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Meet Fernanda Cerros, a 2024 graduate at the University of Colorado Boulder! During her years in Puksta, Fernanda focused her engagement efforts around working with the immigrant community because it is an identity that she holds near and dear to her heart. After initially volunteering with a local non-profit organization, she realized her true passion is working to create change with youth. She became a mentor for BVSD middle and high school students who were also interested in immigrant rights. Together, they developed a project that focused on changing the local charter in Lafayette, CO to allow undocumented immigrants to vote. Fernanda also got involved in a youth collective focused on expanding ethnic studies curriculum in the state of Colorado. She worked with students to meet with administrators and develop a toolbox to implement ethnic studies curriculum in their schools. 

In addition to being a Puksta scholar, Fernanda has become an integral part of the work of CU Engage, CU Boulder’s center for community based learning and research, over the past 4 years. She served as Public Achievement program coach and teaching assistant, Aquetza program counselor, and a youth organizer for Youth-Led Ethnic Studies for Colorado (YES4CO). Members of this center shared that they are inspired by her deep commitment to advancing the work of social justice, passion to work collectively, inviting and warm energy, and overall brilliance. 

This spring, Fernanda received the CU system-wide President’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award. This award recognizes individuals and units who demonstrate outstanding commitment and make significant contributions to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the University of Colorado community. As Fernanda spend much of her undergraduate experience dedicated to DEI work, she was incredibly honored to be recognized by her peers and instructors in this way.  

In a recent interview, Fernanda reflected on what being a Puksta scholar means to her. She said that “being a Puksta scholar means having a permanent community…it exemplifies what I like to call revolutionary love, laboring and going to work with the people around you and Puksta does a great job of creating that community for all of us.” 

We are certainly grateful to have you as a part of our Puksta family, Fernanda. You are a brilliant example of revolutionary love. Congratulations! 

Some words about Fernanda from her CU Engage community…

“Her presence and mentorship has both motivated students to stay on track for their academic goals and also pushed them to develop impactful civic-engaged projects.” – Ana Contreras, Program Director for Puksta Scholars 

“Her leadership is one of love and fierce intellect that calls those around her towards a higher purpose.” – Soraya Latiff, Program Director for Public Achievement

“When I considered CU Boulder, it stood out, but concerns about diversity held me back. Fernanda changed my perspective with words etched in my memory. ‘Jackie, come to CU so that more girls like us can show we belong in these spaces too.’ Her encouragement wasn’t just about my choice; it was about breaking barriers and paving the way for others who share our journey. Thanks to Fernanda’s wisdom, CU became more than a college – it became a platform for empowerment and inclusivity for me.” – Jackie, CU Boulder freshman

In memory of…

In a world often seeped in indifference, Sterling Bryce Jones, affectionately known as Krispy,
was a radiant soul that stood out as a beacon of light and compassion. He was a Health and
Exercise Science major with a Sports Medicine concentration at Colorado State University. He
knew firsthand the struggles and challenges faced by athletes which fueled his passion to go into
sports medicine. He wanted to establish his own studio for physical therapy to help athletes
seeking recovery. He believed in the power of kindness and understanding to mend not just
bodies, but also hearts and spirits.

Bryce was also a Puksta Scholar. His journey was a testament to the power of empathy and
compassion, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of everyone he touched. His unwavering
desire to bring positive change to his community reflected well in his Puksta project.
Throughout his time in high school and college, he supported different communities with food
and clothes, recognizing that even the smallest acts of kindness could make a world of
difference in someone’s life. Having experienced the profound loss of his mother, he carried a
deep understanding of the struggles people faced. His generosity was boundless, reaching out
to anyone in need, with an innate ability to offer comfort and solace.

In the memories of those who knew him, Sterling Bryce Jones will forever be remembered as
the sweet and compassionate soul who brought light to their lives. In each act of kindness, we
keep the essence of Bryce alive—a beautiful legacy that reminds us to cherish the people
around us.

~ Sam Desta
Colorado State University | Puksta Scholars Program Coordinator

For the Puksta Foundation, 2022 marked an extraordinary year…Please join us in celebrating some incredible milestones: 

* We welcomed 27 new Puksta Scholars into our program

* We launched a new Puksta Scholars Program at CU Denver

* 14 of our Puksta Scholars graduated in 2022! Way to go Puksta Grads

* We currently have 61 Puksta Scholars in the program

* We celebrated 22 years of granting scholarships

* 318 Puksta Alumni have now gone through our Puksta Scholars Program and are still continuing to do amazing things in and for our communities!

Our Puksta Scholars are the heart and soul of this foundation. We are so proud and grateful for all their work to create a positive change in this world. Many times putting aside their own needs and wants to help others.

