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³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø Graduates Drive Southern Colorado's Economic Future

Release Date: May 16, 2025

Gena Alfonso

Director of Communications/PIO

³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø

(719) 671-0929

PUEBLO, Colo. – On Sat. May 17, nearly 500 students—many first-generation college attendees—will receive their degrees from ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø, 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 ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø 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. ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø 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:

  • after medical school, representing the “boomerang effect” of regional university graduates who bring advanced skills back to their communities
  • , exemplify how specialized programs create professionals poised to lead in emerging regional industries
  • , shows how regional universities create accessible pathways to economic mobility
  • , saw how ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø 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: ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø Thunderbowl Time: 8:30 a.m.

Media must contact Gena Alfonso at (719) 671-0929 for a press pass to attend the ceremony.

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The PACK Center and HSB Advising are available to assist you. Stop by or call for support. PACK: 719-549-2584, HSB: 719-549-2142, & Online: 719-549-2200.
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