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By Hannah Stewart (Comm'19)
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm'18) and Jack Moody

First-generation college student Alexa Tovar grew up hearing about how her mother dreamed of attending CU Boulder. Now, the first-year student is carrying on that dream for her at the College of Media, Communication and Information.

“She couldn’t come because she had two young kids,” she said. “Now, my cousins and I are all close in age, and are now going to college for our moms. It’s really special for me.”

CMCI’s Class of 2028 is really special in its own right. With 437 new first-year students, this fall’s new cohort is the college’s largest yet—smashing last year’s record-setting class by 12%. The size of the classes continue to grow, which helps maintain its commitments to diversity.

The growth trends are especially notable, as the university’s incoming class of first-year students dipped slightly from the year before, even though the overall size of the student body grew from fall 2023. 

Some notes on the college’s growth:

• Like last year, nearly 24% of incoming students are from diverse backgrounds.

• Female students make up 64.7% of the CMCI Class of 2028. Notably, they represent slightly less than half of the campus population.

• The college enjoyed a 10% bump in the number of out-of-state students.

• They’re high achievers, with almost 20% of the class graduated with a high school GPA of 4.0 or greater.

• Among majors, media production (15.1%) and communication (12%) saw the biggest growth in new students.

CMCI also added 78 transfer students—a 32% increase over the previous year. With 58 new graduate students, the number of incoming students is 573.

Tovar, a strategic communication major, learned about CMCI while on a campus tour. After meeting a college ambassador, she knew she had found the perfect fit.

“I really love public relations and talking to people,” Tovar said. “In high school, I got the opportunity to do an internship with Make-A-Wish, and I would write stories and do literally everything that a stratcomm major does.”

Finding community

In preparation for coming to college, Tovar participated in the Pathways to Excellence summer bridge program, which she said was essential to starting the semester with confidence. The experience was particularly impactful because it jump-started her campus community, especially with other first-year students, like Oscar Leon.

“Pathways is the best thing I’ve ever done,” Leon said. “It helped me come out of my bubble, and I was able to manage campus life a lot quicker.”

Leon, who is from Commerce City, applied to CU Boulder as an education major, but quickly determined he wanted a program with more flexibility.

“I don’t want to only be a teacher—I want to be a communicator who can do a lot of different things and a lot of different jobs,” he said.

So far, that’s what he’s found within the communication department, especially among his collaborative and approachable professors. 

But he’s also been appreciative of finding time to use his newfound independence. When he isn’t in class or meeting up with friends, he’s been enjoying exploring Boulder; finishing up his internship with Out Front Magazine, where he writes stories and helps with their social media; and checking out student groups.

“Welcoming new students is always special because of the diversity of passions and experiences they bring to our community,” said Lori Bergen, founding dean of the college. “Our students constantly impress me with their enthusiasm for learning and exploring new opportunities, and we’re thrilled to be part of their journey.”

Another communication major, Isabel Malik, said she was looking forward to learning more about CMCI in D.C., an immersive study-internship experience in the nation’s capital.

“I’m thinking about student government, and eventually want to look into lobbying, because I’d like to do something in politics,” said Malik, who’s also interested in minoring in political science and business. “I chose communication because it seems like a really good way to make an impact on the ever-changing world.”

Growing up in Golden, Malik attended a tiny high school and is excited most about all the opportunities CU Boulder has to offer. So far, meeting with professors and her peers has been her favorite part because of the variety of experiences.

“I love that we’re all in this huge class and learning the same thing, but we all have different paths. Finding someone on the same path, with a different background, is awesome.”

Finding opportunity

Information science major and Boston native Evan Bardinelli is, like Malik, eager to get involved, particularly with study abroad programs. He came to Boulder in part because of his love for the outdoors; some of his favorite hobbies include skiing and fishing.

“Going to school, living on my own and becoming more independent—all in Colorado—has been really exciting,” Bardinelli said. “I like my classes and I like my professors. Boulder has really good people, and it’s a good place to go to school and to learn. I go to class and I feel like I’m surrounded by people with similar interests.”

Through the residence halls, student groups and classes, the first-year class is diving headfirst into all that campus and the college has to offer. 

“I’m so excited to get my hands on everything I can. College is such a big opportunity,” said Tovar, who is now a CMCI ambassador herself. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how I’m going to spend my time and fill my cup.”