麻豆传媒

Extended Note

Alumna and Award-Winning Mystery Novelist Strikes Again

Speech Pathology alum Margaret Mizushima, 鈥�74, unveils secrets within the mossy forests of the Pacific Northwest in her latest novel, Gathering Mist, the ninth installment to the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series.

The series and latest novel follow Deputy Mattie Wray, her K-9 Robo and veterinarian Cole Walker as they work together to solve crimes that affect their community. The author doesn鈥檛 have to dig deep to find inspiration for the thrillers. In real life, Mizushima鈥檚 husband is a veterinarian, and she grew up horseback riding and herding cows, connecting her to animals and nature. Before becoming an internationally published author though, Mizushima was a speech therapist focusing on the science of language and shifted her career to focus on artistic and creative language.

Mizushima has found much success in the second chapter of her life. Along with engaging readers in page-turning mysteries, she was awarded the Silver Medal in the Benjamin Franklin Awards, named a finalist for the Colorado Book Awards and named the 2019 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

Already receiving star reviews, Gathering Mist, features Deputy Wray who is summoned to Washington鈥檚 Olympic Peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity鈥檚 missing child. When Wray and Robo begin their tracking efforts, dense forest, chilling rain and unfriendly locals hamper their efforts, and soon Wray suspects something more sinister than a lost child is at play.

Support a 麻豆传媒 alumna and pick up a copy of Gathering Mist to read and follow along the desperate search of find a missing child before it鈥檚 too late.

• 70s

  Steve Antonopulos, B.A. 鈥�72, M.A. 鈥�73, Limon, was inducted into the Professional Football Athletic Trainer鈥檚 Hall of Fame, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Award of Excellence in 2024.

  Edward Lepper, B.A. 鈥�79, Cibolo, Texas, retired from the United States Air Force.

  Welcome Home Class of 1974 

   

  We welcomed the Class of 1974 back to campus for their 50-year reunion during Homecoming Sept. 27-28.

• 80s

  Colette Pitcher, B.A. 鈥�81, Greeley, was inducted into the Greeley Arts Legacy Hall of Fame in October 2024, recognizing her lifetime of accomplishments as 鈥渁 talent in multimedia, a master in watercolor, and an internationally known bronze sculptor.鈥� Pitcher was given 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Honored Alumni Award in 2023.

  John Foy, B.S. 鈥�88, Casper, Wyoming, retired from the Natrona County School District after a 28-year teaching career as a second-grade teacher.

• 90s

  John Rosa, B.A. 鈥�93, Littleton, published his debut novel, titled Sons of Potenza, a fictionalized account of the rise of organized crime in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.

  Heather Laskowski (Potter), B.A. 鈥�94, Beacon Falls, Connecticut, joined BlueLabs Analytics, a leading provider of analytics services and technology, as the Director of Legal Operations and Compliance.

  Jennifer Meyer, B.A. 鈥�98, Fruita, represented and coached the Team USA Racquetball team at the Pan-American Games in Santiago, Chile in October 2023.

  Brooke Berry-Wolf, B.A. 鈥�99, New York City, was the sole theatre teacher selected to receive the Big Apple Award for Teaching Excellence in New York City, which recognizes and celebrates teachers who inspire students, model equitable learning, affirm students鈥� identities, and enrich their school communities. Brooke was selected from thousands of nominees from across the NYC public school system.

• 00s

  Angela Fajardo-Valdez, B.A. 鈥�01, Colorado Springs, was named the 2023 Elementary Principal of the Year by CASE.

  Lea Harms, B.A. 鈥�09, M.A. 鈥�11, Keller, Texas, self-published a memoir of stories from her time as a 911 dispatcher, titled Lives on the Line: Stories from America鈥檚 First-First Responders.

• 10s

  Jaime Burgher (Ingrisano), B.A. 鈥�10, M.A. 鈥�14, Golden, joined the Colorado Nonprofit Association as the Director of Programs.

  Jillian Fanning-Hoblitt, B.A. 鈥�11, Cheyenne, Wyoming, published two children鈥檚 books, titled A Giraffe in the Forest and A Bear in the Savanna.

• 20s

  Sydney Novotak, B.A. 鈥�20, M.S. 鈥�24, Brighton, began her role as Assistant Principal at Padilla Elementary School.

Julie Zalikowski, 鈥�75, 2019 Honored Alumni and scholarship endowment supporter, and her husband Dave took an expedition to below the Antarctic Circle and represented 麻豆传媒 very well!