colleen.weeks@arapahoe.edu

During my grammar school years I won many county and state awards in poetry and poster art, but when I became a college student, I gravitated toward journalism. I worked as writer, layout editor, and advertising manager with The South Coloradan, and traveled with the Adams State College Journalism and Literary Magazine departments to attend conferences in Denver and NYC, earning recognition for myself and the publications for which I worked. I served my journalism internship with the Quandary Times in Breckenridge.

I received a B.A. in Journalism from ASC in 1993, and promptly moved to the small mountain town of Creede, Colorado, with my husband to raise our two children. I worked as a marketing specialist for the Chamber of Commerce and created murals and commercial signs for the area businesses. I was involved in a start-up, non-profit Day Care Center for the town, and was also one of many EMT's in Mineral County, as beauty and remoteness go hand in hand. In a town of less than 800, people wear many hats! I was heavily involved in school and recreation department activities. While in Creede, I also spent some time as a ski lift operator and a dude ranch hand. Raising our kids in the mountains was fulfilling, to say the least.

In 2006, I received my M.A. in English Education, and my family moved to this area. I have since taught English, Journalism, and Drama at the middle and high school levels in Agate, CO, and have worked as a substitute teacher for Douglas County School District.

Nothing brings me greater joy than to see students excited about their writing, especially those who didn't enjoy the experience previously. I'm very happy to be here at ACC, and I am also teaching at RRCC.