to society, we all are capable of making an important impact in someone’s life.”

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Photos courtesy ����ֱ�� Boulder Alumni Association 

Related Articles

On 2019, opera singer Wei Wu (MMus’13) won a Grammy for his role in the opera “The (R )evolution of Steve Jobs.” It was the same year jazz saxophonist Tia Fuller (MMus’00) received a Grammy nomination for best jazz instrumental album, the second female solo artist to ever earn one in the category. 

Both are featured in the ����ֱ�� Heritage Center’s new exhibit, “����ֱ�� Making a Difference,” which honors the lives and accomplishments of a rotating cast of ����ֱ�� luminaries. Also on display are three of the five Nobel Prize medals awarded to ����ֱ�� faculty. 

The exhibit is located on the third floor of Old Main and is free to the public. 

In April, Kim Christiansen (Jour’84), voice of the Denver International Airport’s famed train messages, visited the exhibit, which she is featured in. 

“The other alumni featured in the exhibit are extraordinary, brilliant and changing the world,” said Christiansen, lead anchor for Denver’s 9News. “When I see their names and faces, I’m incredibly proud to be a ����ֱ�� grad. It’s too bad I couldn’t add ‘Go Buffs’ as a tagline to my DIA train messages.”

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Photos by Matt Tyrie 

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On Dec. 30, I sipped coffee at Caffe Sole as hurricane-force winds crashed over the Flatirons. Customers were stunned — unsure where to go as wind swirled into dust cyclones and awnings quaked, tearing at the building’s facade. These winds fueled the Marshall Fire — the most devastating wild-fire in ����ֱ�� history. 

This fire as well as other recent tragedies — the King Soopers shooting and the Calwood fire in northwest Boulder— will leave indelible marks on ����ֱ�� Boulder's students, faculty and staff. And they will impact and inform future research, teaching and creative works.

In the midst of nearby tragedy, this Coloradan also aims to celebrate Buffs’ successes while exploring topics like the future of work, the Chicano movement and women's health in Bangladesh. I hope it bolsters you as part of the Forever Buffs community because, as we've recently witnessed first-hand, we are stronger as Buffs Together.

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When Emerson Zamensky (EBio’22) graduates in May, she hopes to take some time off before pursuing a career in green technology. 

Her ����ֱ�� Boulder experience — especially her role as co-president of the Herd Leadership Council (HLC) — was one that helped her realize her dream. And while she’s still on campus, she wants to help connect her peers with the university.

“Our goal is to integrate all current students into the Forever Buffs family before they graduate,” she said.

A student becomes a Forever Buff — a student or alum of the university — the moment they step foot on campus. This makes student engagement with ����ֱ�� Boulder a top priority for the Alumni Association. And who better to reach students than their peers? This is why students like Zamensky become Forever Buffs student leaders on the Herd Leadership Council. 

This group is made up of passionate students connecting their peers to the Forever Buff journey through philanthropy, volunteerism, events and awareness opportunities. A few of their signature celebrations include the charity race Nearly Naked Mile, Fall Welcome and Spirit Days on the Quad.

“The goal of these celebrations is to really instill students with a sense of pride and belonging with the university,” said Sara Abdulla (EnvSt; Psych’13), the Alumni Association’s program manager of student outreach.

In addition to celebrations that benefit other students, they also work to develop leadership skills. They create student-focused programs — yoga classes, speakers from the Leeds Business School and lectures on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Another pillar of the HLC is its focus on philanthropy. In March 2020 and 2021, the HCL raised more than $3,000 from 77 individual donors through the Herd Mental Health Fund to support the Peer Wellness Coaching program, a free service available to ����ֱ�� Boulder students to help students set and achieve their wellness goals. Now, the group is focused on expanding their philanthropic efforts to engage more student organizations and individual student crowdfunders in 2022.

The group is a close-knit community bonded together by what they love — strengthening the ����ֱ�� community through engagement and philanthropy.

“We’re a very diverse group of people,” Zamensky said. “We’re all from different walks of life and we all have different majors, focuses and interests. But we all have something in common: We’re all very passionate about making a difference in our community.”

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Photo courtesy of the ����ֱ�� Boulder Alumni Association  

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                  Fill in the Black

Travel entrepreneur Funmi Oyatogun (EnvSt, Geog’12) lives in Lagos, Nigeria. When COVID-19 put her African travel business, TVP Adventures, on hold in early 2020, she created “Fill in the Black” to keep people connected in a casual and insightful way. The card game focuses on Black histories, places, inventions and stories. Words in the game celebrate Black culture and foster learning.

“The game is relevant for everyone, no matter your race or background, who wants to celebrate Blackness,” Oyatogun said.

To play the game, a group tries to guess a word a teammate is describing while that person avoids saying the other forbidden words listed on their card.

Buy the game at .

Join the Forever Buffs Network

The Forever Buffs Network, a free online community exclusively for ����ֱ�� Boulder affiliates, helps alumni grow a range of professional connections and reconnect with former classmates. The platform offers job postings and campus news along with networking, volunteer and mentorship opportunities. There’s also a business directory with Buff-owned businesses in a given area. Join at .

Alumni Awards Nominations Open

Are you making a positive impact in your community? Do you know an outstanding Buff? Let ����ֱ�� know! Nominate yourself or fellow alumni for one of six Alumni Awards. As the second longest standing tradition at ����ֱ�� Boulder, Alumni Awards recognize ����ֱ��’s best and brightest during the annual Homecoming weekend ceremony. Learn more and submit nominations by May 17, 2021, by visiting .

Alumni Career Services

Starting in April, you can create a more fulfilling career plan for yourself. The ����ֱ�� Career Design Fellowship — open to all ����ֱ�� Boulder alumni — runs April 17-May 16 and provides guidance aimed at helping you clarify your next career move. There is a $50 discount if you register by March 27, and the deadline to enroll is April 12. More information is available at .

Also, alumni receive two free career counseling appointments a year. Make an appointment with one of ����ֱ��’s alumni career advisors at .

For more information about the
Roaming Buffs travel program,
email roamingbuffstravel@colorado.edu,
call 303-492-8484 or
visit .

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In 2020 the U.S. saw record wildfires and hurricanes. it as one of the hottest years in recorded history.

As a public research institution, ����ֱ�� is called to address global challenges. The Coloradan aims to examine and celebrate how the university is influencing the world and shaping a better future.

To align with this vision, each issue moving forward will feature stories that examine a topic affecting our world and highlight how ����ֱ�� is creating impact through its collective work and research.

This spring, the topic is climate change.

To further engage readers, the new Coloradan Conversations series will expand on the magazine topics, gathering thought leaders to discuss the most pressing issues of our day.

If the topic and the stories pique your interest, join the next Coloradan Conversation for a larger climate change dialogue with other readers. For more information, visit: colorado.edu/coloradan/conversations

— Maria Kuntz

Contact the editor at editor@colorado.edu 

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