DU Puksta Scholar Blanche Ndoutou (’22) recently wrote a thoughtful piece discussing her journey and experiences as a Puksta Scholar through the DU Center for Community Engagement to Advance Scholarship and Learning’s “Public Good Impact” newsletter. Reflecting on the evolution of her Puksta project, Blanche explained,
Puksta taught me how to be a leader. It taught me that it is okay for my passions to change in life. I came into the program wanting to work on helping newly arrived refugees adapt to Denver, however, I realized that although I cared about this topic, it was not my strength. I needed to focus on something that I am passionate about and something that I can be good at. Therefore, I merged my criminology major and my Puksta project. I decided to help educate the youth in my neighborhood of Sun Valley, the poorest neighborhood in Denver, about the realities of the criminal justice system in the United States. I realized that I made the right decision when I saw that the youth were learning something from me that might possibly save their lives. This project became personal and I decided that I will be continuing the project in the future by expanding my project to other underserved neighborhoods in Colorado.
We’re so proud of the positive impact of your Puksta Project on the Sun Valley community, as well as your inspiring leadership, Blanche! Thank you for your beautiful words and reflections on your tremendous journey as a Puksta Scholar. We’re so grateful to be part of this family with you.
Read the full article in the “Public Good Impact” Newsletter:
Last week, friends, family, supporters, and Metropolitan State University Puksta Scholars gathered together via video chat to celebrate another *virtual* Puksta Passages event (and Pizza Party)!
The celebration began with the introduction of our newest MSU Puksta scholars, Emanuel Walker and Manna Naumann. We are thrilled to have these amazing individuals join the Puksta Family, and we look forward seeing how they engage with their campus and communities in the years ahead!
The final part of the MSU Passage was dedicated to our graduating MSU seniors, Jennifer Cassidy, Angelica Prisciliano, and Cicilia Saenz. In addition to their fellow Pukstas, Puksta Coordinators and MSU staff joined in as audience members to cheer them on.
Jennifer completed an individualized degree program in Women’s Studies. As a benefactor of the TANF Gateway program, Jennifer sought to ensure that others, specifically people who have experienced interpersonal violence, have the ability to better control their future. For her Puksta project, she explored ways to get computers and related gear to the very people and communities that often have the most difficulty in acquiring these much-needed tools.
Angelica majored in Political Science with a concentration in Public Affairs. She is actively involved in work that empowers and advocates for students regardless of immigration status. Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which currently allows around 700,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors to live and work in the United States. Angelica’s Puksta Project built a strong, student-led network of higher education resources for DACAmented/undocumented communities through United Leaders in Higher Education.
Cicilia majored in Special Education with a concentration in CLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education). She spent her time as a Puksta working to improve special education outcomes for underrepresented communities. This included teaching students and parents how to use what was offered to them, and to help improve their academic outcome. Cicilia’s Puksta work also supported awareness of suicide prevention resources for youths and college males in particular.
MSU Puksta Coordinator Alyssa Marks and former Coordinator Tim Meeks reflected on the growth and accomplishments of Jennifer, Angelica, and Cicilia over the course of their years at Puksta, as well as their ongoing work as change-makers engaging in work to truly make the world a better place for all. Fellow scholars also shared favorite memories and moments of our graduating seniors.
Presenting senior Puksta Scholars with a graduation cord is traditional part of Puksta Passages. However, as the ceremony was moved to a remote format, we had to get creative. Executive Director John Mulstay and Director of Development and Community Outreach NiChel Mulstay arranged for Jennifer, Angelica, and Cicilia to receive their cords at home, and virtually presented the cords to the scholars, congratulating each of them on their accomplishments and thanking them for their meaningful work as Puksta Scholars.
We are truly blown away by the level of creativity, compassion, and forward-thinking demonstrated in each of our graduating and continuing scholars’ projects, as well as their continued commitment to having a positive impact on their communities. Our scholars at DU are mentors, social justice warriors, and advocates for a more equitable world, and we couldn’t be more proud of them!
