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)
✨🎓 Congratulations to our incredible 2025 MSU Puksta Graduate, Victor Delgado! ✨🎓
🌟 Upon joining the Puksta program, Victor led an initiative to get an RTD bus line on campus. When the administration didn`t support his efforts, he applied for student government. In this role he served as the main connection for undocumented student support, and became the co-chair of sustainability where he managed an 8k budget, supported a menstrual product initiative, and planned both Earth Week and Homelessness & Hunger Auraria Awareness Week. Victor also sat on the Student Advisory Committee for the Auraria Board of Directors to advocate for undocumented students and participate in a selection committee for architects for a new Tivoli student union.
👏 This year, Victor was selected for the Boettcher Student of the Year award and Espiritu of Aztlan award at MSU!
🚀 Moving forward, Victor plans to focus on developing his career now that he`s received his physics degree! Here`s to Victor`s remarkable achievements and his bright future ahead!
✨🎓 Congratulations to Rediet Ayanaw, a proud DU graduate and now Puksta Alumna! 🎓✨
🌟 Rediet spent the last year serving as an IT Coordinator and mentor at College Track, helping students navigate technology and build confidence in their creative abilities. She led weekly “Apple Bites” sessions where she guided high school freshmen through the process of planning, designing, and prototyping their own mobile apps. Rediet also contributed to ScholarSprint, a new initiative that encourages students to set ambitious academic and personal goals. While the program is still in development, she has been involved in shaping its early structure and providing feedback to ensure it reflects students’ needs and aspirations. Her time at College Track has been rooted in community, growth, and helping students see what’s possible for themselves.
🚀 As Rediet embarks on her journey to pursue a masters` degree in Business Analytics at CU Boulder this fall, we celebrate all that she has achieved and look forward to her continued impact in the technology field!
#PukstaProud #Puksta Foundation #PukstaGraduates2025 #DU #CommunityImpact...
✨🎓 We`re celebrating our amazing 2025 Metropolitan State University Puksta Graduate, Artemis Douglas! 🎓✨
🌟 Artemis aligned her Puksta project with the work of her undergraduate thesis. She worked with various mentors to create an original research study that demonstrates the risks and harms trans women face and how wide-spread those risks are. Using a methodology of "ask trans women and believe them" and a lens of harms and spaces, she successfully demonstrated transfeminized and classical precarity as something that is applied and enforced, on to trans women on the axis of their gender. No prior academic literature has done this- and her thesis is now under review at an academic journal for future peer-reviewed publishing. Artemis presented this work 4 times this year, and she`s working on a monograph which is essentially a book-version of her thesis for either self- or peer-reviewed publishing!
🚀 After taking a well deserved break this summer, Artemis will be moving to Dublin in August for a graduate program in Gender, Politics, and International Relations. She may also consider a concurrent graduate program focusing on transfeminism from a disciplinary lens of philosophy and literature.
🎉 Congratulations, Artemis! We look forward to seeing the continued impact you will make in your community and beyond!
🌟 During her journey with Puksta, Autumn created resources for the community regarding Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and trauma healing. She developed a google site to make these resources more obtainable from anywhere in the U.S. Her resources include getting involved in the community to help aid trauma healing and supporting your local community. Autumn shared that her project "was influenced by working at the Ute Mountain Ute summer camp and seeing the children who have already faced hardship. I wanted to give resources to ensure they follow the correct path and can heal from their trauma."
🚀 Autumn is taking time to rest after graduation before she begins her career working with animals, specifically fish! Join us in celebrating her accomplishments and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors! 🎉 @autumnspirit33
✨🎓 Mayra Luna...proud Puksta Scholar and now Graduate of the University of Colorado Denver! 🎓 ✨
🌟 During her last year of the Puksta program, Mayra worked with a future center counselor at the high school she graduated from to help seniors apply to colleges and utilize the future center on campus. She facilitated a workshop and promoted MSU for any senior interested in applying and learning more about the school. Mayra was excited to engage in this work, because as a first generation student, she knows how hard it is to navigate the transition to college and that it is easier with the help of a mentor.
👏 Join us in celebrating Mayra`s achievements and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors!
