Roadrunners

ROAD RUNNERS

1978

RALPH KIRKBRIDE (B.M.E. Music Education, ’78) is the proud owner of Insurance Connection of Colorado, a local insurance agency he created in 1995.

1986

JOAN ORTEGA (B.S. Computer and Management Science, ’86) said MSU Denver provided her with the education and confidence she needed to have an amazing career that allowed her to retire comfortably.

1993

DOUGLAS KEELER (B.A. Political Science, ’93) is a military analyst and doctrine author with the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. After earning his degree, Keeler spent 22½ years on active duty in the Army before retiring in November 2015 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Following retirement, he accepted a job at CACI in northern Virginia as a senior analyst and was promoted to project manager on a contract with the Department of the Army. Keeler began his current civilian job in October 2018 and has contributed to several publications during his tenure.

1995

STEVE BOURAS (B.S. Management, ’95) was named president and CEO of the District Credit Union (formerly Aurora Schools Federal Credit Union) in January. He brings more than 23 years of credit union experience to the position, including most recently serving as the institution’s vice president and chief operating officer. For the past six years, Bouras has played a key role in the credit union’s growth as the organization’s assets have increased by 63%.

2001

FLORA CARDENAS (B.S. Management, ’01) earned her degree at MSU Denver as a single parent and owner of Flowers by Flora & Gifts in Westminster. In the years since, she remarried, sold her business, Continued on Page 28

Real ROI

ALUMNUS LEON DURAN FINDS THE TRUE VALUE OF THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE IN RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING.

Leon Duran shares this message with the students he mentors: Going to college is about more than earning a degree.

After graduating from John F. Kennedy High School in Denver in 2006, Duran looked for a college that would accept him despite his low ACT score. “No university in the country wanted me except Metropolitan State University of Denver,” he said.

When Duran learned he needed to take remedial classes that wouldn’t count toward a degree, he enlisted in the Navy instead. In 2011, after being deployed on active duty for four years, he transitioned to the Reserve and returned to MSU Denver, using the Post-9/11 GI Bill to pay for his education.

“I sat at the front of every classroom for four years because I appreciated the opportunity so much,” said the 2015 Criminal Justice and Criminology graduate.

After graduation, the oil company where Duran worked laid everyone off. Later that year, his mother died. And despite strong

By Lynne Winter

qualifications, he was coming up empty-handed in his job search. It was a turning point. “I decided, going forward, I was going to live life on my terms,” he said. “I would stop wasting time, stop being fearful and just go for it.” ALYSON M c CLARAN The following year, Duran founded his first company, U.S. Veterans Landscape Design. A successful inaugural year gave him the confidence to launch HoneyCutz, a supplemental business, in 2017. Duran said things really took off in 2019 when a former professor and fellow alumnus encouraged him to join the MSU Denver Alumni Board of Directors; he currently serves as vice president. The engaged Roadrunner has since won a 10 Under 10 Award, given to outstanding graduates who are less than 10 years past graduation; become a mentor; and delivered the Alumni Charge at Commencement at his alma mater. This fall, he will graduate from the University’s MBA program.

Which brings Duran back to his perspective on the value of higher education. “The return on investment you get from going to college isn’t the degree,” he said. “It’s the community and relationships you build to help you start a business or find your dream job.”

Roadrunners who write

If you love to read, look no further than these books by MSU Denver community members.

BY LYNNE WINTER

Need more books for the stack on your nightstand? Metropolitan State University of Denver Alumni Relations recently created the Roadrunner Authors Bookshelf, a place where members of the University community can share their published books. From children’s tales to murder mysteries and everything in between, Roadrunners who write have your reading interests covered.

“Woman of Light” by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (B.A. English, ’09). From the author of the National Book Award finalist “Sabrina & Corina” comes the story of Luz “Little Light” Lopez, a tea-leaf reader and laundry washer, left to fend for herself when her brother is run out of town. In this multigenerational saga of survival, secrets and love, Luz becomes responsible for saving her family stories.

“The Semester of Our Discontent” by Cynthia Kuhn, Ph.D. (professor of English, MSU Denver). English Professor Lila Maclean is thrilled about her new job at Stonedale University — until she finds one of her colleagues dead. When Lila learns everyone believes she may be responsible, she assigns herself the task of identifying the killer in this Agatha Award-winning story.

“The Fun Side of the Wall: Baby Boomer Retirement in Mexico”

by Travis Luther (B.S. Behavioral Science, ’08). After surveying over 500 expats who retired in Mexico, Luther discovered the reasons why nearly 1 million U.S. baby boomers have moved south of the border.

“There’s a Hippopotamus in My Bed and an Elephant Wants

to Wear My Favorite Red Shoes” by Lynda Medlyn (B.S. Social Work, ’83), Kelly Staudenmier and Karen Windness. Emmalyn dreams of becoming a zookeeper and bringing the animals home with her. It will be so much fun! Or will it? This Mom’s Choice Award-winning children’s picture book was co-written by a motherdaughter team from Colorado.

“Running the Light” by Sam Tallent (student). This debut novel follows the story of Billy Ray Schafer, a comedian who has forgotten how to laugh, as he travels to gigs across the American Southwest in search of a reason to keep living.

“The Shadows of Darkness: Then Came the Light” by Dionne Williams Voss (B.S. Human Services, ’94). This memoir follows the story of a young woman forced to navigate a community plagued by drugs, abuse, poverty, gangs, incarceration and death. Learn how Voss broke free of the darkness and experienced the beauty of life.

LEARN MORE about the Roadrunner Authors Bookshelf, including how you can contribute, at msudenver.edu/alumni/roadrunners-bookshelf.