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Colorado - Summer, 2009 - Mark Arnoldy faced a life-death situation during his first trip to Nepal in 2007. Severely allergic to nuts, he accidentally ate food prepared with nut sauce.

Unable to reach a hospital because of a countrywide strike, he survived because of a bottle of Benadryl. But his near-death experience helped him empathize with each Nepali child who dies every 14 minutes from poor nutrition and access to treatment.

Ironically, the food that could kill Arnoldy can save thousands of lives and is recommended by international aid agencies to fight malnutrition. Because fortified peanut butter is not a Nepalese diet staple, Arnoldy, with the help of Himalayan HealthCare, spent his summer speaking with rural villagers, aiming to educate people to think of peanut butter as an essential medicine.

“If we cannot guarantee our children the right to a life free of malnutrition, what else in the world matters?” asks the senior psychology major. Learn more at www.nepalnutrition.org or follow Arnoldy on Twitter at markarnoldy and NepalNUTrition.



Fort Collins, Colorado - June 15, 2009 - For Juliana Velez, CSU is all about leadership and making a difference. A junior majoring in Communication Studies from Longmont, CO, Juliana originally hails from Bogotá, Columbia. At CSU she is part of the President’s Leadership Program (PLP)—a leadership development program operated by the Office of Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE).    Read More...


Boulder, Colorado – June 4, 2009 – Mason is a junior majoring in environmental studies and economics who leads the group CU Going Local, an organization that promotes the consumption of local foods as a way to promote sustainability. Naqeeb is a junior majoring in economics with a minor in political science who volunteers as a tutor with the I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County. Both are Puksta Scholars, a CU-Boulder scholarship program that encourages civic engagement as a key part of learning.    Read More...



Boulder, Colorado – June 2, 2009 – Razan is a junior economics major minoring in political science and Bryant is a junior environmental studies major. Both are Puksta Scholars, a program that provides scholarships to students who demonstrate academic excellence and a strong commitment to social and civic engagement (an area for which CU students are becoming increasingly known).     Read More...



Fort Collins, Colorado – June, 2009 – The Puksta Educational Foundation Harry and Eva Puksta, long time residents of the Denver area, were simple people who led simple lives. Although they were very successful in the apartment rental business, they lived frugally and aspired to share their success in a manner that would help others. In 1996, the Pukstas began working with John Mulstay, a financial adviser with Morgan Stanley.     Read More...



Fort Collins, Colorado – May, 2009 – Colorado State student Juliana Velez has a remarkable story to tell about her past – and a future that promises to be equally fascinating.

The third-year communications studies major (with a double minor in ethnic studies and women’s studies) left her extended family in Colombia, South America, to move to Longmont, Colo., 12 years ago. Velez’s acute awareness of the poverty and human rights issues that plague her home country inspired her to make positive change in the world by taking full advantage of all of the opportunities a college education offers.     Read More...



Denver, Colorado – May 15, 2009 – Each year, remarkable members of the University of Denver's student body, faculty and staff make significant contributions to the campus community. The Office of Campus Activities recognizes these individuals and organizations at the Annual Pioneer Awards Ceremony that takes place at the end of each academic year.     Read More...



In May 2007, when US medical student Mark Arnoldy was visiting Nepal he had an experience that would change the course of his life. After eating a paneer dish containing cashews and peanuts, he suffered an immediate allergic reaction. Then a banda prevented him from reaching hospital.     Read More...



BOULDER - University of Colorado at Boulder senior Mark Arnoldy should be preparing for graduation this May. Instead he's preparing to travel to another part of the world.     Read More...



Twenty Puksta Scholars from the University of Denver, and University of Colorado at Boulder, and Colorado State University joined forces on March 1, to participate in the Puksta Foundation’s biannual Joint Service Project at Project C.U.R.E. in Denver.    Read More...

The Puksta Scholars program, a non-academic scholarship program, recruits students who are deeply committed to civic action and willing to perform service that goes beyond basic volunteering. "We want them to really push the envelope by taking on leadership roles and developing projects," Simons said.    Read More...


Coffee lovers who frequent campus cafés are about to be served a more politically conscious product, thanks to a student-driven initiative. This fall, DU will begin serving Green Mountain Coffee, Kaladi Brothers Coffee and Seattle’s Best (recently purchased by Starbucks), all of which buy Fair Trade certified coffee beans.    Read More...


Seven students will receive Puksta scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year. The Puksta Scholars Program is aimed at grooming the next generation of leaders who have a high sense of civic duty, ethical standards and strong academic goals and is provided by the Puksta family with support from the CU-Parent Fund.     Read More...

Thanks to a recent grant of $75,000 from The Puksta Foundation, 12 University of Denver students will be awarded scholarships for the 2008-2009 school year. The Puksta Scholars receive $6,000 annual scholarships, renewable for up to four years.    Read More...

Thanks to a recent grant of $65,000 from The Puksta Foundation, 18 University of Colorado at Boulder students will be awarded scholarships for the 2008-2009 school year. The Puksta Scholars receive $4,500 annual scholarships, renewable for up to four years.     Read More...