4 young CSU Pueblo alumni to be recognized as part of homecoming week festivities

Colorado State University Pueblo will honor four distinguished alumni younger than 35 on Sunday, Oct. 2, to conclude this year's homecoming week.

Sarah Meigs, Alisa Proffer, Bianca Hicks and Tyler Bongers are among the Distinguished Young Alumni award winners being recognized at the 2022 Alumni and Young President's Club Brunch at the Occhiato Student Center Patio from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased on the CSU Pueblo website.

"Our community has so much to be proud of in the leadership at CSU Pueblo and the caliber of students that earn their degrees there," Hicks said.

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Sarah Meigs, Hasan School of Business

Meigs is the operations manager for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Pueblo, an organization advocating for abused and neglected children.

At 19, Meigs was a single mother working multiple jobs to afford rent and child care. Wanting access to higher-paying jobs to support her son, she decided to pursue a college education in business administration. She earned an associate's degree at Pueblo Community College in 2015 and a bachelor's degree at CSU Pueblo in 2017. Shortly after earning a bachelor's, she began working with CASA of as the organization's office manager.

After earning her master's degree in 2021, she was promoted to operations manager. That same year, she was recognized by CASA as the Pueblo City-County Outstanding Woman of the Year. She plans to earn her doctorate, according to a nomination form submitted by CASA of Pueblo.

"We are honored to nominate Sarah for exemplifying how a successful nontraditional student can redirect her life through education, creating a better world not only for herself and her child but for other families and children in need," according to the nomination form.

Alisa Proffer, College of Health, Education and Nursing

Proffer is a full-time ER nurse at Parkview Health Systems and home health care nurse at MGA Homecare Pueblo .

The 2014 CSU Pueblo homecoming queen, Proffer was well known on campus while also working in Parkview's Student to Employment Program (S.T.E.P.), staying with the family of a special needs child she met in nursing school, caring for residents at Sharmar Assisted Living and volunteering with PAWS for Life animal shelter. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing in 2017.

She has been with Parkview in some capacity for more than a decade. She began with the S.T.E.P. program in August 2012. She was hired by MGA Homecare after earning her degree.

"She remains professional and is both a role model as an alumni of the university and the S.T.E.P. program," Parkview Community Relations Program Coordinator Stacy Cristelli said. "This young lady will continue to shine and make us proud in life. Alisa Proffer has a servant's heart and will serve her community for years to come."

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Bianca Hicks, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Hicks is the vice president of strategic operations at the United Way of Pueblo County.

A 2008 mass communications graduate, Hicks was the marketing and communications specialist with the El Pueblo Adolescent Treatment Community before becoming the director of marketing, events and initiatives with United Way. She was chosen as vice president of strategic operations in 2021.

"Bianca is always willing to go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of many in our community," said Shanna Farmer, United Way of Pueblo County president and CEO. "Her selfless dedication, along with professional achievements, makes her an excellent candidate for this year's CSU Pueblo Distinguished Young Alumni Award."

Hicks is active in several community organizations, including the Community Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, El Pomar Emerging Leaders Development Program, Executives Partnering to invest in Children, the Multicultural Youth Leadership Initiative for Excellence, NAACP Pueblo Branch No. 4005, the Pueblo Food Project Coalition and Southern Colorado Volunteer Organizations Assisting with Disasters.

Tyler Bongers, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Bongers is a member of the mathematics faculty at Harvard University.

After earning degrees in mathematics and physics at CSU Pueblo in 2012, Bongers earned a doctorate degree at Michigan State University and postdoctorate degree at Washington University in St. Louis. At Harvard, they lead the school's course on Introductory Calculus, serve on the Gender Inclusivity in Mathematics committee, Bok Peer Observation program and Math Table seminar.

"As a teacher, I am primarily interested in learning how to build inclusive and equitable mathematical communities that support all of our students," according to Bongers' faculty page on the Harvard University webstie. "I am also interested in designing more holistic assessments and working with different evaluation approaches, such as project-based learning and mastery grading."

In a nomination form, CSU Pueblo Professor of Mathematics Bruce Lundberg said Bongers remains an "excellent conference presenter" and producer of "solid research publications and preprints."

More information about Homecoming and Family Weekend at CSU Pueblo can be found on the school's website.

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: CSU Pueblo Homecoming Week to honor 4 Distinguished Young Alumni