Thank you to all of the scholars, as well as our supportive attendees, for making this ceremony a success, and for being part of an evening of love and laughter. We’re so proud of all of our scholars– incoming, current, and graduating– and are grateful to have opportunities like this to celebrate, even if it’s virtually for now! This year’s MSU Puksta Passage truly demonstrated that, in spite of the various challenges and uncertainties we’re all currently facing, Puksta is Love.
Best of luck to Jennifer, Angelica, and Cicilia in your journeys ahead, and thank you for being a part of our Puksta Family, now and always.
While we celebrate the holiday weekend, please take a moment to celebrate the life of a true hero and gentleman to the end, Harry Puksta. He lost his sweetheart, Eva, July 3rd, 1999 and died of a broken heart the next day. He never her left side and died on the 4th of July, a day fit for a World War II veteran who served his country with honor. Harry was a salt of the earth man who enjoyed an honest day’s work, watching the rockies and making wine in the basement. Their final wish was to help the the “good kids of the community go to college.” This gift has changed over 300 lives and will continue for many more. The Puksta Legacy will live on in the hearts and actions of the “good kids” they have supported. Thank you Harry — We will all be forever grateful.
When Harry and Eva expressed their simple desire to leave something behind that would help deserving students in Colorado access higher education, they never could’ve predicted the outcome. Now, over twenty years later, the Puksta Foundation has grown to become a family of over 300 current Puksta Scholars and Alumni. In addition to providing the financial support needed to attend university, Harry and Eva’s wish has also brought individuals together and helped them to become compassionate members of their communities and leaders for positive change. “Puksta” has come to mean so many things to our scholars: it’s a community of support, a passion for making a difference, an opportunity to grow, and much more.
21 years ago today we lost a beautiful farm girl from Albion, Nebraska.
She moved to Denver after the war to work at the Veteran’s Affair’s office in Denver. Where she met the love of her life, Harry Puksta.
She was a knitter of owls
She was the bookkeeper for the Puksta’s
She was a warm soul
Now she is the angel watching over all of her Puksta Family.
Thank you Eva, you will never be forgotten!
When Harry and Eva expressed their simple desire to leave something behind that would help deserving students in Colorado access higher education, they never could’ve predicted the outcome. Now, over twenty years later, the Puksta Foundation has grown to become a family of over 300 current Puksta Scholars and Alumni. In addition to providing the financial support needed to attend university, Harry and Eva’s wish has also brought individuals together and helped them to become compassionate members of their communities and leaders for positive change. “Puksta” has come to mean so many things to our scholars: it’s a community of support, a passion for making a difference, an opportunity to grow, and much more.
With summer underway, we have one final graduating Puksta to celebrate!
The Puksta Foundation is featuring “Senior Spotlight” profiles, a special series of posts to honor our graduating Puksta Scholars and their projects. We are truly impressed by the work these students have accomplished as Puksta Scholars, and we are so grateful to have this opportunity to share these profiles with the community so you can get to know our Pukstas a bit better.
Please join us in congratulating these students and wishing them luck in the future!
Today our featured Puksta Senior is Chhorda Vuth, graduating from University of Denver!
As a Puksta scholar, Chhorda’s work involved supporting high school students facing obstacles as immigrants adjusting to new environments. The desire to help these students came from her own experiences with the process of moving to a new country and starting all over with schools and culture. For her project, she hoped to implement a mentorship program for newly arrived immigrant students to help them learn English and ease into the American Culture faster. She shared the following reflections about her Puksta experience:
My name is Chhorda Vuth and I just graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with minors in Chemistry, Psychology, and Sociology. I grew up in Cambodia and moved to Denver at the age of 14. The first few years of my education in the U.S. were really challenging and I wished that I had a mentor to guide me through the process. My experience as an immigrant student motivated me to start researching and implementing a mentorship program for newly arrived immigrant students.
