The short version of why Nyra is here is that she fell in love with the Wyoming sky, always finding it a near occasion of wonder. Nyra first visited Wyoming in 2017 to see the total solar eclipse, after using her best rhetoric to persuade her family that it made sense to travel to a state which they barely knew existed just to look at the sky. That rhetoric came in handy again once Wyoming Catholic College came into the picture; Nyra was sold as soon as she heard about the books, bears, and tech policy, but her parents needed a little more convincing before sending their only daughter halfway across the country to a little school they’d never heard of.

As a student, she learned to put that rhetoric in action, in ink; almost as soon as she realized that she loved writing, Nyra began helping others to hone their craft, and accidentally started the Writing Lab. Meanwhile, she found life at WCC an education in wonder and learned how to really see—the dazzling stars and majestic clouds, the remarkable people around her, and the presence of the Lord in all things. Two dusty summers spent serving on a guest ranch south of Cody helped Nyra feel at home under the mountains and grounded in the American West. She graduated from WCC in May of 2025 with honors and an insistent desire to keep developing the nascent Writing Lab.

Determined never to be bored, Nyra easily fills the rest of her time by baking, compulsively collecting and sending postcards, and singing folk songs. Back in Lander, Nyra appreciates the ability to frequently visit two of her favorite places: the wilderness and the Byzantine chapel. She loves reading sea stories and dreaming of sailing, but she probably can’t leave Wyoming until she learns all the constellations and rock-climbing knots. And sees a bear.