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On Saturday, October 18, Fort Lewis College celebrated five alumni at its annual Alumni Awards ceremony, recognizing their outstanding professional achievements, community leadership, and service to the institution. The event highlighted the College’s commitment to mentorship, real-world learning, and the vibrant Four Corners region.  

This year’s distinguished alumni include:

• Bethany Goldblum (Mathematics & Chemistry, ’02), an associate professor in nuclear engineering at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a faculty scientist at the lab’s Nuclear Science Division. A first-generation college student from Louisiana, she credited Fort Lewis College faculty for helping guide her toward internships and ultimately graduate school.  
• Alan Hill (Political Science, ‘78) returned to Durango after law school to practice law and serve on Fort Lewis College’s Alumni Board and the College’s Board of Trustees. Hill helped diversify the athletics board and restructure Athletics, calling it “the best volunteer experience I’ve ever had in my life.”  
• Gretchen Gray (Anthropology, ’08), records manager and library specialist at the college’s Center of Southwest Studies. She digitized the Fort Lewis Federal Indian Boarding School records and mentors student workers, turning “boxes of chaos” into organized archives.  
• Ryan Barton (Environmental Biology, ’13), hydrologist for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources, whose work includes water-quality testing and infrastructure projects across the Navajo Nation. Barton mentors recent graduates and focuses on giving back to his home community.  
• Camille Keith (Engineering, ’22), inaugural fellow of the Marathon Solar Fellowship and co-founder of the Navajo Nation Solar Initiative. Her project brought electricity to remote families in her home community of Shonto, and she emphasizes the combination of engineering with public health and mentoring.  

The ceremony underscored the college’s core values of accessibility, mentorship, and experiential learning. College officials said the honorees exemplify how a Fort Lewis College education continues to impact people and communities long after graduation.