CSU Pueblo Graduates Drive Southern Colorado's Economic Future
Release Date: May 16, 2025
PUEBLO, Colo. – On Sat. May 17, nearly 500 students—many first-generation college attendees—will receive their degrees from CSU Pueblo, an institution that successfully prepares underrepresented students for high-earning careers. These graduates represent the economic future of Southern Colorado, as data shows regional comprehensive universities like CSU Pueblo are powerful catalysts for both personal transformation and regional prosperity.
Though the graduates often begin as first-generation college students, they develop into professionals who either remain in or return to Southern Colorado. This creates a continuous cycle of economic growth and community development. CSU Pueblo recently earned two prestigious Carnegie Classifications, ranking among only 16% of U.S. colleges that successfully serve diverse students while also helping graduates secure well-paying jobs
This regional economic impact is illustrated through several compelling graduate stories:
- Amanda Stalder, who completed both bachelor's and master's degrees in biology, plans to return to Pueblo as a rural doctor after medical school, representing the “boomerang effect” of regional university graduates who bring advanced skills back to their communities
- Daniel Rogers and Chico Ryder, the first-ever graduates of CSU Pueblo's pioneering Cannabis Biology and Chemistry master's program, exemplify how specialized programs create professionals poised to lead in emerging regional industries
- Oscar Agueda, receiving his bachelor's degree before his high school diploma through cost-saving concurrent enrollment, shows how regional universities create accessible pathways to economic mobility
- Alondra Solis Ayala, this year's President's Leadership Award recipient, saw how CSU Pueblo truly functions as part of the community when university staff organized an intimate graduation ceremony in her family's living room. This allowed her dying mother to see her daughter graduate, showing how the university understands the deep family connections that shape our region
When: Saturday, May 17, 2025 Where: CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl Time: 8:30 a.m.
Media must contact Gena Alfonso at (719) 671-0929 for a press pass to attend the ceremony.
