Class Notes
Alumni

The Native American Media Alliance announced Joshua Emerson (Economics, '19) as a fellow for the 2nd Annual Native American Writers Seminar, a month-long intensive program that develops emerging writers new to writing for film and television. Joshua is a Diné comic based in Denver. 

Read more about the Fellows program here

This May, you can find Ursala Hudson's (Art '14) artwork on display as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's 10th annual Renwick Gallery Invitational. Ursala will work alongside her sister, Hope, with the goal of using their collaborative pieces to bring what has traditionally been work woven by women for men into a more feminine space. They seek recognition for the notion that Chilkat weaving is a living, evolving art form, according to an article recently published by Smithsonian Magazine. 

Recently, Hop Culture named Bruz Beers as one of the 14 best breweries of 2022. Bruz Beers was co-founded by Ryan Evans (Business Administration, '03) in 2016, and they are dedicated to brewing traditional Belgian-style beers and innovative Belgian-inspired brews.

You can learn more about Ryan and Bruz Beers here.

After a historic tenure as FLC's cycling coach, Alumnus Dave Hagen (Humanities, '04) has partnered with friend and fellow FLC alumnus, Rick O'Block (Accounting, '85) to launch Pedal Durango, a “one-stop-shop” for all things Durango cycling. They aim to provide a comprehensive, useful resource for the cycling community and for visitors to our area by providing a clearinghouse for local trail networks, bike shops, bike-friendly accommodations, restaurants, and more!

You can learn more about their endeavor at www.pedaldurango.com or by emailing them at pedaldurango@gmail.com.

Brandon Castle (Anthropology, '19) is currently involved in a project in the Archives & Special Collections at the Amherst College Library in Amherst, Massachusetts. It involves community outreach and the Amherst College Collection of Native American Literature, featuring published works by North American Indigenous authors. Brandon has been identifying community needs and opportunities for reciprocal collaboration in the role while exploring new digital tools that can incorporate Indigenous knowledge and protocols into the library catalog. He is also pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) through the scholarship, 'Bridging Knowledge: Supporting Indigenous Scholars into the Field of Librarianship,' which supports 15 Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students pursuing an MLIS degree and certificate of digital asset management at San Jose State University, School of Information. 

Last fall, Tim Worley (Political Science, '83) helped launch the Transformative Water Leadership Academy (TWLA). This program is part of the American Water Works Association and WaterNow Alliance, and has a diverse inaugural cohort of emerging water leaders from across the United States and Canada. Tim notes that diversity is central to TWLA, which aspires to open new doors of leadership to women and POC, who are vastly underrepresented in leading the water sector.

Discover more about the TWLA on their website here.

Checkers Marshall (Chemistry, 16) recently won the "Dance your PhD" competition hosted by Science.org. The dance included twirling and flying hand fans, catchy Lord of the Rings references, and 20 blue papier-mâché balloons.  Marshall put together the combination to create this year's overall winning video in Science's long-running Dance Your Ph.D. contest.

Watch the video and learn more about the contest here...

On June 9, 2023, Sloane Struse (Accounting, '97) graduated from the US Army War College in Carlisle, PA. He completed the 10-month resident program and earned a master's in strategic studies as part of his two-year Defense Senior Leadership Development Program (DSLDP). Sloane reports for his second year of training this fall to the Pentagon to work as a strategic planner with Headquarters, Department of the Army, G-3/5/7 Army Initiatives Group.