Independent
The
PRESENTS
INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER CLASS OF 2017
FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK Hello, all that read this. My name is Chris Mannara and I am the Social Media Editor for The Independent. Being that Jarred and I are the only seniors it seems fitting that we are able to write the swan song not only for this semester, but our careers at Fort Lewis College. I’ve been asked to give some sort of advice to any that read this and what I can muster up in terms goes something like this. Truly enjoy the ride. Wherever your path takes you make sure to admire every facet of your journey. Take time to appreciate the ones who have supported you and loved you: your parents, significant other, and friends. Time is a construct that adheres to no rules but its own. Take as many opportunities that are given to you. And most importantly, make the rest of your day the best of your day. Best, Chris Mannara Social Media Editor The Independent News Magazine
To future and current FLC students. I’ve spent my past four years here at FLC obtaining my degree in English Communications. I enrolled in Fall of 2013 as a Chemistry major, believe it or not. The reason for my drastic switch in major was the engagement I received in one of my classes. I came here to FLC because of how small it was and its location. The small class sizes allowed me to start a conversation with all of my professors and allowed me to create a friendship with my professors that I imagine would not have been as easy had a gone to a school where 200 students in a class is expected. I strongly encourage each and every one of you to start a conversation with your professors because they do want to help you. Take advantage of the professors and their willingness to assist and mentor you during your college career, and you might have a professional and great friendship with someone who can help you along during and even after your collegiate career. And most of all, have fun while you’re here. Durango is a beautiful town, take advantage of it. Good luck, Jarred Green Associate Editor in Chief The Independent News Magazine
DAGNY POTTERSMITH ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES After graduating, I intend to find ways to be of service to our local human and biological communities by facilitating our journey toward an environmentally friendly, diverse, and healthful lifestyle. I aspire to contribute the creative, practical application of my knowledge and acquired skills to the progressive evolution of our community to improve the quality of life for human beings and the biological world alike. I feel called to practice permaculture and sustainable farming, with special regard to water conservation. and I will always continue to teach yoga wherever I go (Durango now, Hawaii next). I do not feel pressed to pursue graduate school at this time.
JAY TSOSIE GRAPHIC DESIGN Hopefully I’m going to stick around Durango for maybe a year or two maybe less, maybe try to find an urban area for more job exposure. The hope is that in five to ten years I’ll be working, hopefully within a big ministry, or just a big company in general – just doing graphic work and building my portfolio and building my name, hopefully meeting more people and having more opportunities along the way. Just keep doing art, keep it a passion I’d say that’s the biggest goal for me. It doesn’t matter how big or how small the company I’m working for is, I just want to continue what I’m doing because I love it. As long as I’m doing art.
Kain Lucero EDUCATION Next fall I plan to student teach at Pagosa Springs Elementary. I wanted to get a student teaching job here in Durango but I have yet to pass the requirements of the teaching board certifications. These last two years at Fort Lewis College has been the best part of my life, all the people that I have met and made an impact on I will never forget. Classes here have prepared for a daunting career that I’m afraid of. It has challenged me to become the person and teacher I hope to be in the coming years.
MITCH MACARTHUR BUSINESS After I graduate I am going to be going to vietnam for 6 weeks and I will be traveling around there. When I get back I am going to work for FCI constructors as a project engineer and stay here in Durango. My major is business administration with an engineering management concentration. The engineer management is kind of similar to a construction management, except I do not take the estimating classes. A lot of the engineering classes I take like mechanics and materials will go into knowing how things in the building should be put together and making sure that they are structurally sound. The business side is more of office work and working with other people. I got the job with FCI Constructors because I was an intern with them last summer and they liked me I guess so they decided to bring me on.
RYAN DOEREN CHEMISTRY Take advantage of all the opportunities laid out here on campus. You have to go out and find these opportunities because they don’t just come to you. I mean the saying ‘you will always miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take’ is true. A lot of my friends left Fort Lewis College my freshman and sophomore year because they did not think they had any opportunities to take away from Fort Lewis college, but that is why I am still here at the Fort because of the opportunities I have had.
TIM STANDIFER EXERCISE SCIENCE I’m going to go to Nebraska-Kearney and pursue my master’s in Sports Administration. I received a GA from all of the hard work I put in at Fort Lewis College in the Intramural Department and Club Sports. I was there for three years and it definitely prepared me to find this opportunity to receive a graduate assistantship at Nebraska-Kearney. And, hopefully, after I graduate from Nebraska-Kearney, maybe I get professional job in an intramural program, maybe come back to Fort Lewis and run this one day.
