Sierra Fleenor '08

Research Associate/Program Coordinator for the State of Colorado Department of Higher Education

Religion Major
Cinema Studies and Classics Double Minor

“I just finished my master of theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and have accepted a position working for the Department of Higher Education for the State of Colorado. I will be a research associate/program coordinator on two projects that aim to better measure and recognize the patterns of high school students and transfer students who matriculate in public (and a few private) four-year institutions in the state of Colorado. Additionally, I am seeking an agent and beginning work on my second novel.”

Key milestones?

“After I graduated, I was lucky enough to receive a Transition Fellowship which allowed me to travel to Chiapas, Mexico to study liberation theology and work at a non-profit that taught and fed indigenous children and children living on the street. After I completed that project, I traveled to Ireland and Scotland that same summer with the CC Chaplains’ Office to study Celtic pilgrimage. I can look back now and see that each of these experiences formed me as a scholar, a researcher, and a writer.”

Post-CC Block Plan benefits?

“The Block Plan taught me to work hard. I think the fact that I could be assigned a project on Tuesday and have to turn it in on Thursday (or even, Wednesday) showed me that good, strong work can be done at a rapid pace. I learned so much at CC, both academically and as a person. The value of my degree is far beyond description. I’m happier for the time I spent there, I’m smarter for it, and I trust myself more.”