The Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Spring Valley campus welcomed community members with a sense of pride during its Portfolio Night on Thursday, April 30, where students in design, photography, filmmaking and integrated media presented their final capstone projects.
The capstone represents the culmination of the academic journey and is an opportunity for students to connect their education with their next professional stage by synthesizing and applying the knowledge gained throughout their degree programs to real-world problems or topics.
Mark Millhone, integrated media program director at Spring Valley, celebrated the graduation of his third cohort of students, describing himself as “humbled and proud.” Speaking about Portfolio Night, he said, “The portfolio night has been our traditional event where we get a chance to invite the community in and the students get to represent themselves as artists and creators.” Millhone emphasized that this event allows the community to meet and support emerging professionals.
Matt Gianneschi, president of CMC, also expressed deep pride in this year’s graduating class. “It is an extraordinary year for CMC and for our graduates. We are graduating the largest class in the history of CMC and the most diverse,” he said. He added that there were 20% more graduates this year across all areas compared to last year.
Gianneschi also highlighted the institution’s national impact, noting that according to national data-based rankings, CMC has been recognized as one of the top 25 community colleges in the United States. “To have a small rural college recognized as one of the best high-performing institutions is an honor,” he said.
Among the students, Maya Berber-Corriero, a recent graduate and now entrepreneur behind Mayan Photography, shared her journey. She began several years ago covering events such as proms and will be photographing her first wedding this summer. Reflecting on her achievement, she said, “It has been a long time coming … 17 years of continuous schooling, it has been a lot, but the last four years I dedicated myself to photography.”
The Portfolio Night featured a wide variety of projects, from magazines and video games to short films and photography books, offering attendees the opportunity to see the world through each artist’s unique perspective.
McKenna Barnhart presented her photography book “The Art of Seeing,” which she described as a collection of images capturing simple yet detailed moments, “I shoot for simple detailed moments that draw my eye.”
Additionally, Ingrid Zúniga, digital editor of Sol del Valle and a graduate of the associate degree program in graphic design, presented her magazine “Nuestras Identidades.” She shared that she felt happy to showcase a unique concept and was satisfied to see how her project connected with different audiences through the use of both languages, as well as color and photography.
Regarding her professional vision, she said, “My goal is to contribute to the community by supporting local businesses and organizations, highlighting the importance of building strong foundations rooted in cultural identity, whether individual or collective, through both digital and print design.”
Zúniga also invited the community to continue getting to know and celebrating emerging artists and creators, emphasizing that the true impact of art lies in its ability to connect. “I believe that today we need a greater human touch in everything we do in order to authentically connect with the emotion behind each idea,” she said.
Finally, Gianneschi reiterated his admiration for the students’ talent, saying he is “blown away by the quality of what they are doing,” and expressed his hope that more people in the valley recognize their creativity. He added that these graduates are now ready to “take these talents and apply them in ways that this community needs.”