I started this project during my senior year of high school. I went to my previous high school to interview immigrant students and ESL teachers to gain more insight on how I could best support newly arrived immigrant students. I continued to work on this project until my second year at DU. Toward the end of my first year at DU, I started mentoring a newly arrived immigrant student on how to adapt to the culture, school system, and the language.
At the end of my second year at DU, I partnered with DSST public schools on a college access mentorship program. This program matched mentors (college students) with mentees (high school seniors) based on their interests. The high school students were mostly first-generation students who come from a low-income family. I served as a mentor to four students and they are now sophomore at universities. During my junior year, I served as a coordinator for another branch of DSST schools. I worked with the mentors, students, and the school counselors. My responsibilities included advising students on their college essays, applying for financial aid, choosing the right university etc. I also worked with the mentors and the school counselors by sending weekly emails to remind them about our weekly focus and tasks for the students. I received a lot of support from my mentor/teacher during my senior year of high school and I am glad that I could offer the same support to my mentees through this project.
Overall, Puksta has provided me with so many opportunities that I will be forever grateful for and I am so honored to be a part of a passionate and loving community.
Congratulations on the completion of your degree, Chhorda, and thank you for your truly meaningful and impactful work in the community!
We’re recognizing Puksta Alumni Marco Dorado (CU Boulder ’14) for his recent graduation from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington with a Masters of Administration with an emphasis on Social Policy. Additionally, Marco was nominated to deliver remarks as a student speaker at the virtual commencement ceremony earlier this month.
We invite you to view Marco’s speech discussing his passion for public service and emphasizing the implications of policy actions on communities impacted by pressing social, political, and economic challenges. Reflecting on the role responsibility of doing right by the communities he and his fellow graduates intend to serve, he shared the words of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson: “The privilege and the penalty of our education means that we’ll be the pacesetters for political and social thought in our communities. We may not accept this responsibility, but that makes no difference. We’ll still be pacesetters.”
Congratulations, Marco, and best of luck as you continue your truly meaningful and impactful work!
Nicholas Kukucka (CU Boulder ‘14) is excited to have accepted a position as the Director of Programs at the Watson Institute – a reimagined model of education for next-generation innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs – at Lynn University in South Florida. He also recently launched Wanderspark Travel, a blog to inspire others and equip them with the tools to travel with confidence. However, he attributes much of his success to the support he received as a Puksta Scholar.
Nicholas’ Puksta Journey
Puksta played a fundamental role in Nicholas’ personal and professional development. While majoring in International Affairs and Spanish Language & Literature with a minor in Education at CU boulder, Nicholas was welcomed into the Puksta community in his second year of college.
During his 3 year tenure as a Puksta scholar, he worked on a variety of projects that pulled him closer to education. He started work in Colorado State Senator, Mike Johnston’s office as his Outreach Coordinator. Later, Nicholas worked as a Development Coordinator with Educate! before teaching a Service Learning Elective at DSST Public Schools in his final year as a scholar.
Nicholas felt as if he spent most of his time in class learning about all the problems in the world, but didn’t feel like he was equipped to address the injustices he was learning about. Puksta is special because it’s built on the idea that you don’t have to wait until you graduate or until you settle into your career to dedicate yourself to your mission and make a difference.
Nicholas felt like education was crucial to our progress as a society, so he began his career teaching high school at DSST Public Schools in Green Valley Ranch. In his 5 years as a high school teacher, he taught 11th grade Spanish for Heritage Speakers and American History for two years, before jumping into a role teaching DSST’s Entrepreneurial Studies program, to leverage entrepreneurship as a vehicle to equip students with critical skills and position them to lead.
Launching the Wanderspark Travel blog
At the end of the 2019 academic year Nicholas left DSST to take the Entrepreneurial Studies curriculum to other schools outside of the DSST network, but had to pivot. Having also earned his MBA in November, 2019 from UNC Chapel-Hill’s online MBA program, Nicholas decided to take the opportunity to pursue one of his passions outside of work: Travel.
On his most recent trip, he spent 100+ days traveling across 2 continents (Asia & Oceania) and 12 countries. Today, Nicholas is grateful to have had the privilege to have visited 39 countries around the world. However, he recognizes that many people aren’t so privileged.
