Seated on olive-green circular ottomans in the lobby of CSU Pueblo’s library, Daniel Rogers and Chico Ryder share the easy rapport of friends who’ve weathered collegiate challenges together. Rogers, sporting a black cap emblazoned with Greek letters and a full beard, gestures as he speaks. Across from him, Ryder nods thoughtfully, his leaner frame topped with a black beanie despite the warm spring day. There’s an unforced chemistry between them that makes perfect sense. They’ve been inseparable since freshman year, when fate or university housing algorithms made them suitemates.

“We’ve been side-to-side,” Rogers says. The path that brought these two California transplants to Colorado, and to the frontier of cannabis research, wasn’t straightforward for either of them. Now their partnership feels like scientific destiny.

“I wanted to be a scientist since I was little,” Rogers says. “But I never thought [cannabis] would be a legit science program.”

California Dreamers

Rogers’ and Ryder’s parallel paths began in Southern California. Daniel hails from Placentia in Orange County, where he graduated early from El Dorado High School through independent studies. His early academic career hit turbulence when a car accident and subsequent job loss during the pandemic derailed his plans.

“I had just moved in with friends and had to move out right away because I lost my hours,” Rogers recalls of the pandemic’s impact on his life. COVID had effectively stripped away his stability, but the chaos ultimately led to opportunity.

Meanwhile, Ryder’s story carries more dramatic weight. Born in England, he moved to Los Angeles with his family at age seven. Three years later, doctors diagnosed him with rhabdomyosarcoma, an exceedingly rare form of soft tissue cancer that manifested in his neck.

“I started on conventional treatment like chemo and radiation,” Ryder explains, his voice steady. “I had my first chemo dose on my mom’s birthday and then my second one on my 11th birthday.”

The treatment ravaged his young body. He stopped eating, required a wheelchair due to muscle deterioration, and eventually needed a feeding tube. “I thought for a while that I never wanted to eat again,” he says.

It was his mother who first investigated alternative treatments to complement the conventional approach. After researching supplements to support his immune system, she discovered studies suggesting cannabis could help mitigate chemotherapy’s side effects.

“After I started vaping cannabis and taking edibles, for the first time in months, I felt like eating again,” Ryder says. “Not only did I want to eat, I was happy. I was laughing. I felt better. I felt normal again.”

His mother’s research eventually led them to cannabis oil, pioneered by Rick Simpson, which they believe not only eased the side effects but accelerated the tumor’s shrinking. “I attribute a lot of my being here to cannabis and cannabis oil,” Ryder says matter-of-factly.

The Uncommon Opportunity

Their different paths converged at CSU Pueblo, drawn by the rarity of the Cannabis Biology and Chemistry program. Rogers’ grandmother, a retired lieutenant from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, spotted the program on a news segment. For Ryder, a high school counselor suggested the program to channel his passionate cannabis advocacy into scientific credentials.

“I saw all the courses, and realized it’s not just about learning how to grow cannabis; you’re coming here to be a scientist and to do research,” Ryder says. “At first, the classes were super intimidating, and I was like, ‘there’s no way I can do this.’ But I knew in the back of my head I really could because of my strong drive and passion.”

Their fortuitous living arrangement as suite mates cemented their partnership. Together, they’ve navigated the demanding curriculum and eventually caught the attention of Samuel Gockel, a chemistry professor who propositioned the research that would become their thesis project.

“He proposed a synthetic route for metabolites of CBD, like what our body turns CBD into,” Rogers explains. “CBD itself has over 140 metabolites. Only two of them have been synthesized in the past, and there have been no receptor studies or anything like that at the cellular level with those metabolites.”

Their research involves creating a “building block” intermediate that would potentially allow scientists to synthesize any of the over 140 CBD metabolites. Rogers focuses on creating this crucial building block while Chico works on making the counterparts.

“The kind of hypothesis here is that most medicines we take, for example, aspirin—what aspirin is doesn’t have any therapeutic value. Once it’s metabolized into something called salicylic acid, then you get all the therapeutic effects,” Ryder explains. “The idea here is to find out if a lot of these therapeutic effects of CBD are from CBD itself or maybe these metabolites.”

Pioneers With Business Sense

CSU Pueblo’s program stands as a beacon in American higher education. It is one of only a handful of cannabis-related degrees nationwide and one of the first master’s programs of its kind. Yet even in Colorado, with its Institute of Cannabis Research, federal funding creates research handcuffs.

“We can’t do any research on THC because it’s federally illegal,” Ryder explains, prompting both students to look eastward across the Atlantic. “There’s a lot more opportunity in Europe right now.”

Rogers has already begun learning Spanish and Italian in preparation for potential PhD programs abroad. Ryder hopes to study under Madrid University’s Christina Sanchez, a researcher whose cancer presentations once mystified him but now fuel his aspirations.

“I’d go to her talks and everything would go over my head,” he recalls. “Now, each year it gets easier to understand the papers. It’s satisfying to become a scientist rather than just preaching what other people have done.”

Their scientific dreams blend with their entrepreneurial instincts. There is hope their research will allow for patent prospecting.

“We’re close to getting one metabolite,” Rogers says. “Even if we’re just successful with one, we could likely patent it, maybe start a company.” He grins. “I’d love to pay off my loans before getting that PhD.”

The Graduation Horizon

As graduation approaches, both their families are traveling to Pueblo for the ceremony—Ryder’s mother and brother from California, and Rogers’ mother, stepfather, sister, and grandmother. They’ll celebrate together with a cookout afterward, marking not just their academic achievement but their status as pioneers in a field still defining itself.

Yet their scientific journey isn’t quite complete. While they’ll walk at commencement, they won’t receive their actual diplomas until they defend their theses. Ryder explains, “We’re going to graduate right now, but technically we’re not getting our diplomas until we defend our thesis.”

They’ll spend the summer completing their research and writing their theses, with defenses planned for the fall semester. Only then will they officially become the first master’s graduates of CSU Pueblo’s Cannabis Biology and Chemistry program.

“We’re the first people with the master’s in this specific field,” Chico says with obvious pride. The significance isn’t lost on either of them—they’re not just students completing degrees; they’re setting precedents and creating templates for future researchers.