Meet the new Colorado College Faces of Innovation: alumni, students, and faculty who embody the innovative and adventurous CC spirit with creativity and collaborative ideas. They are people who say “Why not?” and “What if …?” True liberal arts thinkers, they make connections across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences. They are addressing some of the world’s most challenging problems, delighting us with artful approaches, and always surprising us. Five were named last fall, and another five this spring.
Charity Cereen Shouse Haygood ’96
Photo by Bryan Oller
Haygood, who graduated with a degree in psychology, is the founder and principal at B.R.I.C.K. (“Building Responsible, Intelligent, and Creative Kids”) Avon Academy, a public school enrolling 600 children in an impoverished area of New Jersey.
Shane Lory ’16
Photo by Bryan Oller
Lory and other CC students founded the Colorado Springs Food Rescue. They are helping to redistribute food that would have been thrown away, delivering it by bicycle from Colorado College cafeterias, local restaurants, and participating grocery stores to nearby soup kitchens.
Jane Hilberry
Photo by Bryan Oller
English Professor Jane Hilberry says poetry should be wild and unpredictable. If you let it be free and don’t try to constrain it, a poem can reveal profound insights that can help spark innovation in many arenas such as business and organizational change.
Marc Webb ’96
Photo by Jaime Roman ’13
Webb, who graduated with a degree in creative writing, makes blockbuster movies that, imbued with a message of compassion, are sensitive to the world around them. He is a director and producer, known for “(500) Days of Summer” (2009), “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012), and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014).
David Phillips ’78
Photo by Bryan Oller
Earth Island Institute co-founder Phillips graduated cum laude with a degree in biology. He calls CC a “transformative place that got me out in the real world,” and says he took every field biology class the college offered. He credits CC professors with opening his eyes to the natural world and changing his trajectory. Upon graduation, Phillips knew he wanted to do something that would actively help protect the environment.
Moriah Cowles ’07
Photo by Ken Paprocki
Cowles was a religion major at CC. As bladesmith and owner of Orchard Steel LLC in Brooklyn, New York, she makes hand-forged knives noted for their balance and artistry. Says Cowles, “I found blacksmithing by accident while fulfilling an art credit. In the class I was able to sculpt red-hot steel into table legs and hinges, providing the perfect marriage of art and function. I fell in love.”
Ryan Bañagale ’00
Photo by Bryan Oller
Bañagale, assistant professor of music, came to CC as a pre-med student and graduated as a music major. His book, “Arranging Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue and the Creation of an American Icon,” tells the story of this iconic piece of music after its premiere. The work embodies Bañagale’s idea of innovation: presenting something that is familiar, but in a way that is completely unexpected. That philosophy also exemplifies his teaching.
Flora Liu ’15
Photo by Bryan Oller
Liu is taking advantage of a liberal arts education by double majoring in molecular and cellular biology and dance. The recipient of a Venture Grant for “Comparing Surface Protein Used for Twitching Motility and Natural Competence of Wild Type and Mutants of Acinetobacter Baylyi Bacterium,” Liu has conducted research on the bacterium Acinetobacter baylyi and the Pikes Peak bighorn sheep parasites. Not forgetting her other passion, she is an active participant in the Dance Workshop.
Jeremy Wilhelm ’96 and David Wilhelm ’98
Photo by Richard Fleischmann
The siblings founded the Wilhelm Bros. & Co., a theater/music collaboration based in Minneapolis. Jeremy Wilhelm, a drama major, is the theater artist, and David Wilhelm, a music major who toured with the Bowed Piano Ensemble, is the composer and multi-instrumentalist. Together, they perform original music and eclectic covers in and around the Twin Cities, as well as Philadelphia and New York.
Alexander Salazar ’95
Photo by Sandy Huffaker
Salazar, an artist and gallery owner in San Diego, was a sociology major who spent his sophomore year studying art history in London and Florence, Italy. In 2010, he opened Alexander Salazar Fine Art and has continued to work toward developing a San Diego arts district. He’s put his stamp on the art scene there by opening galleries in several locations and serving different art communities.
See more about CC’s Faces of Innovation. Do you know a CC graduate, student, or professor who is changing the world in a creative and courageous way? Tell us about them.
