The Maverick magazine is a great way to stay in touch with current events at your alma mater, old classmates and the bright future of Colorado Mesa University.
Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1080357
ALL RISE FOR THE NEW HONORABLE JUDGE RHONDA LAUMANN, ‘89 BY NANCY LOFHOLM District Judge Rhonda Laumann’s senior year at Mesa was memorable — in a high-speed blur sort of way. She was working three jobs while taking 18 to 21 credit hours. She was president of the Law Club and was applying for law school. With the encouragement of a professor, she was accepted to law school at the University of Puget Sound, now Seattle University, where she earned a law degree. This fall, Laumann went on to earn a place on the Washington state courts as a district court judge presiding over South King County, the largest geographic district in Seattle, Washington. Laumann can now laugh about the somewhat circuitous educational path that led her there. Her mother owned a kitchen store and her father worked for a phone company in Grand Junction, so she initially started college as a business major. That ended when she “did really badly in accounting.” She then loaded up on classes in line with her many interests: sociology, psychology, history and political science. Political science and the path to lawschool won out when she realized that being an attorney could be “fun” as well as lucrative. “I went to law school sort of on a whim,” Laumann said. “I thought it would be fun to be a lawyer. A friend’s father was a lawyer and he said that he loved to go to work every day.” Laumann has now practiced law for 25 years. Since 2012, she has also served as a judge pro tem in various municipal and district courts around the Seattle area. At the same time, she raised two daughters as a single parent and found time to be active in legal groups that mostly focus on helping women and minorities, and on teaching attorneys to be better at trials. Laumann ran unopposed for district judge this fall and won the position with the endorsement of more than 150 other attorneys and judges — the latest step in a busy life that has rarely slowed down since her time at Mesa. Laumann said her work ethic has never changed, “I’ve just worked really hard all my life to be better.” • James Arrieta, ‘05 & ‘08 James has worked in the local credit union industry since 2001. He completed his internship with a credit union and worked there throughout his time at Mesa. He worked in almost every aspect of the industry and is currently managing the Sooper Credit Union, Grand Junction branch. James said this position allows him to put his 17 years of experience to work and help the organization grow. He enjoys building relationships with people and making a positive impact on their financial well-being. Looking back at his time in school he remembers his most valuable experience when he created a business plan for his own credit union in Thea Chase’s entrepreneurship class. James was married in 2006 and has three kids. Garrett Branson, ‘05 Garrett is teaching Spanish at Steamboat Springs High School and is married to another Spanish teacher at the school. They are raising their children bilingually and recently spent a month in Colombia as a family. He hopes to have a student teacher from CMU someday. He spends his free time playing in the snow, cycling and being terrible at Fortnite. Matt Galloway, ‘06 Matt is working for Globus Family of Brands as their group business development manager. After 11 years working with group reservations, marketing and sales support, he is now the direct sales representative for group clients throughout the Mountain Time zone. He helps organize domestic and international tours for all types of groups. Matt has been an avid traveler since summer road trips as a child, so majoring in travel and tourism at Mesa and working in the industry has always been his goal. Having traveled to all 50 states, half the provinces in Canada and more than 20 countries and counting, travel isn’t just a career choice for Matt but a passion that only keeps growing.