FLC Alumni News

Colorful murals, lego sculptures, and window art are popping up all around Durango thanks to the Durango Arts Brigade, a legion of artists that includes FLC senior Zyon Frauen and alumnae Hayley Kirkman (Art, ‘17) and Elise Boulanger (Studio Art & Design, '21).

Recent Fort Lewis College graduate Ian Teller (Business Administration, '21) has been selected to join the newly formed New Mexico Indigenous Youth Council, a program that supports the resiliency of tribes, nations, and pueblos across New Mexico.

Sam Vickery (Marketing, '17) rode to an impressive 9th place finish at the UNBOUND Gravel XL event in Emporia, Kansas, enduring intense heat and fighting off sleep over the 357-mile course. FLC cycling alumni Payson McElveen (Exercise Science, ’16) and Ryan Standish (Exercise Science, ’16) competed in the 200-mile event, coming into the finish together for 27th and 28th places.

Fort Lewis College cycling alumna Sofia Gomez-Villafañe (Exercise Science, '16) will be going to the Toyko Olympic Games next month, representing Argentina in the women's mountain biking discipline.

On May 7, 1983, Peter Jamieson (Biology, '78) became the 14th American and 129th person to reach the summit of the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. Reflecting on the trip in an interview with The Durango Herald, Jamieson said his path to Everest started at Fort Lewis College.

Skyhawks cycling alumni took top spots in last weekend's Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race from Durango to Silverton. Sarah Sturm (Art, '12) took second in the women's pro field while Howard Grotts (Mathematics, '14) finished third in the men's race. 

FLC alumnus Jeff Engman (Computer-Based Information Systems, '87) has been hired as the Chief Information Officer for Southern Ute Shared Services.

Soren McCarty (Photographic, Film & Video Technology, '96), a renowned and longtime photographer for Red Rocks Amphitheatre and AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, died on April 11, at age 49, after a year-long battle with colon cancer. To this day, many of the photos McCarty took hang backstage at Red Rocks.

Kevin Lynch (English-Communication, '99), an FLC alumnus and former staff member at The Independent, just released his first novel, Tabloid Baby, which is loosely based on his experiences working in and with media in Durango.

FLC junior Savilia Blunk, Cole Paton (Business Administration, '19), and Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Exercise Science, '16) finished in top places in the Pan American Continental Championships in Salinas, Puerto Rico, celebrating this thrilling accomplishment after a difficult year for sports as a whole.