Interests Worth Pursing

Name
Chris Riley

Graduated
2008

Undergrad
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo – bachelor’s degree in Material Engineering, minor in English, 2013

Graduate
University of New Mexico – master’s and PhD in Nanoscience and Microsystems Engineering, 2017 and 2019

Lion or Unicorn?
Unicorn

Fellow Alum
Lauren Larson ’04, sister

Hometown
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Current Locale
Albuquerque, New Mexico

What do you do for a living?

After logging 11 years in college (and being very happy to be done), I found a position at Sandia National Labs, where I worked as a postdoc for two years. I moved into a permanent staff position six months ago. I work as a nanoscientist and help design and understand new materials at an atomic scale. I’m very interested in materials solutions for renewable energy applications. 

What can you share about your home life?

My fiancée Alysse Lockard and I are getting married this September. We have one great dog named Finley, a Dutch Shepherd mix. Alysse and I met at a country bar in Detroit when I was interning for General Motors during my grad school program. We dated long-distance for a while until I finished. After I graduated and got a job in Albuquerque, she took a big leap of faith and agreed to move out here from Michigan. In our free time, we like checking out new breweries in town and love going to New Mexico United soccer games with my friends from Prep. Alysse and I bought a house last year, so we stay pretty busy with projects in the yard and around the house, too.

At Prep, were you part of any extracurriculars—sports or activities or affinity clubs?

Yes, I played on the soccer, track, and bowling teams.

Did you have a favorite teacher and/or subject?

I always liked the science, English, and art classes at Prep. I’m not sure if I can pick out one favorite teacher, but I really liked Mr. Suding, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Goessl, and Mr. Beamish.

Can you share a particularly fond memory at Prep?

Learning about physics in Mr. Suding’s class was always fun. He did a good job of teaching science concepts through fun activities. He had cool toys to help teach the concepts, like a makeshift hoverboard made from a leaf blower, cardboard circle, and bike tire tubes. He also had these toy torque cars that were way too small for us [to sit in]. You had to crank the steering wheel back and forth to build up momentum and get moving. During free period, my friends and I went to Suding’s classroom to push each other around on the hoverboard or race around the classroom on the torque cars.

Did you interact with your older sister Lauren on campus?

Yes, we would see each other on campus here and there. We carpooled to school for a few years, too, so we would meet up at the end of the day. Her friends were nice and would stop and talk to me around campus when we passed. As a middle schooler, it always felt great hanging out with the older kids.

How have you been in touch with the Prep community as an alum?

I’ve gone back to Prep a few times to play in the alumni soccer game and always realize how out of shape I am compared to when I was in high school! The games are a lot of fun, though. I’ve visited teachers a few times as well. Also, my best friends and I went to Prep. Two have moved out of town, but three are still in Albuquerque. We still hang out and talk often, and we try to go skiing a couple times a year.

What is it about the Prep community that made an impression on you, even to this day?

The faculty and staff at Prep did a really good job of getting me interested in the subjects they taught and providing the time, resources, and guidance to help me pursue that interest. It’s all too easy to set limits for yourself and think you don’t have the time, patience, skill, or energy to accomplish something. I knew I wanted to go into engineering and science by my junior year, but I really struggled with pre-calculus and calculus. My math teachers were willing to meet with me during lunch and after school to work through homework problems until the concepts clicked for me. 

I think Prep really taught me that my career and educational interests are worth pursuing, and that if I’m willing to put in the time and effort to learn, there are people along the way that will recognize my commitment and help me succeed. My parents very much believe in the value of education and always echoed this philosophy.

My undergraduate engineering program was very competitive, and I struggled more than many of my peers, who were naturally brilliant in math and science. Throughout that program and into grad school, I put a lot of time and effort into mastering scientific concepts and putting them into practice. It was often a daunting experience. I always had a lot of confidence from my experience at Prep, though. [I believed] that the degrees I wanted to pursue were worthwhile, that I can succeed if I’m willing to put in the effort, and that there are great teachers and mentors out there happy to match that commitment.

I think having a positive middle and high school experience set me up to complete those college programs. Now, I genuinely look forward to work each day and love what I do. I think Prep played a big role in making that possible.

If you were pitching the idea of Prep, what would you say?

I think that the Prep faculty and staff all genuinely want to see their students succeed and find that future career path they are passionate about. Prep provided a very positive place to learn. As much as high school years can be an awkward growing-up period in life, I have a ton of good memories from Prep. 

Read More Sundevil Stories