🎉 John and NiChel had this year`s graduates over for a very special evening on Tuesday to celebrate their accomplishments! 🎉 Each graduate received a Puksta alumni pin and they were welcomed into our growing network of almost 400 alumni! Then, they all enjoyed dinner over laughs and lively conversation at Nana`s Dim Sum & Dumplings 🥘💞 Congradulations graduates, we are so proud of your evolution as individuals and contributing community members!! 👏
✨🎓 Cristal De La Torre...proud Puksta Scholar and now graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder! 🎓✨
🌟 Cristal spent the last year collaborating with one of her peers to present to create a financial literacy basics presentation for high school seniors and University students, specifically targeting groups of underrepresented individuals. They covered topics such as budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing, and planning for the future while integrating interactive videos, worksheets, and online simulations to help their students grasp the material. Cristal and Mariajose are proud to be the support they needed when coming to CU Boulder. 💞
🚀 Moving forward, she is pursuing a career to be a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley. We are so excited for you Cristal! 👏 @cristal_dlt.23
✨🎓 Congratulations to Paige Perricone, a proud CSU graduate and now Puksta Alumna! 🎓✨
🌟 This year, Paige worked hard to establish programs promoting resilience and protective factors for LGBTQ+ homeless and foster youth in a Denver-based LGBTQ+ homeless shelter. She worked with Dr. Kevin Powell to develop specific programs around engagement in social services and community-building activities. They were able to give two full seminars to the support systems (parents, friends, teachers, etc) of the youth at the homeless shelter, as well as host a community picnic potluck, and an arts & crafts day for this upcoming pride month.
🚀 Future plans: Paige plans to apply for graduate school and continue working at a crisis line for suicide prevention and sexual assault & domestic abuse survivors.
👏 Join us in celebrating Paige`s incredible achievements and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors! @rampaige687 #PukstaProud #PukstaFoundation #PukstaGraduates2025 #CSU #CommunityImpact #LBGTQ+...
Puksta passages concluded this year with a fabulous celebration at DU 🎉
Congratulations to our graduates, 🎓 Jay Keodonexay, 🎓 Zoe Stelzer, 🎓 Rediet Ayanaw, and 🎓 Samantha Rodriguez! We are rooting for you as you transition out of your undergraduate experience!
We also had the lovely opportunity to hear some words of wisdom from Zoe Grisez, 2023 DU Puksta Alumni. Thank you for sharing your insightful reflections with our new and current scholars 😍
The event was bittersweet this year as we also said goodbye to John Macikas, our DU Puksta Coordinator. John, you`ve made such an impact on our scholars and the program - thank you for dedicating your time and talents to Puksta these last few years. 🙏 Congratulations on your promotion, we will certainly miss you and wish you the best!...
The MSU Puksta Passage is always a special event as we get to hear from each scholar about their civic engagement experiences. This year, scholars provided social and academic support at Thomas Jefferson High School, offered financial education, engaged in research to create new literature and improve the discourse involving trans women, participated in student government, and supported first-generation students, undocumented students, and veterans!
We also got to welcome our incoming scholars, celebrate our fabulous graduates, 🎓 Artemis Douglas & 🎓 Victor Delgado 🎉 CONGRATULATIONS 🎉, and hear some beautiful words of wisdom from Duvia Ortega, MSU 2022 Puksta alum!
Wow, we truly enjoyed hearing the insights that all of you have gained from dedicating your time and energy to your community 🤩😍...
📣 🎓 Graciela Leal, MSU Puksta Alumni, just graduated with her Master`s degree in Social Work from Metropolitan State University! Congratulations 🎉 We are so proud of your achievements and the ways in which you`ve continued to contribute to your community beyond your time in Puksta - and LOVE seeing you repping your Puksta cord one more time!...
The CSU Puksta Passage was truly a special evening!
We celebrated our fabulous graduates, 🎓 Miguel Eduardo Lopez, 🎓 Autumn Wilson, and 🎓 Paige Perricone, as well as our continuing scholars who are addressing food insecurity on campus, supporting refugee students in higher education, bridging cultural divides, and much more! 🎉
We also had the honor of hearing from Puksta alumni Vera Asuamuzuah! In 2011, Vera received the Puksta scholarship and set a goal to provide a clean, reliable, and convenient water source to her village of Potomu, Ghana. In 2014, Vera oversaw the installation of a bore hole well and hand pump in Potomu, thanks to her dedication and hard work to fundraise and build community around this project - WOW! 🤩...
Congratulations CU Denver graduates, Leo Banuelos-Rivera and Mayra Luna!! 🎉 Leo, we appreciated the heartfelt words and wisdom you shared with us at the Puksta Passage Thursday evening.