Yet, Nicholas believes that even though the barriers to travel are real, travel is becoming more and more accessible to people everywhere. Having played such a crucial role in his life, Nicholas loves to encourage others to have their own global adventures. Thus, upon returning from his trip, Nicholas decided to launch the Wanderspark Travel blog.
This is a tough time to start a travel blog because of COVID-19, but Nicholas has been trying to center his articles around relevant topics regardless. Find a few of his first articles here:
The same week he launched Wanderspark Travel, Nicholas began a new job with the Watson Institute at Lynn University, a reimagined model of education for next-generation innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs, where he’ll serve as the Director of Programs.
As everything seems to come full circle, the founder of the Watson Institute was also the co-founder of Educate!, Nicholas’ junior year Puksta project!
Nicholas is excited to have the opportunity to work with Watson’s incredible students, social innovators and leaders from across the globe. Similar to what Puksta did for him, Nicholas is excited to serve the Watson students as they build careers that align with their values and contribute to solving the toughest challenges facing the world.
Stay in touch!
Nicholas would be happy to connect on LinkedIn especially if you would like to learn more about the Watson Institute and how you might get involved. We invite leaders, entrepreneurs, and practitioners to teach Master Courses. We’re also always happy to connect students with mentors or internship opportunities, and we’re in the process of building a career network for our students as they graduate in 2021.
Graduation season may have come to an end, but we’re still celebrating the Class of 2020! The Puksta Foundation is featuring “Senior Spotlight” profiles, a special series of posts to honor our graduating Puksta Scholars and their projects. We are truly impressed by the work these students have accomplished as Puksta Scholars, and we are so grateful to have this opportunity to share these profiles with the community so you can get to know our Pukstas a bit better.
Please join us in congratulating these students and wishing them luck in the future!
Today our featured Puksta Senior is Oscar Saenz, graduating from University of Denver!
Oscar studied Strategic Communications and Marketing. For his Puksta Project, Oscar returned to his former school, Munroe Elementary, to develop a parent engagement and education program. Engaging in the community that he grew up in, Oscar has worked to advocate the importance of pursuing higher education.
In recognition of his strong academic performance, leadership, community service, campus involvement, strong character, and pride in the University, Oscar’s was honored as an Outstanding Senior Student for his strong academic performance, leadership, community service, campus involvement, strong character, and pride in the University with DU’s Crimson & Gold Award. His growth into “a compassionate and conscientious leader focused on centering community voices,” as well as his consistent willingness to mentor and extend support to younger Scholars were both noted in the awards announcement.
At DU, Oscar’s campus involvement also included being a member of the Excelling Leaders Institute Class of 2016, President of Beta Gamma Nu, and participant in the Volunteers In Partnership program.
Reflecting on his Puksta experience, Oscar shared the following:
Puksta has taught me the importance of being involved with my community. Change happens with action, no other way around it!
Congratulations on the completion of your degree, Oscar, and thank you for your truly meaningful and impactful work advancing positive social change and empowerment in the community!
Congrats to three of our graduating Univerity of Denver Puksta Scholars on being recognized as outstanding senior students with the Crimson & Gold award. This award honors individuals or organizations for their continued efforts during their time at DU rather than just over the past year. Recipients of the Crimson & Gold Award demonstrate strong academic performance, leadership, community service, campus involvement, strong character, and pride in the University.
This year, recipients of the Crimson & Gold Award for Outstanding Senior Students including Puksta Scholars James Artis III, Blanche Marie Ndoutou, and Oscar Saenz.
Again, congratulations to James, Blanche, and Oscar on this well-deserved recognition of your work!
As an educational foundation that is intentionally diverse and inclusive, our goal is to foster an environment in which all scholars can have a safe space to learn, grow and empower one another with their work for social justice. We tirelessly work for the ideal that everyone in the Puksta community and beyond are treated equitably.
