All64: Every corner of Colorado. CSU connects with every county.
“After touring several schools in Colorado as a high schooler, I knew I wanted to attend CSU because I felt it was the right fit for me due to the welcoming atmosphere on campus and in Fort Collins.”
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.
Angel McKay Whiteman
Major: Horticulture (2020 graduate) and master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology (2022 graduate); current graduate student at Michigan State University dual majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Molecular Plant Sciences.
Why I chose CSU: After touring several schools in Colorado as a high schooler, I knew I wanted to attend CSU because I felt it was the right fit for me due to the welcoming atmosphere on campus and in Fort Collins.
Clubs/organizations in college: Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) (Vice President of Engagement); Pi Alpha Xi (Vice President/Secretary); Vines to Wines (Vice President, Secretary); Engineering Biology Research Consortium Student and Postdoc Association (EBRC SPA); Tribeta
Scholarships/awards in college: Graduate School Recruitment and Fellowship Award Program Colorado State Graduate Fellowship, CMB Lab Supplies Award, Colorado Garden and Home Show Scholarship, Fortuna Tierra Scholarship
Favorite achievement: Finishing my thesis and receiving my master’s degree.
Career goals: After receiving my Ph.D., I aim to work as a genetic and metabolic engineer to develop novel pathways and products in plants or microorganisms, such as producing compounds beneficial for human health to be used in medicines after purification or to create crops with higher nutritional value.
Favorite instructor(s): While several instructors and classes come to mind, the class Plants and Civilizations taught by Matt Camper was the first class I was really excited about. While the content was very interesting, the passion with which the instructor taught was a large factor in my enjoyment of the course.
I’d like to thank: All the mentors I’ve had throughout my schooling, particularly the lab I worked in as an undergraduate at CSU, the Cancer Prevention Laboratory. The unwavering support I received from my PI and supervisors was a large factor in my decision to pursue graduate school.
Favorite NOCO food and hangouts: Jaws sushi, Colorado Room and Elliot’s Martini Bar.
Biggest adversity you’ve overcome at CSU: As an introvert, I had an especially difficult time moving to Fort Collins from a town of 900 people (Ridgway in Ouray County). It took me about a year to develop the skills and confidence to learn how to make friends and I’ve been improving my social skills since. Now I communicate easily and no longer fear social situations.
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.
