By Joe Arney
A desire to learn, a chance to chase his dream job, the opportunity to develop new skillsāfor Leopoldo Rivera IV, all of those were important reasons to attend college.Ģż
But for the first-generation CMCI student from northern Colorado, a major reason is family. Rivera is the oldest of four who is working to set a strong example for his siblings while honoring the memory of his mother, who died 10 years ago.Ģż
āMy mom put a lot of expectations on me as the oldest, but I tried to embrace that,ā said Rivera, a first-year journalism student. āShe taught me to work hard, study hard and do what it takes to succeed. I wanted to make her proud by being the first in my family to attend.āĢż
Rivera joins an impressive class of first-year students at the College of Media, Communication and Information. Itās the largest and academically strongest class in the collegeās history.Ģż
āThereās no better way to get inspired by the work we do at CMCI than to hear from our students, especially our Class of 2027,ā said Lori Bergen, founding dean of the college. āItās so rewarding to meet our new students and appreciate the academic aptitude, diversity of backgrounds and passion for learning they bring to our growing community.ā
First-year class is 20% larger
Rivera brings extensive sportswriting experience to Boulder, including two years at his hometown newspaper, and hopes CMCI helps him discover how to develop his voice so he can land his dream job on a show like ESPNās āFirst Take.āĢż
This yearās incoming first-year class is made up of 390 new students, a 20% increase over last year and well above the 2019 high-water mark of 341. Nearly 24% come from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds, an improvement over last yearās 19.8% percent.Ģż
Meanwhile, the average first-year student has a high school GPA of 3.68, a slight increase from last year, and while standardized test results are no longer required as part of an application, the average ACT of 28.2 is the highest score yet.
āI feel like I truly belong at CU Boulder,ā he said. āI want to learn as much as I can at CMCI so I can create my own legacy.āĢż
Cincinnati native Zach Giesenschlag, who plans to study communication at CMCI, said CU Boulder is a sort of homecoming. Though he has no family here, his parents got engaged in Colorado, and after growing up in the heartland, the skier and photographer wanted to be near the mountains.
āLocation was important to me, and I heard so many good things about CMCI when I was looking at programs,ā he said.Ģż
Like many students enrolling from out of state, Giesenschlag has relished the chance to meet new people, both through CommRAP, the collegeās residential academic program, and activities like Sko Buffs Sports; heās already had the chance to anchor the clubās live show. If he continues to pursue that, he may be following in the footsteps of his father, who has worked in broadcast journalism for years.Ģż
āItās a hard industry to get into, so another reason Iām happy to be here are the experiences I can get and connections I can make,ā he said.Ģż
āWhy would I want to be anywhere else?ā
Caroline Pellerito brings a unique set of experiences to CMCIāshe deferred her admission a year to skate with Disney on Ice, giving her the opportunity to see the country and understand that she was a brand ambassador for a major corporation during the experience.Ģż
Both reasons helped bring her here to study strategic communication.
Pellerito, of Vail, missed her family while she was on the road, so sheās grateful to be closer to home as a student. āAnd I spent a lot of time in random cities, which was fun, but it helps you appreciate that Colorado is the best,ā she said. āWhy would I want to be anywhere else?ā
āIād like to become a person who can speak up for others who donāt have a voice. I hope being at CMCI helps me get to where I want to be.ā
ĢżĢż ĢżDiego Simental
Seeing how Feld Entertainmentāwhich produces Disney on Iceāapproaches public relations up close gave her an idea that she might enjoy that as a career. While sheād love to return to Disney on Ice after graduation, perhaps in a PR-focused role, for now, sheās most excited to study abroad.Ģż
For Isabella Herrera, a first-generation student from Aurora, it was CU Boulderās culture that stood out when she was considering colleges. As she talked about CMCIās precollegiate programsāshe completed both Pathways and Connectionsāher phone intermittently buzzed with text messages from her new friends, proof sheās already feeling at home.
āIād love to study and maybe get an internship in London,ā Pellerito said. āIām so excited to put myself out there and spend more time in such an incredible city.āĢż
āI met two of my best friends in Pathways, and we go to class every day together,ā she said.Ģż
Herrera earned multiple scholarships to attend CU Boulder, which she said have offered her the freedom to explore the different opportunities at CMCI. A media production student, sheās already started working as a stage production assistant at Macky Auditorium.Ģż
āMy scholarships have helped me be more open mindedāI was able to look for jobs that were more about the experience I could get, as opposed to just needing the money,ā she said. āIām spending more time making friends and less time worrying about how to pay for school.āĢż
The community was also instrumental in helping Julia Zentmyer feel at home on campus. The Madison, Wisconsin, native made fast friends with her roommate, āwho has been really nice to me,ā she said. āIāve started meeting new people through her, which has helped me feel more at home on such a large campusāwhether weāre going to the Rec Center or Red Rocks.āĢż
A strategic communication major, Zentmyer liked that CMCI would allow her to explore both her interests in business and communicationāand the great outdoors. Sheās already fallen in love with hiking at nearby Chautauqua and looks forward to exploring moreāboth on the trails and in her classes.
A Super calling
Ranney Willis, meanwhile, followed his older sister, Matilda, to CUābut in a way, he was following Superman, who unexpectedly became the subject of a guest lecture by Rick Stevens, associate dean of undergraduate education and associate professor of media studies.Ģż
āI got to learn about how pop culture has an actual effect in the world, which is how I got interested in CMCI,ā Willis said. āMy parents and I got a chance to speak with professor Stevens afterward, and the first thing I asked was whether there are jobs in this.ā
Willis, who is majoring in media studies, is interested in one day working in a studio that specializes in video games or animation. Heās already tried out to compete in esports with the CU Gaming club.
āThe community at CU is bigābut thatās a good thing,ā he said. āItās nice to know Iām not alone in the journey of exploration and discovery that Iām on.ā
Diego Simental is a new student who isnāt new to campusāhe first visited CU Boulder in the seventh grade. The Commerce City native and first-generation student was the anchor of his high schoolās news program, and is studying journalism in the hopes of becoming a newscaster.Ģż
A highlight of his own Pathways experience was the chance to visit the local CBS station in Denver during a trip to the city over the summer.
āIād like to become a person who can speak up for others who donāt have a voice,ā Simental said. āI hope being at CMCI helps me get to where I want to be.āĢż
Unsurprisingly, another first-year personality helped draw plenty of students to CUās Class of 2027. For Rivera, the aspiring sports journalist, Deion Sandersā arrival at Folsom Field āwas kind of the last calling.ā
āI listened to Coach Primeās press conference, and he said something like, this is the place to be, and the time to be here is now,ā Rivera said. āAnd I thought, I want to be a part of this, because this is history in the making. I donāt know how, but I want to be a part of it.āĢż