This yearβs 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. β¨
Congratulations to our graduates, Genessi and Adriana! ππ 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 OβConnor 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!
β¨π Congratulations to Edna Agustin Chavez, a proud CSU graduate and now Puksta Alumni! πβ¨
π 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.
π 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.
π Here`s to Edna`s remarkable achievements and bright future ahead!
This yearβs 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 π, and were especially moved to hear from MSU alumni David Campos-Cardenas, Alexisβs older brother.
David encouraged scholars: βDonβt forget about your projects when youβre out there β find a way to implement your projects in the real world.β 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. β¨
π Here`s a fun little window into our latest Puksta First Year Experience session! π€© 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. π We are so excited to see where you all go from here and hope you have a fabulous summer! π
β¨π We`re celebrating our amazing 2026 CU Boulder Puksta Graduate, Nina Patterson! πβ¨
π 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.
π 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.
π Congratulations, Nina! We look forward to seeing the continued impact you will make in your community and beyond!
β¨π We are thrilled to celebrate the graduation of Anahi Alvarez, one of our CU Boulder Puksta Scholars!! πβ¨
π 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.
π 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! π
β¨π Congratulations to our amazing CSU Puksta Graduate, Jazmyne Ewing! πβ¨
π 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.
π 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! π
β¨π Congratulations to Jennifer Montserrat Adame, a proud MSU graduating senior! πβ¨
π 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.
π Join us in celebrating Jennifer`s incredible achievements and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors!
β¨π Congratulations to our incredible 2026 University of Colorado graduate, JosΓ© Gutierrez! β¨π
π During his time at CU, JosΓ© 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. JosΓ© also served as President of Tau Psi Omega Fraternity, Inc!
π After graduation, JosΓ© aims to continue growing as a filmmaker while expanding opportunities for storytelling within underserved communities!
Here`s to JosΓ©`s amazing achievements and bright future ahead! Congratulations π
π£ Can you believe it`s that time of year again - we celebrated CU Boulder`s Puksta Passage on Thursday! π
Congratulations to our graduates: AnahΓ Alvarez, JosΓ© 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 acompaΓ±era, 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 acompaΓ±era in our Puksta family, and we are so grateful for that. We wish you all the best π
Can ya`ll take a moment to please help amazing DU `21 Puksta Alum, Aliyah Williams?! Aliyah is working on a research project in collaboration with some of her colleagues. They are interested in how rest influences the relationship between burnout and hope among Black college students. If you are eligible, please take the survey and share with your networks! https://lnkd.in/eqqed4ZP
With heavy hearts, we remember and honor the life of CSU Puksta Scholar alum, Jada Johnson.
Jada was a bright light in our communityβher presence, compassion, and commitment to making a difference left a lasting impact on those around her. She will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her. Jada had a way of making people feel seen and cared forβtruly an angel in the lives of so many. To know her was to love her.
We hold Jadaβs family, friends, and all who loved her in our hearts during this time.
With love,
The Puksta Foundation π
π£ Shout out to β¨ Will Trevizoβ¨, one of our MSU scholars for being an amazing person and Puksta community member! π We enjoyed a lovely dinner with Will and his partner Louisa last week and are just so proud of him. Will is a Music Performance & Education Major and has been dedicating his time to mentoring East High School students over the last few years. To combine these passions, he will soon join an orchestra program to teach music to low income youth - while also continuing to work with his dad in a mariachi band! He was a volunteer for our 25th Anniversary celebration and always steps up to lend a hand. π Will, we are grateful to know you and support the unfolding of your last year at MSU and the Puksta Program!
Major(s): Software Engineering
βProject Focus: Technology for Social Impact, Digital Literacy Equity, Leadership Development
βProject: My goal is to directly combat the digital divide and ensure educational justice in Denver schools that have high populations of students of color and poverty. This involves securing and delivering essential tech resources (laptops, 3D printers) and implementing hands-on digital literacy classes led by trained educators. This initiative will provide the skills students need to excel in the 21st-century.
βInspiration: My passion is driven by my own experience of witnessing the persistent funding and resource issues at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College (DMLK), which severely limited students` access to digital literacy education and technology. This strengthened my resolve to ensure that no student`s potential is capped simply because their household lacks the means or history with technology.
βFuture Goals: I will work through the Puksta platform to move from ideas to action, bringing about solutions for smaller schools in impoverished areas. This includes strategically securing grants and establishing partnerships with the Denver Public Schools system to implement a sustainable, long-term plan that provides continuous tech resources and training, ultimately helping these marginalized schools close the digital gap with better-funded institutions. #CommunityLeadership #Pukstaspotlight #Puksta
β¨ Meet Jazmyne Ewing β¨
π Colorado State University Senior
π Continuing Puksta Scholar
ποΈββοΈ Health and Exercise Science major
π Making an impact through her Puksta project combating Housing Insecurity
π Connect on LinkedIn: Jazmyne Ewing
#PukstaScholars #StudentImpact #LinkedInNetworking #exercisescience #coloradostateuniversity
Colorado State University - 2027
Major(s): Landscape Architecture
Project Focus: Homelessness, Food insecurity, Environmental issues
Project: I`m working on ways to incorporate communities into combating food insecurity amongst students. I want to build a sense of community where people feel like they`re making an impact in society while also providing fellow Rams with resources that are needed.
Inspiration: My inspiration for this project stems from my youth, when I had the opportunity to give back to my community through canned food drives and holiday gift baskets. This is what Iβm trying to bring to students at CSU: it fosters a sense of community while addressing a serious social issue that often gets overlooked.
Future Goals: I aim to achieve this by utilizing flyers or other methods to disseminate information about the resources available on the CSU campus. I also plan to host canned food drives, which I believe will help people feel the impact theyβre making because thatβs the goal.
#PukstaFoundation #CommunityImpact #HigherEdAccess #FinancialAid
πβΎ Looks like the Puksta Scholars are good luck! πβ¨
We had such a blast welcoming 18 new scholars from all 5 universities πππππ at the Rockiesβ last home game of the season β and they pulled off the win! ποΈππ₯
From chicken tenders π, Rockies dogs π, and Dippinβ Dots π¦ to new friendships π¬π€, our scholars kicked off their Puksta journey in true community spirit ππ
Hereβs to the start of an amazing journey together! π
#PukstaScholars #GoodLuckCharm #RockiesWin #CommunityInAction #BuildingConnections #ScholarshipWithImpact
π The Puksta Foundation proudly hosted our 25th Anniversary Celebration! πβ¨ For 25 years, we`ve been dedicated to providing access to higher education and empowering students to engage in their communities.
Nearly 200 people joined us for this special event, which opened with a powerful meditative prayer through blessing and movement by the incredible Mexika Aztec Dance Group Yohualli Ehecatl Mitotiliztli. πΏποΈ
We were inspired by heartfelt words from Puksta alumni, our founder John Mulstay, and our executive director NiChel Mulstay. With live music, games, a photo booth and plenty of joy, fun was truly had by all. π«π Here`s to the next 25 years of impact and community! #Puksta25 #EducationForChange #CommunityStrong
