Did you know that transfer students make up the majority of CU Denver’s undergraduate student body? To help these—and all—students succeed, we have resources and services that cover everything from academics to belonging and well-being.
To learn more about the experiences of our transfer students, below we’ve shared snapshots of three learners—a current student and two alums—who met their moment at CU Denver. From a professional skier turned aspiring architect to two individuals who found their passions through research opportunities, these Lynx exemplify how CU Denver supports students at any stage or phase of their lives.
If you’re thinking about transferring to CU Denver, we’re here to help you get started.
Meet Luis (Carlos) Gutierrez
Born and raised in Denver, Luis Gutierrez wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after high school. He dabbled in music before starting at the Community College of Denver. Then, he transferred to CU Denver and applied his music skills to electrical engineering. “I realized that what I liked about music was the technicalities,” he said.
Gutierrez was looking for a research opportunity on campus and got connected to Nam Bui, an electrical engineering professor who later became his advisor. Over the course of the 2024-25 academic year, Bui, Gutierrez, and a research team with peers from CU Boulder worked on creating a 3D video conferencing technology. Gutierrez focused on the physics behind the display, which rotates 360 degrees so that the virtual subject appears to be in the room.
His team’s research is expected to advance the way people connect by creating a multi-dimensional experience. “The difference between [our technology] and holograms is that with a 3D display, you can see all angles of it … so that people can see and interpret digital media,” Gutierrez said.
Read more about Luis Gutierrez.
Meet Hunter Carey
At the age of 15, Hunter Carey joined the U.S. Ski Team and traveled the world for trainings and competitions. His talent in park and halfpipe—also known as freestyle skiing—earned him a silver medal in the Youth Olympics and three national championship titles. But a serious head injury made him rethink his future.
When he turned 21, Carey decided it was time for a big shift. He started his higher education journey at Red Rocks Community College and transferred to CU Denver because it offered just what he was looking for: an architecture program that was close to his family, the mountains, and skiing. What he found was much more than that—a strong sense of comradery with his classmates and opportunities for real-world projects that would fuel his future career goals. “You bond with your cohort and really get to know each other and become best friends through architecture,” Carey said. “The diverse community in my studio [offered] a wide range of ages and different perspectives that you may not get at a different school.”
After graduating in spring 2025 with his bachelor’s in architecture, Carey headed to the University of California, Berkeley, to get his master’s degree in architecture with hopes to someday join a firm that focuses on climate-friendly projects in underrepresented communities.
Meet Larry Blackshear
Raised in Aurora, Larry Blackshear always knew he wanted to go to college. He started at CSU Pueblo, which was where he got his first exposure to education policy through an internship. Missing a sense of community, he transferred to CU Denver and got a job, again in education policy, at a local organization.
His passion for public policy and Spanish fueled his research at CU Denver. For a year, he and his mentor analyzed data collected from students in the university’s Spanish program to determine common themes, barriers, and needs, and to identify opportunities to foster more community engagement and career readiness. “To me, there was this big problem staring me in the face. … [There is] not a lot of support for [second language] learners in many [K-12 and postsecondary] schools,” he said.
As part of his research, Blackshear helped start CU Denver’s Spanish and Linguistics Student Association (SALSA), which is a student-led organization dedicated to promoting Spanish language education and multilingualism.