We are both grateful and enthusiastic to share with you our thoughts regarding the two historic U.S. Supreme Court decisions this week: Monday’s ruling that protects LGBTQ employees from workplace discrimination and Thursday’s decision upholding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. These rulings affirm two populations that the Puksta Foundation has been a long-standing advocate for.
We have many Puksta Scholars and Alumni that are Dreamers carrying the banner for hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients nationwide. I would like to take this opportunity to share the words of one of our alumni, Marco Dorado (CU Boulder Puksta Alumni 2014), who has been an unwavering and a vocal advocate for Dreamers both in Colorado and throughout the United States. Marco is now a Fellow at the National Development Council and graduated last week from the University of Washington with a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Click on the link below to listen to Marco’s thoughts about the impact of the Supreme Court’s DACA decision on Colorado:
As these rulings provide us with a glimmer of hope, the fight is not over, there is still much work to be done. As a Foundation, we are committed to being true to the values of diversity and inclusion that we stand for, creating a more just world for all of us.
Ways to continue to advocate for DACA and LGBTQ rights:
1. Contacting their Congressional Representatives and US Senators to ask for a bi-partisan bill that creates a permanent solution for DACA recipients (and opening the program back up for new applicants)
✨🎓 Please join us in celebrating, Samrawit Shewanargaw CSU Graduate and now Puksta alumni! ✨🎓
Samrawit is passionate about advancing mental health awareness in the Black community—especially how mental health challenges impact Black women and how homelessness can affect mental health outcomes.
Inspired by the growing need for support and understanding in the African community, Samrawit hopes to collaborate with a mental health facility in South Africa to learn from community-based approaches and bring those insights back home. Her goal is to help build awareness, reduce stigma, and expand access to care, while honoring the religious and cultural contexts that shape how many people experience and interpret mental health.
We’re proud of you, Samrawit—congratulations on this incredible milestone and on the impact you’re already making. 💙...
✨🎓 Please join us in celebrating our Puksta graduate from CU Denver, Adriana Fiero Mena! 🎓✨
🌟 During her time in Puksta, Adriana researched the gaps within AP and IB programs—highlighting how many low-income schools are not able to offer these courses. Recognizing that these disparities often begin early, she shifted her focus this year to early education as a way to address education inequities in underserved communities. Adriana also partnered with Kids In Need Foundation to organize and host a school supply drive that helped ensure local students have the tools they need to succeed academically.
🚀 As she looks ahead, Adriana plans to continue growing her business as a nail technician and build a recognizable brand. Her long-term goal is to open her own location with space for her services and stations to rent to other beauty professionals. Further down the line, she hopes to offer nail courses as well.
🎉 We’re proud of you, Adriana—congratulations on your graduation and all you’ve already accomplished!...
On Wednesday evening, we enjoyed a beautiful and inspiring fifth and final Puksta Passage at the University of Denver.
We were honored to hear remarks from Elizabeth Loboa, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, who shared that during our 25-year partnership, Puksta has contributed over $1.6 million to scholarships at DU—helping welcome more than 110 scholars into DU classrooms. ✨
Our DU graduates, Nour Zouhou and Elizabeth Navarro 🎉, shared deeply insightful remarks on their experience in our program and we got to celebrate our continuing scholars and the powerful work they’re advancing in their communities, including:
• Creating pathways to college access with and for youth • Research to support more informed, nuanced conversations about the heavily stigmatized topic of sex work • Education equity for students in special education systems • Food justice advocacy and partnership with local food pantries • Compassionate behavioral health support and advocacy in underserved communities • Writing instruction for incarcerated individuals to help reduce recidivism • Youth development and mentorship • Addressing inequities in health outcomes for Black women • Working toward collective liberation across campus • Community storytelling
We also said goodbye to longtime Coordinator John Macikas. John, thank you for your steady leadership and care—wishing you all the best in your new role as Associate Director of CCESL. We’re very excited to welcome our new coordinator (and Puksta alum) Brendan Teck. We can’t wait for what’s ahead!
