Posted on November 28, 2022
Major: Human Development/Family Studies
Project: I’m interested in bringing more inclusion to individuals with disabilities on campus and around Denver. I’d like to do this by hosting a social gathering of some sort that many people may not have access to due to funds or no opportunities. I’ve had experience teaching kids art and think this would be a great way to include all kinds of skill levels.
Inspiration: I’ve worked with individuals with disabilities, kids and adults, for 3 years now. I love being able to see growth in individuals’ skills and confidence by teaching new things.
Future Plans: I hope I can create a space where people can come together and feel welcome. At work, I’ve gone to Library for All events and the individuals love the ability to connect with others and learn new things. This is my inspection for my Puksta Project.
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Business
Project: Bringing awareness to the lack of opportunity students with disabilities have to attend college.
Inspiration: My family has inspired me and continues to inspire me to choose this Puksta Project
Future Goals: I would like colleges and universities to understand how important this issue is.
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Pre-Health
Project: I would like to continue to advocate and become involved with Latino families who have children with special needs. I would like for Latino families to be able to have access to resources, services, and overall support so that they can be successful along with their children. Above all, I would like to educate our communities in ways we can help Latino families become integrated with the community.
Inspiration: For the past 7 years, I have been volunteering my time to a family who has two boys with special needs, I would help with everything that was needed from changing diapers to translating at doctor appointments. Through this experience, it is that I saw that there was a lack of resources and support for Latino families who had children with special needs. And I wanted to be a support system for individuals that needed support. Furthermore, I became involved with an organization in the Roaring Fork Valley, La Esperanza de Emily, that supports the goal of supporting Latino families who have children with special needs. Through this organization, it is that I gained so much more inspiration to advocate for the Latino community.
Future Goals: Through my community engagement work, I hope to create a support group for Latino parents who have children with special needs and be able to contribute my work and service to La Esperanza de Emily. For me, it is hard to want to visualize and only wants to accomplish one single thing, for I am extremely passionate and devoted to this topic and would like to do so much to help. Therefore, it is all a work in progress for now and I will see where my passion will take me.
Posted on October 2, 2019
Major: English (with a concentration on creative writing)
Project: I am working to further disability inclusion in the media (TV shows, movies, advertisements, etc.). It is rare that there ever is a disabled character featured in the media, and when they are, they are often depicted as a source of inspiration to make the main characters feel better about their lives. I would like to change that stigma and increase the thought that disabled characters could be a love interest, funny side characters, or really anything!
Inspiration: As I went through the college application process and toured the universities, they all had a point during their presentation where they bragged about how diverse they were. There would be PowerPoint slides showing their diversity, emphasizing on the different races and ethnicities on campus. But there was never a disabled student. As everyone else would nod in agreement that, yes this is a diverse campus, I would shake my head as I never saw someone who looked like me. So I would like to try to encourage FULL diversity and do so through the media.
Future Plans: I hope to increase the number of disabled characters depicted in TV shows and movies. I think it is very important that all minorities are represented so that younger generations can learn more. As younger generations are exposed more and more to different people, they are less likely to think of them as different and more likely to just think of them as people.
Posted on October 16, 2018
Project: Creation of an after school program in low income communities for Special Education students and families.
Inspiration: My inspiration for my Puksta Project came from my own experience within the system as a student with a learning disability.
Future Plans for Project: I would like to create a community where students and their families feel like they are supported and informed.
Posted on October 6, 2018
Project: Publishing research to make sexual health curriculums more accessible to students with intellectual disabilities. Hoping to use this research to develop a tool/resource for caregivers and parents to use when engaging in conversations about sexual health with their student. All in all, my goal is to help eliminate the stigma attached to “sexuality and intellectual disability”.
Inspiration: I was inspired to pursue this project initially through my work with the Sexual Assault Victims Advocate (SAVA). In my time at SAVA, I was made aware of a disturbing statistic: Children with disabilities are four times more likely to experience sexual abuse than children without (Sullivan & Knutson, 2000). After more research, I discovered that this issue is not only disturbingly widespread but also devastatingly underreported and virtually unknown to the general public.
Once I became aware of this issue, I could not stop thinking about it. Since my own brother was born with Sotos Syndrome, I have an understanding of just how vulnerable people living with developmental disabilities can be. I continued to learn about this problem and came to the conclusion that people with disabilities are subject to abuse primarily because the majority of them have no sexual health education; if they were to experience sexual abuse, they couldn’t report it because they themselves are not sure what happened.
Future Plans for Project: I want to empower people living with both developmental and physical disabilities by providing them with an individualized sexual health education so that they are less vulnerable to sexual abuse.
Project: I have the privilege of joining David Purcella’s project Puppy Pals, which was created to assist and ensure success in school for students with disabilities.
Inspiration: My early dedication to education and advocacy for disabilities inspired me to choose to join David’s project.
Future Plans for Project: I aspire to change community’s perspectives of disabilities, spread education and awareness, and potentially change the lives of people who have disabilities.
What are you up to now?
Sometimes I rehabilitate a 120 year old house in Pueblo, or visit my 87 year old grandfather in Denver. Otherwise, I just try to keep my 30 year old bicycle rolling after hitting too many potholes, and having no road map.
What are you up to now?
After graduating from the University of Denver, Michael attended the University of Maryland and graduated with a Masters degree in Data Analytics, as well as a Masters of Business Administration. He currently is the HR Data Analytics Lead for DCP Midstream and backpacks the world in his spare time.
Michael’s LinkedIn Profile
Puksta Project
Working with Special Olympics Colorado has been something that I’ve been involved with since high school. Bringing attention to inappropriate usage of the word “retard” is something that people should be actively aware of. I am guilty of having used the R-word inappropriately and it wasn’t until I was able to work with individuals with an intellectual disability, did I realize the impact my words have. My Puksta project revolved around bringing awareness to the inappropriate usage of the word “retard”.
Posted on December 21, 2016
Project: Teaching and mentoring young disabled students in literacy, and other areas of interest while making them more confident entering their classroom. In addition to teaching and mentoring, I hope to inspire those to further their education and getting a degree.
Inspiration: I am inspired by my history, and how I have previously struggled to learn how to read, write, and speak without facing issues of my own.
Future Plans for Project: I hope that I impact the young students I help, and that they see a positive change in their way of reading, writing, and speaking.
