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Carol Lally '90 graduated with a degree in English.  She is now an intellectual property lawyer.

Neal Baer '78 earned his degree in political science.  He is the executive producer and writer for the hit show "ER."

Colorado U.S. Senator Ken Salazar graduated from CC in 1977. Elected to the senate in 2004, he had been the state's attorney general.

Holly Ornstein Carter '85 received her degree in political science and is now a writer and documentary filmmaker.

Karen Andersen Medville, a research scientist at Arizona State University, graduated in 1985.

Marcia McNutt, president and CEO of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, earned her degree in physics in 1974.

Jay Engeln graduated in 1974 with a degree in biology.  He is the 2000 National High School Principal of the Year.

Basketball star Verdel Baskin, an English major from the Class of 1999, is now an El Pomar Fellow.

Laura Hershey, a disability rights activist, graduated in 1983 with a degree in history.

Jazz singer Lorna Kollmeyer, a liberal arts major from the Class of 1980, owns an ornamental plasterwork company.  

Richard Koo, 1982 alumnus with a degree in math, is the co-founder of Vitria.com.

Mountain climber Jake Norton, Class of 1996, was a history-philosophy major.  

Paul Markovich graduated in 1988 with an international political economy major and is the co-founder of MyWayHealth.

J. Ralph Armijo, a business administration major, graduated in 1974 and founded Navidec, Inc. and DriveOff.com. 

Theatre artist Liz Stanton earned her degree in business and economics in 1988.

Liz Stanton
Class of '88
Business/Economics Major
Theatre Artist, Producer
New York City, New York

If Colorado College had an award for Most Enthusiastic Supporter, Liz Stanton would be the first recipient. But that was after she first set foot on campus.  

"I applied to CC to appease my father," she says matter-of-factly, noting she also applied to schools throughout the country. When she was accepted at CC, she thought she might as well take a look. "I fell in love with it," she says. "The location was gorgeous, the campus was beautiful, everyone made me feel like I would be welcome there, and of course, the reputation is excellent. Suddenly there was no question in my mind."  

Music and theatre had been a big part of her life since childhood, and Liz wanted a strong arts program, even though she didn't intend to major in the arts. She planned to study political science or political economy. But when her CC choir director mentioned an internship with the opera and talked about arts administration, Liz knew she had just found a career that would combine her passions.  

During her college years, Liz says she "took advantage of everything CC has to offer," serving on several student organizations and committees, singing in every choir -- "if they sang, I was there" -- performing in every musical and several plays. She lived on campus all four years because "I just couldn't imagine how much time cooking would take away from all the important things that were offered to me on campus." 

Along with her business classes and the time-management skills she learned through the Block Plan, what prepared Liz most for her career today was working with the campus's Great Performers and Ideas Committee. "I really learned how to take an idea and make it happen," she says, "how to find the money, find the space, print the program, organize the calendar -- all of those things that are skills I use everyday in my life, in my career." 

After graduation, Liz worked in the music department for two years, helping manage CC's New Music Ensemble while preparing to move to New York City "by learning to wait tables." When the ensemble went on tour, playing New York in the spring, Liz moved there at the same time.  

Many auditions led to several callbacks, which eventually led to a string of performances in opera, musical theatre, and now Shakespeare. Odd jobs -- from working at a racquet club to driving a truck and acting as road manager for a virtual reality promotion -- filled in the times between. At a party thrown by another Colorado College grad, Liz met the woman who would become her business partner. Together they created the Holderness Theatre Company, which, at this point, produces one show every winter and offers workshops in the fall and spring. "She's the artistic director and I'm the executive director," Liz says, "and out of the 25 company members, 4, including me, are CC alumni."  

A call from another CC friend landed her a unique summer project -- the Amazing Maize Maze®. Some of the mazes have corporate sponsors who donate proceeds to charity, while others are a way to save family farms. From June through October, she produces the Amazing Maize Maze®, which incorporate bridges, clues, music, a courtyard with food and crafts, and a maze master (sometimes Liz herself) who helps people find their way.  

And Liz does enjoy helping people find their way, especially CC people. "I love to be in touch with students and other alumni," she says. "You just never know who you can help."  

But if she runs into a fellow graduate who doesn't find a way to give something back to the college, "Oh, I'll give them a talking to," she says sternly. "You need to help provide the kind of education for the next generation that somebody did for you. I'm just so grateful to the college for all the opportunities it provided me, and I'd love for other people to have that experience too."

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