All64: Every corner of Colorado. CSU connects with every county.
“I really love how integrated CSU is within Fort Collins. … As a student, I feel respected by the community.”
During the 2022-23 academic year, we are highlighting one Colorado State University student or alum from each of Colorado’s 64 counties. The Centennial State’s land grant university has a connection to the diverse lands and people from the counties of Moffat to Baca, Montezuma to Sedgwick and everywhere in between.
Annelise Pelletier
Major: Biochemistry
Why I chose CSU: CSU allowed me to have access to programs and social life that is much more expansive than it is in a small town like Gunnison. I wanted the opportunity to make tons of friends and expand my education to the fullest. CSU’s agriculture background means that it has a wide breadth of majors in life sciences and natural resources, both areas that intrigued me for study. With many options in case I wanted to alter my major, it seemed like a smart school to choose. Socially, CSU seemed like a good fit for me as well. I had heard good things from people that I knew who went to CSU and purely the fact that I would have many peers made me excited! Not only would I be making new friends, but I would be having new experiences with them in the same state that I love. I hoped to find people that I could enjoy the outdoors with and who came to CSU to do so. All of the above assumptions have come to fruition and here I am, enjoying my last semester!
My favorite thing about CSU: I really love how integrated CSU is within Fort Collins. Not only is student life tightly tied to the Old Town bars and restaurants, but businesses offer great career-related experiences for students. As a student, I feel respected by the community and comfortable to enjoy what the city has to offer.
Scholarships/awards in college: Colorado Merit Scholarship, Aggie Scholar Award, Honor Scholarship, Dean’s List
Clubs/organizations in college: Club Women’s Ultimate Frisbee, Striders Running Club, Presidential Leadership Program, University Honors Program
Favorite instructor: William Timpson taught my HONR193 class, centered around sustainability, and I enjoyed it so much because of the projects we talked about. Professor Timpson’s energy in explaining the developments toward a sustainable world was contagious and got my peers and I excited to learn more.
Favorite achievement in high school or college: Hiking a 14er fully barefoot! Seriously though, I am proud to have been published in the Journal of Virology as an author in a paper that was compiled by the biochemistry lab I worked in at CSU.
Career goals: Most students that pursue a degree in biochemistry want to go to medical school or work in labs studying cells or viruses, for instance. Instead of these, I hope to combine my biochemistry background with wildlife or ecological studies. Rather than spending all of my time in a lab, I would love to collect samples in the field and then study them in the lab. One potential avenue to combine biochemistry and ecology would be to study chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, which is caused by a prion.
Favorite NOCO food or hangouts: Walrus Ice Cream, Road 34 Deli and Tavern, Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewing, City Park with the food trucks on Tuesdays in the summer
Favorite CSU tradition: I love the different colors everyone wears on different game nights. The men’s basketball team especially gets everyone hyped up and it’s so fun to feel a part of a green sea.
Quirky fact: My favorite sandwich combines the two most classic sandwiches and has peanut butter, jelly, cheese and turkey. It is amazing!
What do you tell people from Gunnison County about CSU: I spout great things about CSU when I’m home, including how there is a great sense of community despite being a huge school. I tell my friends still in Gunnison about how it is so easy to find friends and people with similar hobbies as me!
Something to know about Gunnison County: Gunnison is one of the coldest places in the Lower 48 and as such a lot of people don’t stay long. But this is great for those of us who want to enjoy the great outdoors without the crowds!
Role/Influence of CSU Extension in Gunnison County: CSU Extension has a large presence in the 4-H community, which involves many students in Gunnison. I had great experiences raising cashmere goats as a part of 4-H!
CSU’s All64 Project
Read about more students or alums in Colorado connected to all 64 counties. Explore all the questions and answers from every corner of the Centennial State.