DU has long been an institution of diversity and a place for individuals to come together and form life long friendships with people from completely different places and this year’s freshmen class is no exception.  Granted, there are plenty of Colorado natives attending DU, but it’s not hard to find students hailing from all over the country and world. I took to the halls of Johnson-McFarlane to talk with out-of-staters and gather their opinions and perceptions of our beautiful state and many were in agreement that Colorado is a great place to be.

Freshman Madison Broader, a business management major, is from Ontario, Canada.  Prior to her arrival, Broader thought of Colorado as a very outdoorsy, active place and was immediately drawn to the Colorado lifestyle.  After spending two weeks at DU, she’s already planning to participate in the Alpine Club in order to take advantage of Colorado’s recreational opportunities.

“I like DU more than I thought I would which is surprising because I like it a lot,” said Broader.

Freshman Ted Hite is from Minneapolis and is majoring in chemistry.

“Colorado’s just a big group of adventurous people with a general consensus of community,”  Hite said in regards to his perception of Coloradans. He’s also excited to explore and go hiking, fishing and skiing “at real mountains with good snow.”

Also from the Great Lakes region, Sami Helgeson is a La Crosse Wisconsinite who’s double majoring in environmental science and international studies.

“I thought it [Colorado] was a super liberal place,” said Helgeson, remembering her first impressions of the state. “[I thought] it was where people just go outside all the time and everyone snowboards and skis.”

Ultimately Helgeson chose DU because she “felt super welcomed and it was the perfect place for [her], especially as an environmental science major.”

Like many others at DU, Helgeson is looking forward to all the adventures she can have in Colorado, whether it’s going to the Denver Art Museum downtown or climbing a fourteener like Pikes Peak. 

Hailing from farther west, freshman Reyn Aubrey is from Mililani, Hawaii and is a business major.  Colorado is such a different atmosphere from Hawaii, and Aubrey is highly anticipating seeing the four distinct seasons.

“It’s so vibrant here; the landscape and the area are breathtaking,” said Aubrey.  Being from Hawaii, there are many activities that Aubrey can experience in Colorado that he couldn’t back home, such as exploring the mountains, skiing and even speaking Spanish.

“There are lots of Spanish speakers here, which is really cool,” said Aubrey.

Phoebe Paur is a freshman  biology major from Las Vegas, which isn’t too far from Colorado in comparison to others, but the Colorado climate and lifestyle is nothing like her hometown.   Like others, Paur is excited to experience the nature that Colorado has to offer.

“It’s nice to see trees that aren’t the color gray because they’re dead; the seasons are so beautiful,” said Paur. “It [Colorado] was what I was expecting: somewhere really nice and pretty. Everybody is just a lot more involved and they care about everything.”

Freshman Ryan Baca is from Colorado’s southern neighbor, Chimayo, NM and is majoring in marketing.

“There is such a prestigious and good business school here and I can network better for my future,” said Baca in regards to the academics at DU.

Baca also already feels at home in Colorado.

“Everybody here is  part of one big family. No matter the circumstances in our lives we always unite together,” he said.

It’s  clear that Colorado has a certain reputation: outdoorsy, liberal, active, adventurous and beautiful.  People flock to Colorado for the world-class skiing and hiking but stay for the people and community.  The atmosphere at DU is open and friendly, similar to the state as a whole. The Pioneer community is comprised of driven, passionate individuals from all walks of life, connecting in true Colorado fashion.