Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Social Work
Project: I would like to maintain and expand my non-profit, JWB Recovery, which provides free support, treatment, and field trips for anyone struggling with addiction as well as their friends and family.
Inspiration: I have lost two uncles to addiction and have several other family members who have struggled.
Future Goals: I hope to educate the community and work to de-stigmatize addiction while providing accessible, successful treatment options.
Please visit jwbrecovery.com for more information
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Computer Science and Minors in Math and Marketing
Project: Currently, I am an IT-Coordinator at a non profit organization- College Track. As the co-facilitator of Apple Bites, I work with high-school freshman in planning, designing, coding, prototyping, and marketing their mobile apps. I am also involved in the STEM Mentorship program that partners with WHS to provide highschool seniors resources, support, and mentorship in their desired career goals, throughout the year.
Inspiration: What inspired me was seeing how different someone else’s life is because of circumstances they cannot change. I would like to see everyone given the chance to succeed in a way where people aren’t already set up to fail.
Future Goals: With my community engagement work, I hope to see more students of color or students who want to be given a chance, in higher education. Also, I hope to see more students venturing out into career fields they never thought existed.
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Sociology and Minors in Biology and Chemistry
Project: I am working with DAWN clinic as a liaison to better support my community in getting accessibility to health care for insured and the undocumented community.
Inspiration: My inspiration is I want to be a physician that helps underfed communities with health care.
Future Goals: I hope to bring awareness on ways to assist the unhoused community in different ways that people usually assist the unhoused community. I hope to build trust between those that choose to assist and the unhoused community.
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Accounting and Real Estate with a Minor in Sociology
Project: Mariajose is developing a workshop on financial literacy for marginalized students who may not have the financial knowledge around paying for college and knowledge around the college application process. She and her project partner presented this workshop to a group of Latinx youth and their parents in Montbello in 2023 and are working on presenting again to another group in 2024.
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: Finance and Marketing
Project: Sharing essential financial knowledge to underrepresented communities. My goal is to spark an interest in people so that they want to expand their financial knowledge and invest in their future when it comes to finances, as it is such an important part of life that is often overlooked.
Inspiration: Family, friends, mentors, and books. I have always had an interest in being financial literate and have done my best to be and give that I have this amazing opportunity to help guide others in that direction, it is an opportunity I will make the most of.
Future Goals: I hope to reach more communities that may benefit from my work and be a mentor for those who seek guidance.
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Political Science, International Affairs
Project: I am working to expand the opportunities for underrepresented members of the community to participate in community engagement.
Inspiration: I began working with an organization that focuses on resource allocation in the Latino community. This was originally what I planned on doing. I wanted to provide a resource for undocumented immigrants who couldn’t rely on government welfare programs. However, I fell in love with their model for bringing about change in their community. They focused on giving women in their community (that are passionate about change) the resources, education, and training to spearhead change initiatives. These women are women that don’t have a formal education and wouldn’t be able to bring about change if this opportunity wasn’t presented to them.
Future Goals: I think that academia is gatekeeping social change. Underrepresented members of the community without the knowledge and resources to initiate change often can’t. We are taught how to do this in college. What about people who don’t have that luxury? I want to create a permanent impact on the community. Providing a temporary service is great but change cannot be sustained that way. I want to create local leadership opportunities for those who don’t have them, creating a sustained model for social change,
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Biology
Project: My current plan for the upcoming school year is to expand the mentorship program I have. I want to create a website with information that can benefit high school students coming from low-socioeconomic schools. This website will have resources like internships, pre-collegiate programs, Q&A, and information about college (applying, resume, cover letter, etc.
Inspiration: I decide to choose my Puksta Project based on my personal experience with Denver Public School. I felt that coming from a low-income school and as a first-generation student I didn’t have the resources that other students from wealthier schools had. This made applying to college harder since I wasn’t as competitive as the other students that had more resources. I spend hours at a time looking for opportunities outside of my school that would help me gain more experience and make me a better candidate. In this project, I want to be able to build connections with students in my community and offer them the support that I wish I had.
Future Goals: I hope to be able to build connections with these high school students and offer them my support and knowledge. Also, I hope that I am about to encourage and educate more students to attend college and the process so that it doesn’t seem so scary.
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Computer Science
Project: My Puksta project centers around increasing the representation of Latine/Undocumented youth in institutes of higher education. The journey to college often centers on a one-size-fits-all approach to education which tends to create a sense of exclusivity against Latine and Undocumented youth. I aim to work with local organizations in order to raise awareness on the issue and aid youth populations within Northern Colorado who seeks to attain a college education.
A thesis was published as part of a research team Jose was working with during my first year in Puksta! https://mountainscholar.org/items/62a49341-1096-45d7-9621-8a57996157c9
Inspiration: During my time in High School, I have seen the deficits of the education system when it comes to helping my community attain a college education. My journey to college was filled with immense fear and uncertainty as I tried to navigate through a system that was not built to serve me. Furthermore, I have come to realize that my experience is not isolated through my work as an undergraduate research assistant studying the issue at hand within communities in Colorado. This is why it is incredibly important for me to serve as a catalyst towards change surrounding Latine/Undoc. representation in institutes of higher education. The system has disproportionately harmed my community since its inception and it is time to bring change.
Future Goals: Short term, I would like to see Latine/Undoc. individuals within my local community not only become more informed about all the components needed in achieving a college education but actually see the youth begin their journey to college. Alongside this, I would like to raise awareness of the ineffective system that plagues Latine/Undoc. youth within Northern Colorado. As I further progress through my project, I would like to see my community thriving as we aim to build a better life for ourselves and our families through education.
Posted on December 31, 2021
Major: Construction Management
Project: Develop a mentorship program for first-generation students and institutionally minoritized individuals in the Construction Management program at Colorado State University
Inspiration: Inspiration for my Puksta Project came from my personal experience as a first-generation student at Colorado State University and in the Construction Management Department
Future Goals: What I hope to accomplish with my community engagement project is to further expand on Colorado States Universities and the Construction Management Programs’ commitment to offering first-generation students and minority students a diverse and inclusive environment. I hope that with the First Generation Program initiative, first-generation students find a smooth transition into the Construction Management Program
Joel was awarded first place in the “Service Learning and Leadership” category for his presentation titled “Construct, Build, and Assemble Diversity” at the 2022 Multicultural Undergraduate Research Art and Leadership Symposium at CSU!
https://chhs.source.colostate.edu/college-of-health-and-human-sciences-students-among-winners-of-the-2022-murals/
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.