And a special thank you to the DU Advancement team for planning such a meaningful event 💞...
🌟 During her time in the Puksta program, Yoseline helped build a coalition that stood up for students’ rights through legislation, meetings with decision-makers, and powerful sit-ins. She also led food drives to support students facing hunger, reminding all of us that community care and advocacy go hand in hand.
🚀 After graduation, Yoseline is heading to Denver to begin her next chapter, with plans to one day attend law school.
🎉 We’re so proud of you, Yoseline! Thank you for the heart, leadership, and courage you bring to all you do. Wishing you all the best in everything ahead!...
✨🎓 Congratulations to Hyab Tekeste, a fabulous Puksta Scholar graduating from Colorado State University! 🎓✨
🌟 During her time in Puksta, Hyab has been focusing on financial literacy support, especially for immigrant and underserved communities. She hosted engaging workshops and conversations around topics like budgeting, credit, and financial planning. She also worked on building partnerships with community organizations to help expand access to these resources.
🚀 After graduation, Hyab plans to continue working in finance while staying involved in community-focused work, as well as her photography work!
👏 Join us in celebrating Hyab`s incredible achievements and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors!...
Congratulations to Puksta Scholars and MSU Denver graduates Alexis Campos & Montserrat Adame! 🎓✨
Today we celebrate not only your graduation, but the care, leadership, and commitment to community you’ve brought to our program throughout your journeys. The Puksta Foundation believes in the power of civic engagement and young people working alongside their communities to create meaningful change. Both of you embody that spirit so fully. 🌟
We are deeply inspired by your passion, the ways you show up for others, and the futures you are helping imagine and build. We can’t wait to see where your leadership takes you next. 💙...
✨🎓 Congratulations Nour Zouhou, soon to be a proud DU graduate and Puksta Alumni! 🎓✨
🌟 During her time in the Puksta program, Nour focused on addressing the erasure and discrimination against BIPOC, queer people, immigrants, and women as well as broad critique of conduct by the US government through individual and community art practices. She has been researching public art as a means of rest and resistance, connecting with other artists, non profits, and galleries in Denver.
🚀 After graduation, Nour plans to do some traveling and try out new hobbies. She looks forward to hiking with friends and making zines!
🎉 Please join us in celebrating all that Nour has accomplished applying her artistic passions and talents to her civic engagement work!...
✨🎓 Congratulations. to our amazing MSU graduate and now Puksta Alumni, Alexis Cardenas Campos! 🎓✨
🌟 During his time in the Puksta program, Alexi worked with high school minority students to build their emotional intelligence and personal development skills. He supported 7-10 non-English speaking immigrant students per month, talking to them about respect, stress management, identity, self-esteem, growth mindset, masculinity, and other personal life topics. He engaged in both group meeting sessions and one-on-one conversations with students.
🚀 After graduation, Alexis plans to continue emphasizing the role of design, art, and self towards the overall approach of existential balance and everyday life. He will bring more cross-disciplinary dialogue and democratization to the role of thought and expression.
🎉 We are celebrating all you have accomplished supporting your students and living your values in our program and beyond! Wishing you the best as you move forward on your journey!...
This year’s Puksta Passage was filled with so much heart. Throughout the evening, our 7 graduating scholars shared personal stories, reflections, and experiences from their time in Puksta that brought many of us to tears. Congratulations Jazzy Ewing, Yoseline Rivera, Hyab Tekeste, Edna Agustin Chavez, Andrea Pereida, Lensa Wako, Samrawit Shewanargaw! 🎓💚 You are a powerful reminder of the relationships, growth, and community that make this program so meaningful.
Before dinner, we had the opportunity to learn from our continuing scholars through their poster presentations and celebrate the important work they are doing. We are so proud of all you continue to contribute to your communities and campus!
This evening was also bittersweet as we said goodbye to Sam Desta, our longtime CSU coordinator. Sam’s impact on generations of scholars and on the development of the program at CSU cannot be overstated. Thank you, Sam, for the immense care, leadership, and love you have poured into this community over the years.
