The Fort Lewis College experience is like no other. In the process of earning our degrees we, as alumni, have had a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We met good friends, shared good times, and learned about life. While at Fort Lewis College, some of us completed 180-degree turns in our career aspirations; others successfully found a path where once there was none. For 1997 alumna, Joy Wilson her Fort Lewis College experience provided her with the tools for musical success.

Joy came to Fort Lewis College in 1993 because it was "far away from home (Ohio), the scenery was beautiful, the size of the town was perfect, and there was good ju-ju in the air." She decided to stay here because she did well academically and felt a sense of belonging. During her stay, Joy got more than a degree in art and a teaching certification. She was also given the freedom to develop her passion for music.

Some of you 90's alums might remember Joy from the local music scene. Her soulful "alternative-funky-folk-rock" performances at local venues throughout the mid to late nineties led to the development of her record label, Yu Go Girl Records, and the release of three albums. Throw into the mix a collaboration with another Four Corners music sensation, Earthtone, and you have the music of Joy Wilson. Joy's ability to share her music with a live audience didn't start without some bouts with stage fright. Her comfort on stage is a direct response to her time in the Teacher Education Program.

Joy feels that her experience in the Education Program and her teaching certification directly parallels performing. "In both professions you need to engage an audience, be an effective communicator, and relay a message." Her classes as a freshman put her in the spotlight for the first time with public presentations and speeches. "This was excruciatingly painful, but I became increasingly comfortable with being on stage once I had the foundation to speak publicly."

When not in class, Joy began to hunt out places with good acoustics in order to practice her singing and guitar playing. From her practices in the Palmer/Escalante laundry room, and late nights in the chapel, Joy moved on to coffee house performances, and Weekend Wipeout. With this experience under her belt and her first album Vegetarians Shouldn't Work in a Deli (1994), Joy moved on to the downtown music scene. As Joy gained a following from her live shows, on campus and off, she began to compile the material for her 1997 release, You Had to Be There.

You Had to Be There was well received by fans of the Four Corners music scene and led to Joy's collaboration with Earthtone. She rocked the music scene with them for two years and contributed to the vocals on their self-titled 1998 album. Soon after the album release, Earthtone decided to part ways. Joy wanted to continue making music and asked former Earthtone bassist Jim Belcher and drummer Dave Sachs to join her and form the Joy Wilson Band. It was a combination of Joy's solid fan base, remarkable songwriting, Dave & Jim's tremendous musicianship, and excellent shows that led to work on the 1999 album, Reber's Lesson.

While the songs on Reber's Lesson reflect Joy's personal growth through experiencing life's ups and downs, there is an actual lesson behind the title of the album. For those of you that didn't hang out on the north side of campus, Mick Reber is a nationally known sculptor and painter in addition to being an Art Professor at Fort Lewis College. Joy took an Advanced Painting class with him during her last semester in school hoping to absorb some of his artistic wisdom.

"I will never forget the Tuesday afternoon that Reber came to class with a bag full of lemons. He passed out the lemons and told all of us to get to know our lemon." The students were to take their lemons with them everywhere for the next week and then bring them back to class. When the students got back to class their lemons were gathered, put into a bag, mixed up and dumped out on a table. "We were instructed to find our lemon. I was surprised to recognize mine immediately. A week ago they all look the same, but now my lemon, my week-long companion, was glowing in comparison to all the other ordinary yellow citrus fruits." Joy had learned Reber's lesson. "All mundane things still have the potential to be extraordinary with their own details and characteristics. It's simply a matter of allowing yourself to see these nuances."

Along with Mick Reber, Joy cites Gene Taylor, Joe Lounge, and Farren Webb as professors that influenced her life. At Fort Lewis College, "I learned to articulate and argue ideas, solve problems, be passionate and, all the while, have fun." With all this in mind it is easy to see why Joy couldn't spoil just our little corner of the world with her music.

In 2000, Joy moved to Portland, Oregon in the pursuit of bigger venues and the exposure necessary for her budding musical career. "It was tough when I first moved here. The experience brought about a lot of new songs." Once settled in with a new line-up, Joy hit the Portland music scene with renewed vigor.

One club owner gave her a break and booked her but told her that if she couldn't fill the venue, she wouldn't be booked again. Joy set to the task with the passion and determination that developed at Fort Lewis College. She went busking everyday, passed out handbills, and ultimately filled the venue. She has played there several time since that day.

In August of 2001, a WNBA player that had seen one of her shows approached Joy. Vanessa Nygaard, a forward for the Portland Fire, asked Joy to sing the National Anthem and perform at halftime during a game against the Lost Angeles Sparks held at the Rose Garden Coliseum. The game and Joy's performance were televised on ESPN. Since this performance, Joy has performed a the Bite of Portland (a food, wine and music-based fundraiser for the Special Olympics Oregon), and participated in the Daisy Chain Music Festival (The largest gathering of female fronted acts in the Pacific Northwest), all while booking shows at Portland venues. Last October, Joy even managed to squeeze in a trip back to Durango.

These days Joy is still beating down the door of the music scene. She is performing in Portland, writing songs, working on a book, and has recently started Sassy Frau Press, a publishing company. All of this in addition to creating her fourth solo album, In the Meantime.

Joy Wilson's career is an example of all the tools a Fort Lewis College education can give you. She saw "good ju-ju" for her in Durango and at Fort Lewis College. We continue to see good things for her as an alumna.