You Don’t Have to Be a Student to Learn at Aims

One of the most surprising things I discovered over the years is that education isn’t confined to credit hours or traditional classrooms. In fact, some of the most meaningful learning moments happen outside of what we think of as typical coursework. 

Learning is a lifelong pursuit. That’s why Aims Community College keeps investing in a wide range of opportunities for community members to engage, grow and connect. 

Many come to Aims to explore interests with Continuing Education or customized training through Corporate Solutions. The Community Lab is a free makerspace where people of all ages can explore, design and transform their ideas into reality, whether crafting by hand or building high-tech innovations. This focus on the whole community is one reason the Board of Trustees approved the Aims Workforce Innovation Center, set to open in 2026, to provide an open door to access the latest technologies, virtual reality and more. 

One of the most transformative ways Aims opens its doors to the public is through special events like the upcoming Spotlight Speaker Series. This four-part series, held in the Aims Welcome Center, will feature nationally renowned thought leaders, authors, athletes, and changemakers. These live events are not just open to all, but are designed to ignite meaningful conversations around leadership, perseverance, innovation, and living with purpose.

Season tickets are now available to hear these compelling voices in the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. In September, we’re welcoming Dr. Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist and bestselling author; her TED Talk, Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are, is the second-most popular ever. Later this year, Leif Babin, a former Navy SEAL and co-author of Extreme Ownership, will pass on leadership lessons learned on the battlefield. Next February, Dr. Myron Rolle will speak on the vital inspirational figures in his journey from Rhodes Scholar to NFL player to pediatric neurosurgeon. To wrap up the series in March is Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot known for the “Miracle on the Hudson,” on which the Tom Hanks film Sully was based; he’s also an alumnus of the University of Northern Colorado. 

Their stories aren’t just inspiring, they’re instructive. They offer frameworks for resilience, character and community impact that ripple far beyond a single evening.  Learn more about it at spotlightspeakerseries.com.

In a world increasingly divided by noise and distractions, these in-person encounters ground us in something different: perspective. They remind us of what we’re capable of, how much we still have to learn and why we must keep growing together.

The Aims Board of Trustees is proud to support a place where that dialogue happens. It isn’t only for local students but also our neighbors, colleagues and friends across Northern Colorado. So you're invited even if you’ve never taken a class here. Be part of the conversation. Attend a talk. Bring a friend. Leave with new ideas and a renewed sense of purpose.

Because at Aims, you don’t have to be a student to keep learning. You just have to be curious.