At the same time, we are so excited to celebrate Michael Silvey, who has stepped into the coordinator role this year with such warmth and care already. He has quickly become beloved by scholars, and we are grateful for the future ahead.
What a beautiful night honoring past, present, and future Puksta scholars. 💫...
✨🎓 Congratulations to our incredible 2026 CSU Puksta Graduate, Andrea Pereida! 🎓 ✨
🌟 During her time in Puksta, Andrea worked at the Colorado State Public Defender`s Office, an organization with a long history of providing excellent representation to persons accused in criminal cases when they cannot afford to hire counsel. She was able to meet with 30 clients and help address their needs. She served as a translator to help schedule appointments and shared resources to support them upon their release.
🚀 As Andrea embarks on a new position at New Leaf Family Law Firm as a bilingual legal assistant after graduating, we celebrate all that she has achieved and look forward to her continued impact in the technology field!...
This year’s CU Denver Puksta Passage was a lovely evening in the Wright Room reflecting on where our scholars have been, celebrating where they are now, and welcoming the next chapter ahead. ✨
Congratulations to our graduates, Genessi and Adriana! 🎓💛 Thank you for the ways you have shaped this community during your time in Puksta. We cannot wait to see all that comes next for you both.
We loved hearing from our continuing scholars through thoughtful poster presentations on topics including student mentorship, supporting Latino immigrants in higher education, digital empowerment, and the importance of trees in our ecosystem.
This year also marked a meaningful coordinator transition at CU Denver. We are deeply grateful to Karina De Jesus for the steadiness, care, and organization she brought in helping get the Puksta program established on this campus. We are so excited for the work Megan O’Connor has continued this year, especially the relationships and sense of connection she has built with scholars.
A special thank you to our friends at Appaloosa for the incredible food that helped make the evening feel so warm and welcoming!...
✨🎓 Congratulations to Edna Agustin Chavez, a proud CSU graduate and now Puksta Alumni! 🎓✨
🌟 During her time in Puksta, Edna developed a comprehensive resource guide and presentation focused on improving support for international students at CSU. This included creating a detailed informational toolkit addressing key challenges such as financial constraints, visa limitations, social isolation, and unfamiliar academic expectations. She also conducted informal interviews and gathered survey responses to better understand the lived experiences of international students.
🚀 After graduation, Edna plans to attend law school. She wants to pursue a career where she can advocate for individuals facing barriers in areas like immigration, education, or access to resources to create meaningful community change.
🎉 Here`s to Edna`s remarkable achievements and bright future ahead!...
This year’s Puksta Passage at MSU was a beautiful celebration of community, growth, and impact! We got to congratulate Alexis Campos and Jennifer Montserrat Adame, our graduating scholars 🎉, and were especially moved to hear from MSU alumni David Campos-Cardenas, Alexis’s older brother.
David encouraged scholars: “Don’t forget about your projects when you’re out there — find a way to implement your projects in the real world.” He shared how, as a Puksta scholar, he supported high school students with college applications and FAFSA completion. Today, he owns two tax firms and continues that work of accessibility and care by creating Spanish-language tax organizing tools and helping immigrant and undocumented communities complete ITIN applications free of charge.
We also heard presentations from our continuing scholars and watched an incredible video that Alexis created about the Puksta foundation and our community!
So much pride, love, and inspiration in one room. Once Puksta, a always Puksta. ✨...
👀 Here`s a fun little window into our latest Puksta First Year Experience session! 🤩 We gathered with scholars across all five campuses to celebrate and reflect on their first year in our program, while exploring the fundamentals of working ethically and responsibly in the community. 🙌 We are so excited to see where you all go from here and hope you have a fabulous summer! 🚀...
🌟 During her time in Puksta, Nina worked closely with a local high school and her scholar team to support first generation juniors and seniors as they prepare for the transition to college. Nina has also developed a strong understanding of business operations and has applied that knowledge by launching her own business driven by her passion for wellness and community, while starting and running her own club on campus. Through her work, she strives to break down barriers and provide practical tools and encouragement to help others overcome challenges and pursue opportunities that may once have felt out of reach.
