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By Joe Arney

A desire to learn, a chance to chase his dream job, the opportunity to develop new skills鈥攆or Leopoldo Rivera IV, all of those were important reasons to attend college.听

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.听

鈥淢y mom put a lot of expectations on me as the oldest, but I tried to embrace that,鈥� said Rivera, a first-year journalism student. 鈥淪he 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.鈥澨�

Rivera joins an impressive class of first-year students at the College of Media, Communication and Information. It鈥檚 the largest and academically strongest class in the college鈥檚 history.听

鈥淭here鈥檚 no better way to get inspired by the work we do at CMCI than to hear from our students, especially our Class of 2027,鈥� said Lori Bergen, founding dean of the college. 鈥淚t鈥檚 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.鈥�

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 ESPN鈥檚 鈥淔irst Take.鈥澨�

This year鈥檚 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 year鈥檚 19.8% percent.听

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.

鈥淚 feel like I truly belong at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want to learn as much as I can at CMCI so I can create my own legacy.鈥澨�

Cincinnati native Zach Giesenschlag, who plans to study communication at CMCI, said 麻豆免费版下载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.

鈥淟ocation was important to me, and I heard so many good things about CMCI when I was looking at programs,鈥� he said.听

Like many students enrolling from out of state, Giesenschlag has relished the chance to meet new people, both through CommRAP, the college鈥檚 residential academic program, and activities like Sko Buffs Sports; he鈥檚 already had the chance to anchor the club鈥檚 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.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 a hard industry to get into, so another reason I鈥檓 happy to be here are the experiences I can get and connections I can make,鈥� he said.听

鈥榃hy would I want to be anywhere else?鈥�

Caroline Pellerito brings a unique set of experiences to CMCI鈥攕he 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.听

Both reasons helped bring her here to study strategic communication.

Pellerito, of Vail, missed her family while she was on the road, so she鈥檚 grateful to be closer to home as a student. 鈥淎nd I spent a lot of time in random cities, which was fun, but it helps you appreciate that Colorado is the best,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hy would I want to be anywhere else?鈥�

Seeing how Feld Entertainment鈥攚hich produces Disney on Ice鈥攁pproaches public relations up close gave her an idea that she might enjoy that as a career. While she鈥檇 love to return to Disney on Ice after graduation, perhaps in a PR-focused role, for now, she鈥檚 most excited to study abroad.听

For Isabella Herrera, a first-generation student from Aurora, it was 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 culture that stood out when she was considering colleges. As she talked about CMCI鈥檚 precollegiate programs鈥攕he completed both Pathways and Connections鈥攈er phone intermittently buzzed with text messages from her new friends, proof she鈥檚 already feeling at home.

鈥淚鈥檇 love to study and maybe get an internship in London,鈥� Pellerito said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to put myself out there and spend more time in such an incredible city.鈥澨�

鈥淚 met two of my best friends in Pathways, and we go to class every day together,鈥� she said.听

Herrera earned multiple scholarships to attend 麻豆免费版下载Boulder, which she said have offered her the freedom to explore the different opportunities at CMCI. A media production student, she鈥檚 already started working as a stage production assistant at Macky Auditorium.听

鈥淢y scholarships have helped me be more open minded鈥擨 was able to look for jobs that were more about the experience I could get, as opposed to just needing the money,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 spending more time making friends and less time worrying about how to pay for school.鈥澨�

The community was also instrumental in helping Julia Zentmyer feel at home on campus. The Madison, Wisconsin, native made fast friends with her roommate, 鈥渨ho has been really nice to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e started meeting new people through her, which has helped me feel more at home on such a large campus鈥攚hether we鈥檙e going to the Rec Center or Red Rocks.鈥澨�

A strategic communication major, Zentmyer liked that CMCI would allow her to explore both her interests in business and communication鈥攁nd the great outdoors. She鈥檚 already fallen in love with hiking at nearby Chautauqua and looks forward to exploring more鈥攂oth on the trails and in her classes.

A Super calling

Ranney Willis, meanwhile, followed his older sister, Matilda, to CU鈥攂ut 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.听

鈥淚 got to learn about how pop culture has an actual effect in the world, which is how I got interested in CMCI,鈥� Willis said. 鈥淢y 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.鈥�

Willis, who is majoring in media studies, is interested in one day working in a studio that specializes in video games or animation. He鈥檚 already tried out to compete in esports with the 麻豆免费版下载Gaming club.

鈥淭he community at 麻豆免费版下载is big鈥攂ut that鈥檚 a good thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to know I鈥檓 not alone in the journey of exploration and discovery that I鈥檓 on.鈥�

Diego Simental is a new student who isn鈥檛 new to campus鈥攈e first visited 麻豆免费版下载Boulder in the seventh grade. The Commerce City native and first-generation student was the anchor of his high school鈥檚 news program, and is studying journalism in the hopes of becoming a newscaster.听

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.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to become a person who can speak up for others who don鈥檛 have a voice,鈥� Simental said. 鈥淚 hope being at CMCI helps me get to where I want to be.鈥澨�

Unsurprisingly, another first-year personality helped draw plenty of students to CU鈥檚 Class of 2027. For Rivera, the aspiring sports journalist, Deion Sanders鈥� arrival at Folsom Field 鈥渨as kind of the last calling.鈥�

鈥淚 listened to Coach Prime鈥檚 press conference, and he said something like, this is the place to be, and the time to be here is now,鈥� Rivera said. 鈥淎nd I thought, I want to be a part of this, because this is history in the making. I don鈥檛 know how, but I want to be a part of it.鈥澨