Steamboat Springs Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Colorado Mountain College

In 2002 I was a senior in high school and I thought I had life figured out. I was going to attend CU Boulder, get a degree in Business and then be on my way to a million dollar salary. Oh man, was I wrong. I got denied from CU Boulder, and then I turned to CMC in Steamboat. My parents wanted me to attend "a real college" — whatever that means!

Getting denied from CU Boulder was the best thing to ever happen to me, but it took me some time to realize it. At CMC Steamboat I became my own person, and it was the start of a life, where I made decisions for myself and stopped worrying about pleasing other people, or doing things because it was the "norm." My experience at CMC has shaped who I am today. I value education, but I also learned that you have to be inspired to truly get the most out of your education. Going to college in the Rocky Mountains in a place as beautiful as Steamboat inspired me to take my education seriously so I can get what I want out of life. For me that is quality over quantity.

If I would have attended CU Boulder, who knows where I would be today, but I am fairly sure I would not be at my current job working in the Career Center at Pickens Technical College, helping students everyday. When something happens to them in their life, and they feel it may change their plans forever, I share my story with them, and I always say, "Everything happens for a reason." After CMC I attended Montana State University and received a Bachelor's in Business Administration, then I went on to University of Phoenix and received my Master's Degree in Education.

Maegan Carney maintained impressive academic and athletic records while a student at Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs. She was the National Collegiate Ski Association slalom and overall ski champion in 1988 and 1989, and was named the national student athlete of the year both years, with a 4.0 GPA.

Maegan says her days at Colorado Mountain College were foundational. “A lot of people see CMC as a stepping stone to greater projects, which is wonderful,” she says, “but I also want to remind people that it is an incredible experience in and of itself. When I was a student, CMC was full of brilliant professors who truly cultivated our minds, but more importantly, I knew that they really cared about us. My teachers nurtured me as a whole person and my time at CMC was clearly the best years of my formal education.”

After graduating from CMC, Carney transferred to the University of Colorado, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, with honors. She then went on to earn a master’s in counseling psychology from Naropa University. She continued to excel at skiing, becoming the world extreme skiing champion in 2001 and 2002. She also spent 21 years as an instructor and course director with the Colorado Outward Bound School, carrying forward lessons learned from caring faculty at Colorado Mountain College.

After earning her master’s degree, Carney went into private practice as a therapist, now residing in Canada.

Gill Thompson: Everything Happens for a Reason

Maegan Carney: National & World Champion

@Colorado Mountain College

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