Meet our Graduates!

First-generation student Brandon Hall is earning his philosophy degree this spring.  He chose philosophy due to its broad scope and range of possibilities. “I love philosophy for its ability to expand how I think about myself, others, and the world around me. It has made me into a more curious, creative, and well-balanced person.” He advises future philosophy majors to use this opportunity to explore their passions and find ways to improve themselves and the world around them.

Brandon recognizes Professors Collin Rice and Domenica Romagni for their interesting and engaging instruction, as well as all their help with his capstone thesis.

Brandon is an avid music and nature lover. He has a background in percussion and now makes electronic music as a hobby. He also enjoys hiking and biking and participated in the CSU Outdoor club the past few semesters.

Thomas Hasler is graduating with a major in philosophy and a minor in music. He loves philosophy because it allows him “to participate in conversations greater than myself about the ‘deep’ topics that I find most interesting… I enjoy working in a field that allows me to contribute to debates that will extend far beyond the span of my own life.”

Thomas is most thankful for Drs. Romagni, Tropman, Kasser, and Morasch for encouraging him to pursue philosophy and for challenging him to become a better thinker and writer. Thomas says that studying with these professors has been his favorite part of being a philosophy major. Thomas is particularly grateful for his mentor Dr. Romagni whose early modern philosophy class was the first one where he truly fell in love with philosophy. After graduation, Thomas will join the doctoral program in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to continue his studies in the history of philosophy.

Outside of philosophy, Thomas enjoys listening to live music, reading, playing the double bass, and spending time with his friends and family. He attended over 20 concerts while in college, and some of his favorite memories were made seeing his favorite artists with his friends.

Thomas’ advice to future philosophy majors is to always approach classes and discussions with an open mind. “I have learned so much more in situations where I don’t yet have my mind made up than I do when I approach conversations with dogmatic attitudes about what is right and wrong.”

EmmaLee Janssen is graduating with a general concentration in philosophy and a minor in sociology. Originally a music major, EmmaLee chose philosophy “due to a keen interest in figuring out the ‘why’ behind so many of the things we take for granted.” She loves how philosophy always pushes her to look deeper into any given question.

Outside of school, EmmaLee enjoys reading, writing, weightlifting, running, and all things sports. Golf, hockey, and all types of motorsports are her favorites. In the fall, EmmaLee will enroll in the dual MBA and MS program in marketing at the University of Colorado, Denver where she will focus on international sports and entertainment.  EmmaLee has worked in digital and social media marketing for several years and is excited to continue pursuing this path.

EmmaLee’s advice for future philosophy majors: “Try out a variety of different philosophy courses. Some of my favorite branches of philosophy are the ones I thought I would have no interest in before taking a course in it (… I’m looking at you, Logic)!”

Trenton Krzyzowski is graduating with a degree in philosophy this spring. Trenton feels humbled by his study of philosophy. “I’ve learned to question many of my biases and assumptions, and don’t take any ‘knowledge’ for granted. Philosophy is a great practice in critical thinking and a perfect study for those with an itch to learn and analyze as much as they can about anything and everything.”

For Trenton, Jeff Kasser’s epistemology course was the most significant as well as the most difficult class he’s ever taken. “After dissecting the esoteric and difficult readings in epistemology, I’m able to think on a much higher level. I have tremendous respect for Kasser as a teacher, thinker, and friend, particularly his style of pushing students out of their comfort zone to challenge them intellectually so they can level up and be more intelligent and interesting people.”

Trenton has been a caretaker for his mother as she battles cancer. He’s also been able to focus on his creative work, particularly as a musician and writer. “This chapter in my life has been instrumental in forming my adult personality. I’ve gained tremendous competence during this time and feel I’ve gained important skills, such as integrity and awareness to achieve anything I set my mind to and to make the world a more positive, joyful, and enlightened place for all.”

After graduation, Trenton wants to pursue music and art and he’s currently working with his band Faux-Pas^2. He considers his creative pursuits “the fruits of my life’s purpose.” Trenton believes his time studying philosophy has given him the tools to be a responsible and aware artist. Trenton advises future philosophy students to “be honest with yourself and take your time as a student to cultivate crucial life experiences and self-awareness to figure out the best version of yourself the world needs you to be.”

First-generation college student and Fall 2023 grad Joshua Manzano earned a philosophy degree with a concentration in science and technology. Joshua explains his choice of philosophy: “it was the only major that truly empowered me to keep asking the type of questions I was asking.” Additionally, Joshua credits philosophy with helping him become calmer, more understanding, and a much stronger critical and analytical thinker.

Joshua gives special thanks to several faculty including Dr. Kasser for his honesty and humor, Dr. Romagni for her patience and deep explanations, Rod Adams for his encouragement, Dr. Gorin for leading a great capstone, and Dr. Mansfield (History) for his humor and wisdom.  He also greatly enjoyed the chats he had walking between classes with his classmates.

