By Ann Gill (M.A., ’76)
The rental agreement for commencement regalia includes an option to purchase Alumni Association membership; those who do usually opt for annual membership. Recently, there has been an increase in graduates choosing Life Membership. Their reasons are as varied as these graduates.
Victoria Palmer graduates with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and minors in business administration and interdisciplinary leadership studies. She served as a Presidential Ambassador and a STEM educator for the Boys and Girls Club. She also is a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, Delta Delta Delta sorority, and a dance company. She chose Life Membership because, while working at the Alumni Center, she was inspired by Executive Director Kristi Bohlender, “who is so full of energy!” She also attended an Alumni Association event and “loved the community past college” and wants “to be part of that!”
Joel Schwartzkopf, who will receive an MBA, is a physician assistant and administrative fellow at the CSU Health Network. He chose Life Membership because “it is important to be involved in the alumni community after graduation, and what sort of MBA graduate would I be if I didn’t notice that, over time, life membership saves you money!” He is proud to work for the CSU Health Network, which is “leading the pack in student health.” His wife Rachel works in communication and marketing for the College of Business.
Hannah Love (M.S.,’11; M.A.,’15) will add a Ph.D. in sociology to her CSU degrees. She completed a dissertation, “The Social Process of Knowledge Creation in Science.” In addition to working at the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences, she participated in intramural tube water polo and was an advisor for Alternative Spring Break. She chose Life Membership because she already has participated in “fun events like workshops, tailgates, and cooking classes, so the decision was easy.”
Army Sergeant First Class Paul Goeman completed the MBA online. He is a medic who completed three combat tours, one in Iraq and two in Afghanistan. Currently stationed at the Military Entrance Processing Command in California, he shared a “Rams take care of Rams” story from his MBA capstone course. Their team was finishing the final project online when one member was called away to pick up his children, who attend the STEM School in Highlands Ranch, Colo., where nine students were shot. Rather than ask for an extension on their final project, the other team members completed it in his honor. Goeman became a Life Member because “it is really important to give back.”
Alice Street graduated with a B.S. in health and exercise science. She has participated in Key community all four years, first as a student and later as a mentor. She also was an intern at Athletics, working in the sports nutrition program, mostly with football. She coached the CSU club diving team this year and will do so again next year. She chose Lifetime Membership because she “really enjoyed going to Alumni Association events” with her mother, Mary Beazley (B.S., ’77).
We are proud to welcome these and other new Life Members into the Ram community for life!