🚀 After graduation, Nina plans on opening her own pilates studio here in boulder, continuing to engage in social impact work and make financial contributions from her own business.
🎉 Congratulations, Nina! We look forward to seeing the continued impact you will make in your community and beyond!...
✨🎓 We are thrilled to celebrate the graduation of Anahi Alvarez, one of our CU Boulder Puksta Scholars!! 🎓✨
🌟 Throughout her time in Puksta, Anahi worked with a local high school and her Puksta Scholar team to support first generation juniors and seniors as they prepare for the transition to college. They engaged in personal research, guided by their background and experience, as well as student interviews to learn about challenges, goals, and needs of this community. Then, the group designed and led workshops tailored to these needs, while also building real relationships with the students. Anahi and her team helped students understand admissions, financial aid, campus resources, and what to expect during their first year of college.
🚀 After graduation, Anahi plans to get a job in financial planning or data analytics within the cosmetics or skincare industry.
Your passion for supporting others and working on your scholar team really shines through, Anahi! We wish you the best as you move forward on your journey! 🎉...
🌟 While in the Puksta program, Jazmyne focused on addressing housing Insecurity of lower income and international students. She worked with Pastor Paul to create a video detailing the situation that Lumin Students go through surrounding the housing insecurity crisis. The video touches up on the recession that many students are facing and the lack of community/family support that these students go through.
👏 We`re proud of the impact you have made in your community, Jazmyne! Join us in celebrating her achievements and wishing her well on the next steps of her journey! 🎉...
✨🎓 Congratulations to Jennifer Montserrat Adame, a proud MSU graduating senior! 🎓✨
🌟 In Puksta, Jennifer worked on the newsletter for the Immigrant Services Program (ISP) at MSU Denver. She familiarized herself with the work that ISP does for their students and was able to spend time organizing resources for their newsletter. She also gave presentations in her social work courses about Immigration which helped her educate her peers around knowing their rights. This gave her space to educate and help other social work students understand how they can support their communities and peers affected by this difficult time.
👏 Join us in celebrating Jennifer`s incredible achievements and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors!...
✨🎓 Congratulations to our incredible 2026 University of Colorado graduate, José Gutierrez! ✨🎓
🌟 During his time at CU, José developed a strong foundation in visual storytelling, video production, and creative direction, with a focus on using film as a tool for community engagement and meaningful impact. He has contributed to projects focused on supporting high school juniors and seniors by promoting awareness around pursuing higher education. He and his team delivered presentations that highlight the college experience and its accessibility while he documented the process. José also served as President of Tau Psi Omega Fraternity, Inc!
🚀 After graduation, José aims to continue growing as a filmmaker while expanding opportunities for storytelling within underserved communities!
Here`s to José`s amazing achievements and bright future ahead! Congratulations 🎉...
📣 Can you believe it`s that time of year again - we celebrated CU Boulder`s Puksta Passage on Thursday! 🎉
Congratulations to our graduates: Anahí Alvarez, José Gutierrez, and Nina Patterson - we are so proud of all you have accomplished!
The rest of the CU Boulder cohort shared poster presentations about their civic engagement endeavors focused on supporting families with autistic children, increasing access to higher education, promoting diversity on campus, support and mentorship for indigenous students, and addressing education inequity. We are so impressed by this incredible group of scholars!
The event was bittersweet this year as we also said goodbye to Ana Contreras, who has served as our CU Boulder Puksta Coordinator for the past 5 years. In Ana`s words of farewell, she discussed acompañera, the practice and embodiment of walking with others. "This requires me to be with students not just as an instructor, but as a bridge, a border broker, being together in humanizing ways. Research has found that the current education system is not equipped to maintain these types of pedagogies. However, Puksta pushes back against the limiting structures of universities." Ana, you have been such a brilliant example of acompañera in our Puksta family, and we are so grateful for that. We wish you all the best 💞...
