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Metro alums honored for achievements beyond graduation
By David Cardenas
dcarden5@mscd.edu

Metro alumni gathered for an award ceremony at St. Cajetan’s Center celebrating those that have demonstrated hard work and dedication to their community.

There have only been two alumni ceremonies in the past 10 years, and there was a need to keep Metro alumni involved in the school, said Stephanie Carroll, assistant director for alumni relations.

“Of almost 60,000 alumni that have graduated from Metro, 80 percent of them live in the Denver metro area,” Carroll said. “We want to get them involved in the (alumni) program.”

Awards were presented for work ethic, community service and school pride, along with two distinguished alumnus awards to those that demonstrated achievements in their respected fields. Among them was journalist Kevin Vaughn, known for his critically acclaimed story “The Crossing,” which appeared in the Rocky Mountain News.

“This school is very important, as well as the (alumni) program that lets us cultivate relations with the alumni as well as the community,” Vaughn said. “This school offers the opportunities to those students that might have it otherwise … I learned a lot on this campus and in these classrooms.”

During his time at Metro, Vaughn was taught the essence of journalism by mentor Greg Parson, who was the “first one to believe in me other than my parents,” he said.

Vaughn is active in the Greg Parson Memorial Foundation, which offers scholarship opportunities to journalism students.

Vaughn is best known for his 33-part series “The Crossing,” which depicted the lives of the 20 children who died in the worst vehicular accident in Colorado history when a school bus collided with train.

“It was most challenging not as a reporter, but as writer, trying to tell this incredible story,” Vaughn said. “I believe in what newspapers do, and that’s telling stories like these.”

Industrial design professor Kenneth Phillips, another honored alumnus, is one of the leading players in Brand Spankin New, a student-run company that markets products designed by Metro students.

“I’ve heard this misconception that Metro is the best second-choice school, but that’s not what I hear from the students,” Phillips said. “Programs like (Brand Spankin New are) allowing students to excel.”

Carroll hopes that establishing annual alumni ceremonies can benefit those wanting to be involved in the school after graduating.

“We want (alumni) to be emotionally supportive in this school,” Carroll said. “By feeling pride in their alma mater, they come back here wanting to be involved.”