Colorado School of Mines celebrates Spring 2026 Undergraduate Commencement

Colorado School of Mines celebrated its Spring 2026 Undergraduate Commencement on May 14 and 15, conferring a total of 1,162 bachelor’s degrees during four ceremonies at Lockridge Arena. 

Giving the keynote address at the Thursday ceremonies was Paul M. Anderson ‘85, senior director and deputy program director for the Orion/Artemis Program at Lockheed Martin. On Friday, the keynote speakers were Mike Starzer ‘83, founder and executive chairman of Fundare Resources Company, at the 9 a.m. ceremony and Rob McKee ‘68 at the 1 p.m. ceremony. 

Watch the ceremonies and download the official Commencement program at commencement.mines.edu. 

SPRING 2026 OUTSTANDING GRADUATING SENIORS 

As part of the undergraduate ceremonies, Mines honored its Spring 2026 Outstanding Graduating Seniors. Chosen by faculty and staff and each representing a different academic major, the 23 students were recognized for their high scholastic achievement and on-campus engagement. 
 

Genevieve Merecki, Applied Mathematics and Statistics 
Merecki, of Arvada, Colorado, will be pursuing a master’s degree at Mines. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Spending time in office hours with my friends and great professors.” 

Shaina Chan, Biochemistry 
Chan, of Aurora, Colorado, will be completing her master’s degree in quantitative biosciences and engineering at Mines. 

Favorite Mines memory: “Sitting in Mines Market as a first-year student the week before classes started with two people in my scholarship community whom I didn’t know at all. We got to know each other and that sparked a friendship that has made my Mines experience better than I could have imagined.” 

 

Nicholas Huber, Business Engineering and Management Science 
Huber, of Durango, Colorado, will be moving to Chicago to work as an engineering project manager for Shermco Industries. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Working with students in my major to build the National Organization for Business and Engineering chapter and hosting the NOBE national conference here at Mines.” 

 

Gemma Ponce, Ceramic Engineering 
Ponce, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, will join the Edison Engineering Development Program at GE Aerospace in Cincinnati, Ohio.  
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Attending the Society of Women Engineers national conferences with our executive board. Traveling together and supporting each other’s professional development built a special bond that led to a deep community here at Mines and lifelong friendships.” 

 

John Braford, Chemical and Biological Engineering 
Braford, of Parker, Colorado, will be continuing at Mines for his master's degree and doing research in catalytic ammonia and methanol decomposition for hydrogen production. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Field session in chemical engineering, particularly the trayed distillation and friction factor labs.” 

 

Joseph Tran, Chemistry 
Tran, of Denver, Colorado plans to take a year off to gain work experience and then apply to grad school. 

Favorite Mines memory: The time I got to go on a field trip for Earth Science to look at a bunch of rocks and fossils. 

 

Clara Henckler-Davis, Civil Engineering 
Henckler-Davis, of Littleton, Colorado, has accepted a position as an engineer-in-training working on civil engineering land development projects for Martin/Martin Inc. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “When I got to go to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2025 Nationals at California Polytechnic State University - San Louis Obispo and compete in the Sustainable Solutions competition at a national level. I got to meet cool people from other colleges, tour the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, row a concrete boat, and spend time with friends and colleagues from Mines.” 
 
 

Stone Amsbaugh, Computer Science 
Amsbaugh, of Dillon, Colorado, will be working as a software engineer for a government contractor in Aurora 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Working on our team’s strategy and code for AlgoBOWL, a part of the Algorithms course. It was really great to have everyone so enthusiastic about trying new techniques to get better and better results, combined with the adrenaline of the short deadlines and constant shifting of the leaderboards.” 

 

Saleema Elsayed, Computer Science 
Elsayed, of Imperial, Nebraska, has accepted an internship this summer at the National Laboratory of the Rockies. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Asking [Teaching Associate Professor] Rob Thompson for his autograph for my friend Sammy’s birthday.” 

 

Madison Tatinski, Construction Engineering 
Tatinski, of Pueblo West, Colorado, will join Saunders Construction as a full-time field engineer in August. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “The time spent as a Betsy’s Friends Peer Educator. This program allowed me to follow my passion for student well-being within a community of incredible people. As a Peer Educator, I didn’t just find my own sense of belonging, but I got to help build that for others too, which has been the most meaningful part of my journey.” 