Joshua plans to work after graduation with a possibility of future graduate studies in something more closely related to technology. Outside of work and philosophy, you can either find him trying out some new recipe, golfing, skiing, working out, fixing his car, or exploring breweries with friends.

Fall 2023 grad Kaitlin Marshall earned her degree in philosophy with a minor in creative writing. Kaitlin explains her love of philosophy, “it taught me how to think more critically, analyze the world around me, and navigate reality. Philosophy has allowed me to learn more about myself, truths of the world, and how these intertwine.”

Kaitlin believes she discovered the most wonderful and caring people in her philosophy classes. Her favorite classes included: feminist philosophies with Dr. Ashby Butnor, social metaphysics with Dr. Nathalie Morasch, environmental ethics with Dr. Ken Shockley, and philosophy and science fiction with Dr. Paul DiRado. “These classes were beyond knowledgeable, interesting, and perception-altering.”

Kaitlin is an avid writer, and she thinks philosophy has allowed her to find the words to write more than any other classes. She is very appreciative of “the way creativity can be harnessed and expressed through philosophy.” Kaitlin plans to pursue creative writing with greater depth and publish more work in the coming years.

Her advice to philosophy students: “Ask lots of questions, get to know your classmates, and don’t be afraid to attend office hours! The philosophy professors are kind and want to see their students succeed. It’s much cooler to care in class than it is to blow it off.”

Aaron Nielsen completed his bachelor’s in philosophy this spring. This is Aaron’s sixth degree after already earning a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and mathematics, three master’s degrees, and a doctorate in applied mathematics at the University of Colorado, Denver.

Aaron discovered his passion for philosophy through Dr. Jeff Kasser’s philosophy of science lectures released through the Teaching Company. These lectures inspired Aaron to take two of Kasser’s courses at CSU and pursue an undergraduate degree in philosophy. Aaron claims that “Dr. Kasser’s engaging teaching style and wit made the material both challenging and enjoyable.”

Aaron was also fortunate to learn from Dr. Katie McShane and Dr. Domenica Romagni, “world-class professors who were not only knowledgeable but also passionate about their disciplines. Their classes were fun, engaging, and challenging.” Aaron highly recommends studying Philosophy at CSU due to the excellent professors and diverse range of interesting classes.

Outside of philosophy, Aaron has a strong interest in sports analytics, having taught two classes on the subject, collaborated with the CSU softball team, and attended a baseball analytics conference in March. Aaron recently collaborated on a statistical analysis project analyzing the 2020 PhilPapers survey with Josh Brekel, a philosophy instructor, and Jacob Shankles, a statistics undergraduate.

After graduation, Aaron plans to take classes in political science, focusing on international relations and foreign policy. Additionally, he aims to pursue a master’s degree in the philosophy of artificial intelligence in the near future.

Ashley Rhoads is graduating with a degree in philosophy this spring. She chose philosophy because it is so broad and “anything and everything can become a philosophical inquiry.”  Ashley credits philosophy for making her a more well-rounded individual. She especially appreciates fine-tuning her critical thinking, problem solving, and logical skills. “These skills are highly sought after and personally, I believe they have made me a better person. I know that whatever I choose to do, my background in philosophy will benefit me regardless of the career path I take.”

Ashley would like to thank and recognize Dr. Nathalie Morasch for her impact on her academic and personal life in many positive ways. During her first semester at CSU, Morasch’s class instilled in Ashley a passion for social metaphysics and social ontology which then became the foundation for her senior capstone thesis. “Dr. Morasch’s devotion to philosophy, feminism, and a positive classroom environment has helped me grow into the independent thinker I am today.”

After graduation, Ashley looks forward to continuing to volunteer at the Loveland Community Kitchen while she gets more involved in local politics to better the community she grew up in. She also plans to continue writing a book of poetry and consider graduate work in philosophy.

Ashley’s advice to future philosophy students is to take as many philosophy classes as you can that are of interest to you. “I am grateful for my time as an undergrad philosophy major and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. Philosophy is so special and truly is underappreciated but the skills you gain from it are unmatched.”

Conrad Schaefer completed his second bachelor’s degree this spring, majoring in philosophy with a minor in creative writing. Conrad’s first degree was in physics, but he was looking for more diversity in his education. He came with an initial interest in Asian philosophies and then discovered a love for all fields of philosophy.

Conrad’s favorite course was environmental ethics at the CSU Mountain Campus—a two-week intensive summer course in the Environmental Humanities program. The course came with some surprises, “The water heater in our section of the mountain campus dorm stopped working. I got used to cold showers, which was an added challenge to the course.”

After working as a caregiver for the past 2 ½ years, Conrad recently left this position to prepare for graduate school—the MFA program in poetry as CSU. He’s excited to teach next semester and write more poetry. In the meantime, Conrad spends a lot of time training his dog, writing poetry on walks, and studying traditional jiu-jitsu and karate. This summer, he plans to garden at a small co-op plot.

 

The Philosophy Department would like to congratulate all our majors and minors graduating this spring and summer!