FROM THE EDITOR: Milo's Reminder

As a transfer student, it’s hard to remember just how long I’ve been pursuing my education on this campus., but it’s not hard to remember why.

My time at Auraria can be marked each year with Milo’s birthday. Since 2013, each one of my Januarys have been punctuated with celebration for the school spirit we all crave, in the form of the Milo Mile. It also marks the first semester I started at CU Denver.

While I haven’t personally woken up extra early to run around the campus for a free breakfast, the Milo Mile means a lot to me for all that it represents. It’s not just the birth of our mascot—it’s the commencement of when CU Denver decided to enter the big leagues of competitive public research universities everywhere.

And just because we have a non-traditional student body on a non-traditional campus doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate tradition. Our burgeoning sports program, on-campus housing options, and closely knit collection of organizations from SGA to the Sentry—we are more than a commuter school. Our tradition doesn’t just begin with Milo.

It wasn’t because I saw ads on ESPN, or because I couldn’t afford the University of Denver tuition that I decided to transfer to CU Denver. It was because I knew I wanted to be right in the thick of all the action in the Mile High city.

The past four years of my life are characterized by my changing comprehension of the way the world works, thanks to my college education. It turns out the best thing education gives to you, aside from a diploma, is teaching you that you don’t actually know squat.

After a good dose of actualization I go stir-crazy if I don’t do something about it. So, I put myself in the middle of all life’s chaos and confusion that I will never understand, and just started taking strides— this university was the first big stride I took.

It takes getting out there, putting yourself in the right place, and making the right time. Finding a prestigious, affordable college is one thing. Finding a prestigious, affordable college in the most exciting city in America right now is another.

We are lucky. Let Milo’s birthday serve as a reminder of that. For more info on the Milo Mile, check out page six.

—Madi Bates