 

Ashley Doehner, Design Engineering 
Doehner, of Omaha, Nebraska, will be working as a traffic/EIT planner at HDR Engineering in Omaha, Nebraska. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Seeing the outcomes of courses play out in the completion of projects. Whether it was making an automaton out of recycling from my house or presenting my cattle guard at Capstone Showcase, I was always happy to see what I had been learning displayed in a final artifact.” 

 

Kobe Prior, Electrical Engineering 
Prior, of Bayfield, Colorado, will intern at Zeta Associates, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, working on digital signal processing and geolocation solutions for the intelligence and military communities before completing his master’s degree in electrical engineering with a focus on antennas and wireless communication.  
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Watching the Tesla Coil demonstration with my friends at my first E-Days. It was the first display of ingenuity that truly blew me away and continues to keep me excited about the technological possibilities engineering opens up. Not only that but sharing the shock and awe with my closest friends will be a memory I hold dear forever.” 

 

Kylie VanderMeer, Electrical Engineering 
VanderMeer, of Spicewood, Texas, will complete a summerinternship at GSI Environmental in Lakewood before returning to Mines for a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Being part of the Mines swim team and trips into the mountains with teammates.” 

 

Connor Brooks, Geology 
Brooks, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, will stay on at Mines to pursue a master’s degree in structural geology. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Drumline breakfasts before every band camp and game day.” 

 

Kaitlin Manalili, Geophysical Engineering 
Manalili, of Shoreline, Washington, will work in the mining consulting industry, joining Agapito Associates as an engineer in Colorado. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Travel trips with my soccer team.” 

 

Sander Bouchard, Mechanical Engineering 
Bouchard, of Mountain View, California, will be working on lunar infrastructure while pursuing a master’s degree in space resources at Mines. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Late nights spent working on projects alongside my friends and teammates. Those hours reflect not just our shared dedication, but our collective resilience in pushing through difficult challenges. Ultimately, it reinforces the fact that no hard problem is ever solved alone.” 

 

Brennan Koontz, Mechanical Engineering 
Koontz, of Parker, Colorado, will be designing suspension systems at Tesla in Austin, Texas. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: Formula SAE competitions 

 

Xavier Fross, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 
Fross, of Broomfield, Colorado, will be working as a nuclear shift test engineer at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: walking up the Mines “M” late on a cold night with a big blanket. 

 

Nolan Cox, Mining 
Cox, of Benbrook, Texas, has accepted a position as a mining engineer for Northern Star Resources at the Pogo Mine in Alaska. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Taking MNGN 309 at the Edgar Mine on Fridays in the fall semester. You get to work side by side with everybody from your graduating class, getting to know each other and seeing completely new things every week. After our last class of the year, our whole class and the seniors that help teach us got to come together and eat at Smokin' Yard's in Idaho Springs, talking, laughing and reflecting on everything from the past semester around one big table. It's something special to be able to work that closely with not only your class, but your future peers in industry that you'll be around for decades to come.” 

 

Alexander Quiachon, Petroleum Engineering 
Quiachon, of Broomfield, Colorado, will begin his career as a drilling and completions engineer, pursuing offshore and international projects. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Leading nearly 20 students on a miles-long walk that felt like crossing the desert during a conference trip instead of taking rides. It was exhausting, hilarious and unforgettable.” 

 

Baiza Mand, Physics  
Mand, of Cañon City, Colorado, will join Electro Magnetic Applications as a scientist, primarily working on software development for electromagnetic simulation products. 
 
Favorite Mines memory: “Jogging to the creek from Maple Hall and taking a cold plunge every morning of sophomore year.” 

 

William Kluck, Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering 
Kluck, of Palmer Lake, Colorado, will continue to expand his knowledge in biomedical engineering, and is currently evaluating opportunities in both industry and academia, including graduate studies at the University of Washington and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  
 
Favorite Mines memory: “The first time doing the cardboard boat race, making the boat with friends and dressing up in stupid costumes. I’ll never forget how we almost sank right before the end and had to scramble to push ourselves off a huge pile of rocks.” 

