All64: Every corner of Colorado. CSU connects with every county.
“I met my wife in (the Walter) Scott Bio (Building); she is not an engineer but she liked studying there because less people would try to talk to her. I was an exception to her logic.”
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.
Ryan Wix
Major(s): Mechanical Engineering (2016 graduate)
Why I chose CSU: I transferred to CSU the start of my sophomore year for the great mechanical engineering program and professors. I originally was studying aerospace engineering and started at Embry-Riddle (Aeronautical University) then transferred to CU-Boulder before finally making the right decision to come to CSU.
My favorite thing about CSU: I met my wife in (the Walter) Scott Bioengineering (Building); she is not an engineer but she liked studying there because less people would try to talk to her. I was an exception to her logic.
Scholarships/awards in college: I received the Silver Medal Award for the college of engineering my graduating year. I received two RMEL Foundation scholarships and had an academic scholarship from CSU.
Clubs/organizations in college: Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity; Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society; Entrepreneurship Ambassadors
Career goals: Pursue my engineering career in the energy industry until I am able to achieve financial freedom through real estate investing, business and other entrepreneurial avenues.
Favorite instructor: Dr. (Steven) Schaeffer because he calls a spade a spade. I really enjoyed all my labs except for the lab reports in Materials.
Favorite achievement in high school or college: I built a 14-foot wooden drift boat in high school and its still floating. I completed my private pilot license during my sophomore year at CSU, and I am still flying.
Favorite NOCO food and hangout places: Café de Bangkok definitely had the best Thai food. Cosmos was my go to for any quick meal and a late night savior. West side was our common hangout during the week: Fuzzy’s, Road 34, Mo Jeaux’s. During the weekend Lucky Joe’s for the live music, dancing, and endless peanuts.
Favorite CSU tradition: Rocky Mountain Showdown, we brought home two wins during my time at CSU. Go RAMS!
Quirky fact about you: I never got a ticket from the CSU bike cops.
What do you tell people from Rio Blanco County about CSU: I love CSU, I love Fort Collins, and I hope our future kids will decide to be Rams!
Something people should know about Rio Blanco County: It is rich with history, it provides the best access into the Flat Tops Wilderness which is the most underrated back country in Colorado, and the river valleys up from Meeker provide an uncrowded escape unlike anywhere else in the state.
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.