TRACY DEMBROWSKI GEOLOGY It has been a long and arduous journey to get here, but it is a relief to finally be done. I have made so many amazing friends through my time here, and have had the best professors I could ever imagine. Mind you, I have had a lot of college professors. I attended CU Boulder, CSU, and UNC, before finally graduating from Metropolitan State University in Denver in 2009. To be honest, my experiences at those schools were great, but pales in comparison to Fort Lewis. Geology is something I have always been passionate about and I could not have picked a better place to go back to school.
CANNON SULLIVAN COMMUNICATIONS If I could say something to a population of people… just send it. Just go for it. Quit fucking around, basically. Everyone has to deal with figuring out who they are, but the sooner you just do whatever the fuck you want to do, the sooner that you’re gonna be having a good time, you’re gonna be doing a better job at what you want to do. You’re gonna have more fun doing it. That’s been the process that I’ve gone through with my time at Fort Lewis, and this is the perfect environment to do that in. You’re not gonna be judged, you can be whoever the fuck you want to be, so you should do that, ‘cause it’s really kinda boring to do it any other way if you ask me.
CODY CHRISTIANSON MARKETING If I didn’t work within collegiate recreation as an undergrad I don’t see how I would have ever gotten interested in the field. When I first started in my degree I was probably most interested in corporate marketing. Being a marketing major I kind of had the intention of working for some corporation and becoming a marketer for them. If I could go back I think I would be a psychology major just because psychology is extremely important within higher education as a whole. But since marketing is like psychology’s evil step-cousin, it has prepared me to help get students get involved so I think it will play into that perfectly.
MONICA MAES SOCIOLOGY/NAIS I was accepted to join Teach for America and was placed in an elementary school. I am super excited for this opportunity because this is what I really wanted to do. Fort Lewis College has helped me grow as an individual and has helped me find the path that I love. The people I have met have been there for me and pushed me to reach my goals.
NOLAN BELL SOCIOLOGY/CRIMINOLOGY The overall support I have received from Fort Lewis has been incredible. I fell off a cliff and fractured my skull in four locations, suffering my seventh concussion, during my time here. I was in the hospital for 27 days and was able to return to school, a couple weeks before the school year ended. When I returned, I was in no condition to return to school. I could barely read or write, I had to rely completely on the support of my peers to continue and pass. College is what you make of it. You can get the education you want, at any location.
DARCY PETER BIOLOGY It reminded me of home being surrounded by the mountains, all that’s missing is the ocean. My time here was full of hardship, but I did a lot of individual growth. Freshman year was rough, being so far away from home but I had a good group of friends and have met lots of great people along the way to make Durango feel like home. It hasn’t quite hit me that I’m leaving in less than a month to start the rest of my life. I’m very grateful for all the help I received to get to where I’m going be in about a month here... up on that stage throwing my cap.
ANNE PERRY PSYCHOLOGY/CRIMINOLOGY In my four years here, I have met amazing people and had some fantastic adventures. While some didn’t always turn out the way everyone expected, it was still an amazing ride that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Friends will come and go, but the memories you gather at the Fort, Durango, and in Colorado will last a lifetime.
STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF
Photography Editor
Alex Semadeni
Crystal Ashike
ASSOCIATE EIC
Design Editor
Jarred Green
Allison Anderson
PRINT EDITOR
Social Media Editor
Carolyn Estes
Chris Mannara
ONLINE EDITOR
Indytv Producer
Izzy Farrell
Avery Martinez
BUSINESSS DIRECTOR
Copy Editor
Natalia Sells
Keenan Malone
REPORTING CJ Calvert Becca Day Davis Deussen Douglas DuPont Matt Roy Shandiin Ramsey Ryan Simonovich Lacey Tewanema DESIGN Hannah Burlingame Katreena Haswood Walter Potter PHOTOGRAPHY Isaac Furtney Traven Halley Richie Scheuer Mathew Tallman VIDEO PRODUCTION Nicole Curry-Stephens Sierra Doan Faith Luna Alex Sarracino BUSINESS Levi Nells Evan Wick SOCIAL MEDIA Brandon Book