It was such a joy to spend time with this group of scholars. They are dedicating time during their undergraduate journeys to support latino immigrants in higher education, address racial disparities in advances high school programs, decrease the digital divide amongst college students, and to engage in harm reduction and substance use prevention on their campus. We loved getting to learn even more about everyone through a fun social Bingo activity!...
📣 Puksta Passages commence this year with CU Boulder 🎉
Congratulations to our graduates: Cristal de la Torre, Mariajose Baca, and Anahi Sarmiento Garcia - 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 youth empowerment, creating opportunities for women in STEM, providing support for minoritized students pursuing higher education, and uniting diverse student organizations at CU. Wow, what an incredible group of scholars!
Nothing brings us more joy than seeing and celebrating you all 💞...
We were so thrilled that Puksta got to share our magic at the MSU Annual Scholarship Celebration Dinner! ✨ Our Founder, John Mulstay, joined Victor Delgando (current scholar), and Karen Nunez Sifuentes (MSU alumni) on a panel during the event program, and Karen gave a fabulous keynote address! Enjoy these highlights from such a special evening:
"That is the power of a scholarship. It`s not just about covering tuition. Its about creating space for students to dream without limits. It`s about giving the freedom to pursue our potential without being held back by circumstances beyond our control." - Karen Nunez Sifuentes
"In 2024, there were 23,000 students that graduated with an undergraduate physics degree and only 5% of them were Latino students. I think that explains why we need people like us in these places. Puksta has allowed me to become a physicist. My sister just said today, "now we have a physicist in the family." - Victor Delgado
"If you have the ability to empower young adults that are looking for a boost up at this time in their lives, amazing things will come from it. Students that we work with know that we care about them deeply, they know that we love them, that we are there to support them, they pick up the ball and they run. And they do incredible work. If you can give, support them financially. If you have time, mentor them. Dive in, lean in. It is the most rewarding thing I`ve experienced." - John Mulstay...
Today, March 9th, marks 25 years of the Puksta Foundation—25 years of impact, community, and unwavering dedication to creating meaningful change. What began as a vision has flourished into something far greater than a scholarship—it has become a family, a movement, and a legacy of service and leadership.
To our 63 current Puksta Scholars and 346 alumni—you are the heart of this program. Your passion, resilience, and commitment to social change continue to inspire us every day. The work you do in your communities is a testament to the power of education, service, and connection.
Harry and Eva Puksta would be so incredibly proud of all that you have done and continue to do. Your efforts embody the spirit of their generosity and vision for a better, more just world.
A special thank you to John—our incredible founder—whose dedication allowed Puksta to not only take root but to bloom and blossom into something truly extraordinary. Because of you, Puksta is more than a scholarship—it is a family that uplifts, empowers, and transforms lives.
And to every mentor, coordinator, university partner, donor, and supporter who has walked alongside us on this journey—thank you for being part of 25 years of caring, impact, and community. This milestone belongs to you, too!
Here’s to the next 25 years of Puksta Scholars making a difference! 💙✨
📣 Victor Delgado, MSU Puksta Scholar, was recently named a 2025 Boettcher Student Leader of the Year Finalist by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, in partnership with the Boettcher Foundation! 📣
Victor is a senior Physics major at MSU Denver. As a student leader on campus, he is an active participant in the Brother to Brother program, is on the Vice President of Student Affair`s student advisory board, and works at the Tutoring Center. He also serves his MSU Denver student body as an elected official to Student Government: The Student Advocacy Council.
Congratulations Victor, we`re so proud of you! 🎉...
🎉❄️ Check out these highlights from our 2025 Puksta Winter Intercollegiate Retreat! ❄️🎉 At the end of January, scholars and staff from all five campuses gathered at the Estes Park YMCA for a weekend of rest and community building. Between a roller skating party, karaoke, family meals, bonfires, and our annual senior skits, fun was had by all...even in below 10° temps 🥶! A special thank you to our fabulous alumni who were able to join: Jorge Lomas (`19), Shannon Coffey (`05), and Lumiere Sidone (`21) 🙏...
We are highlighting our MSU Denver’s Puksta Scholar Divya Bhattarai!
Divya has created a highly informative presentation for high school students regarding financial aid for post secondary education. Divya’s presentation informs students about FAFSA, a variety of scholarships, and the Colorado Promise. Her presentation also has important information about different types of loans such as the federal subsidized, unsubsidized, and private loans. The purpose of this presentation is to encourage high school students to avoid getting into debt.
Post by MSU Denver`s Puksta Social Media Ambassador Montserrat Adame...