To read our full recap of 2022 please click here

Sam Desta, CSU Puksta Scholar Coordinator, created an absolutely beautiful evening for our Puksta Scholars to showcase their work! The scholars stood up one by one to address the audience and talk about the social impact issue they were addressing and why they were so passionate about it. The topics ranged from:

• Mental health for first-generation students
• Helping one just that one person realize that they can hope for more and they are enough
• Bringing access to dental hygiene to the unhoused community and education on why it is so important
• Helping Latine and undocumented students find their path to higher education
• Awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women
• Mentorship for first-generation students towards post-grad
• Addressing mental health for DACA/undocumented students
• Resources to help ensure success for low-socioeconomic students
• Working with high schools to enhance educational equity for English language learners.

And the list goes. They all are so dedicated and passionate about what they are doing. After they all spook we were then able to go around to each scholar and their poster to get a deeper understanding of their work. We are so proud of every single one of our Puksta Scholars This night helped shine a bright light on the level of love and hope that these Puksta Scholars are bringing to our communities.

Thank you and keep going Pukstas!!!

What an incredible Saturday spent up in Fort Collins on the beautiful campus of CSU. All of our scholars from across our 5 university partners come together. Our day started with some meditation, ice breakers a little greeting from our Puksta Mascot Izzy! A huge thank you to Paul Teske, CU Denver’s Dean of Public Affairs, who came and spent his Saturday teaching a workshop on policy, leadership, and democracy. The afternoon turned into a bit of a reunion with four of our Puksta Alumni coming back for a Puksta Panel. We sat outside on stone bleachers while they told us about their experiences as Puksta Scholars and what they are doing now. It was wonderful to see the current scholars light up and ask questions and truly take advantage of the experience and knowledge. The day always goes too fast, but before you know it the Winter Retreat will be here and we will all be together to create more memories to share.

What a wonderful evening of catching up, meeting new faces, enjoying tasty treats, and of course celebrating our wonderful Puksta Grads!

Congratulations Jenny Truong, Rosie Contino, Jessica Rangel Leon, Gelella Nebiyu and Shaunice Dedner!!!

Thank you to our guest speakers Oscar Saenz (DU Puksta Alum ’20), John Mulstay (President/Founder of Puksta) and Anne DePrince (DU Associate Vice Provost for Public Strategy & Research), all who brought such inspiration and joy to the room with their words. Thank you to all of our scholars, their families and friends who came to support them in their journey! Jackie Tran thank you for stepping into the coordinator role these last few months! Welcome John Macikas to the Puksta family, we are so excited to share the next adventures as a Puksta Coordinator with you. And last but most certainly not least… Thank you to Kathleen Ferrick for the four amazing years that you have spent with us and the Puksta Scholars. You warmth, kind heart and smile that lights up a room will be sorely missed.

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What a beautiful time of year to visit Fort Collins, bursting with spring and blossoms it’s the season of transformation and starting anew. In addition to the beauty surrounding us, we are there for the beautiful celebration of our incredible Puksta Grad, Dulce Olmedo! Congratulations Dulce you earned this and we are excited about your next chapter.

A huge thank you to our Rockstar Puksta Coordinator Sam Desta! Such a beautiful event to bring our CSU Scholars together. You can feel the love in the room and see the joy in all of the scholars faces. Thank you to all the CSU staff/faculty, friends and families that were able to join us. A big welcome to our incoming Pukstas and keep rocking it to our continuing Puksta Scholars!!

For the first time in 2 years, we were able to celebrate our Puksta Scholar Seniors in person and give a warm welcome to our incoming first-year Puksta Scholars. It was such a pleasant change of pace to see everyone’s smiles without the cold filter of the computer screen. The evening started with a Poster Presentation. Guests and family members were able to walk around the room to engage with our continuing scholars as they showcase the work they are doing in the community. Seeing what they are working on and the passion they hold to help others is truly inspiring. As the evening progressed, we shifted gears and listened to our Puksta Seniors give their presentations on how Puksta and their work in the community have shaped their journey through college.

• Lluvia gave her presentation in English and Spanish as she discussed her work on making sure mental health tools are available to undocumented individuals.

• Mateo moved us with his live recitation of his spoken word poem “Ode to Federal Bouldevard”. A beautiful closing after conveying his love of increasing access to arts edication for low-income youth of color. Click here to see his poem

• Sara shared her journey leading her from the topic of diaspora to realizing her passion for increasing mental health awareness and treatment advocacy for immigrants, refugees and their families.

• Sana, unfortunately was not able to join us for the evening, but we are so proud of the work she has done as a mentor and guide for underrepresented high school and college students.

It was a beautiful evening spending time with one another and celebrating the hard work of our Puksta Scholars. To quote one of our speakers of the night, Dean of the School of Education, Kathy Shultz, “This room is so full of love and the world is in such need of it”. Kathy, we will do our best to continue to spread that Puksta Love.

Sending out a huge thank you to our Puksta Coordinator Ana Contreras and the CU Team (especially Mayra) for making this night such a memorable one. Thank you to our speakers Ana Contreras, Roudy Hildreth, Kathy Shultz, and John Mulstay for sharing your thoughts, memories, and kind words with us. Thank you to our guests and family members of our Puksta Scholars, your love and support mean the world. Most importantly thank you to our Puksta Scholars, you are the heart and soul of the Puksta Scholar Program. You inspire us every day and we are so proud of all that you are doing.