Campus & Community

I opened my eyes and sat up in my seat. Then, remembering where I was, I quickly pulled up my window shade and caught my breath as I took in the view from my little airplane window. An enormous expanse of mountains, ocean, trees, mud flats, pink and golden clouds…I could hardly contain my amazement at the beauty I was seeing. I pressed my face closer to the tiny window, trying to better...

As much as all of you might not realize it, every student in this room has something in common. You are all here because you are thinking of your future and pursuing the path of college. I was in the same place as you, just four short years ago. I know the decision you are being faced with now. It is hard to decide where, why and what to go to college for. There are dorms to see, class sizes...

I have always liked having a plan and setting goals, so when I started my junior year as a Political Science major at Fort Lewis, finding an internship was part of my plan and my number one goal. I spent some time researching big internship opportunities that would put me front and center of the political world in Washington D.C. and eventually found one that fit my standards. I spent days...

For many years, I had a question in my head that would not go away – should I return to school and commit to earning a four year degree? My late 20’s and early 30’s involved long summers working in backcountry settings followed by quiet winters, working random jobs to pass the time. I discovered Durango in 2009. At the time, I was managing a two-year project protecting...

When I started at Fort Lewis College, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was always getting asked the same question over and over by everyone I met: what’s your major? There are so many different choices when you arrive: majors, minors, clubs, teams, and exciting things to choose from. I had no idea where to start. So, I went with what I was always told I excelled in: writing.

As my time at Fort Lewis College comes to an end, I realize more and more all of the things I have learned over the past four years. Obviously, I have learned all of the information I need towards my major and minor, which is expected if I’m paying for an education.  What I see as the most important things I’ve learned, though, are the many different life skills you acquire...

Outside the beekeeping world, the word Varroa destructor does not cause the same fear as in someone who maintains bee colonies. This bug is one of the main culprits responsible for causing massive declines in worldwide honeybee populations. This past summer I had the opportunity, through the Fort Lewis College Chemistry department, to conduct innovative research on combating this pest.

War, nuclear weapons, toxic waste, government cover-ups, and family secrets – these are difficult topics to tackle. Which is exactly why Full Body Burden, by Kristen Iversen, is this year's choice for the Fort Lewis College Common Reading Experience: because it asks hard questions and doesn't offer easy answers. And so the book inspires reflection, analysis, and discussion.

Everyone knows that common expression that time flies, and as I begin my fourth and final year at Fort Lewis College, this saying could not be more apparent. At the expense of sounding cliché, it seems like just yesterday that I was moving into my new dorm in Animas Hall. For the first time, I was seeing how my life was about to take off. But, looking back, I did not really know how...

Fort Lewis College Homecoming 2013, which runs from October 16-19, will be a blast this year, literally. A fireworks show is being introduced to go along with the traditional Homecoming events.