UNIVERSITY-WIDE AWARDS 

The Dan Fox Outstanding Student Service Award is presented by the Division of Student Life to the students who, during their tenure at Mines, above their academic role, vigorously participated in activities for the greater benefit of their peers and community to promote excellence and well-being:  Danielle Kosowsky 

The President’s Senior Scholar Athlete Award is presented to one graduating female and one graduating male athlete, each with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, who have lettered in a sport during their senior year and have demonstrated leadership qualities of an exemplary student-athlete: Grace G. Strongman (cross country, track) and Cody W. Thompson (wrestling) 

The William D. Waltman 1899 Award is presented to the graduating seniors who have consistently demonstrated the utmost integrity, scholarship and citizenship in and outside of the classroom throughout their collegiate career: Noah Link  

The Colorado Engineering Council Silver Medal Awards are presented for excellence in scholarship, high integrity and general engineering ability: Nina Botvin (finalist), Finn Whatmore (finalist) and Cailyn Smith (winner) 

DEPARTMENT UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS AND HONORS 

Applied Mathematics and Statistics 

The Professor Everett Award, provided by Frank Ausanka ’42, in honor of James R. Everett, is presented to a graduating senior in mathematics who demonstrates scholarship, leadership, community service and the potential for the innovative application of mathematics to mineral engineering: Benjamin Wu 

Chemical and Biological Engineering 

The Selim Memorial Scholarship is presented by the faculty of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering to a graduating student who promises great success in graduate school: Caroline Hufnagel and Noah Sandberg 

The Harrison L. Hays, 1931, Award is presented in chemical and petroleum refining for demonstrating scholarship, personality and integrity of character and the general potentialities of a successful industrial career: Benjamin Bauerle and Harrison Bliss 

The Pearson Potential Award is given to students in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering who have shown emerging leadership and engineering potential: Chloe Hindes 

Computer Science 

Faculty Choice Award: Gavin Garzia and Madison Tajchman 

Design Engineering 

Distinction in Impact Award: Max D’Agnese 

Distinction in Scholarly Achievement Award: Tanner Page 

Geology and Geological Engineering 

The Neal J. Harr Memorial Outstanding Student Award, provided by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, is presented for scholastic excellence in the study of geology with the aim of encouraging future endeavors in the earth sciences: Emma Nelson 

Hutchinson Award: Elena Smith 

Geophysics 

Phillip R. Romig Award: Julia Berglind 

The Cecil H. Green Gold Medal is given to the graduating senior in geophysical engineering who, in the opinion of the Department of Geophysics, has the highest attainment in the combination of scholastic achievement, personality and integrity: Kailey Dougherty 

The George R. Pickett Memorial Award is presented on the basis of demonstrated interest and accomplishments in the study of borehole geophysics:  Jude Lowe 

George T. Merideth Award for Early Leadership in Geophysical Engineering: Peyton Chandler 

Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 

Maryanna Bell Kafadar Humanities Award: Timothy Rice and Monique Streetman 

Mechanical Engineering 

The Emeritus Faculty Exemplary Undergraduate Award is presented to an exceptional student as chosen by emeritus faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Cecily Crowell 
 
The John Steele Commemorative Service Award is given to one graduating senior that has displayed outstanding service to the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Emmalea Yunk 

Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Student Athlete: Alex Dunagan 

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 

The Alan Kissock Award acknowledges creativity in metallurgy: Andrew Hope, Anderson Bryan and Gracie Schwind 

The Clark B. Carpenter Award is presented to the graduating seniors in mining or metallurgy who, in the opinion of the senior students in mining and metallurgy and the professors in charge of the respective departments, are the most deserving of this award: Xavier Fross 

Mining Engineering 

The C.N. Bell 1906 Award is awarded in mining for completing a course in mining and showing the most progress in schoolwork during the entire period for which the course is given: Andrew Morrissey 

The Clark B. Carpenter Award is presented to the graduating seniors in mining or metallurgy who, in the opinion of the senior students in mining and metallurgy and the professors in charge of the respective departments, are the most deserving of this award:  Xavier Dibben 
 
The D.W. Brunton Award is awarded for meritorious work in mining: Emilio Ferrand Ortiz, Eric Moskal and Connor Pallis 

The H.G. Washburn Award is presented in mining for good scholastic record and active participation in athletics: McKenzie Williams 

The Old Timer’s Club Award is presented to the graduating senior who has shown high academic standing in coal mining engineering and potential for the coal industry: Benjamin Hall 

Mining Engineering Meritorious Service Award: Soren Paulson 

Physics 

The Physics Faculty Distinguished Graduate Award is presented by the faculty of the department to graduating seniors with exceptionally high academic achievement in physics: Jose Gonzalez, Nathaniel Trice and Evan Wolfe 

E-DAYS ENGINEERING AWARD 

The following students received this honor from either an academic department or group on campus: