Carmel native wins Western Colorado University’s most prestigious alumni award

One of only eight recipients in 2025

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Carmel native Megan Fortier will receive Western Colorado University’s highest honor for graduates at an awards ceremony on Friday, May 9.

As one of only eight recipients of the 2025 Alumni Award for Excellence, Fortier joins the ranks of Western’s most distinguished alumni, recognized not only for her academic achievement but for her meaningful contributions to the campus community.

“The Alumni Award for Excellence is about more than academic success. It’s about having a lasting impact at Western and beyond,” Director of Alumni Relations Megan West said. “These students have shaped the Western community in ways that will last long after they graduate.”

For the last 28 years, members of Western’s Alumni Advisory Council have met each spring to consider the nominations of students from nearly every department. The committee’s goal is to find the most select group of nominees who have spent their time on campus committed to being the best version of themselves and exemplify what it means to be a Mountaineer.

Fortier graduated summa cum laude with honors in December with a Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Sustainability and an emphasis in Climate Action Planning. Following graduation, she will enjoy the rest of the summer in Gunnison, Colo., before moving to San Francisco, Calf. to start her career in environmental consulting.

“Receiving the Alumni Award of Excellence means that the hard work I put into my education and my greater community has not gone unrecognized,” Fortier said. “Coming from a prestigious high school with a graduating class of over 1,000 students to a small college in rural Colorado, I found it so much easier for students to find their niche in whatever industry or educational realm they find themselves in, rather than simply trying to compete with classmates. That meant I was not only academically successful, but had an impact on my program, school, and the greater Gunnison Valley community.”

Unlike the Latin honors awarded at commencement, the Alumni Award for Excellence recognizes more than a strong grade-point average, although an outstanding academic record is necessary for consideration. It honors students who give their time and talents to make Western the exceptional community that it is.

In addition to being part of the University’s Honors Program, Fortier participated in LEAD Sustainability, which operates FreeCycle, a free, on-campus thrift store, as well as other environmental initiatives. She served as a Student Steward for Western with the Resilience Studies Consortium, working with a network of eight other universities around the world. She was the climate action planning intern for the towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, as well as Western’s first climate justice intern.

“At Western, education is personal. We want our students to be personally invested in their education and in creating the kind of campus experience they want for themselves and their peers,” West said. “Megan is a great example of the kind of student we want to honor with this award.”