Puksta Alum Joe Sammen (’04) is the Executive Director at Center for Health Progress. Read his update on the organization’s accomplishments and growth over the last year here!
✨🎓 Congratulations to our incredible 2026 University of Colorado graduate, José Gutierrez! ✨🎓
🌟 During his time at CU, José 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. José also served as President of Tau Psi Omega Fraternity, Inc!
🚀 After graduation, José aims to continue growing as a filmmaker while expanding opportunities for storytelling within underserved communities!
Here`s to José`s amazing achievements and bright future ahead! Congratulations 🎉
📣 Can you believe it`s that time of year again - we celebrated CU Boulder`s Puksta Passage on Thursday! 🎉
Congratulations to our graduates: Anahí Alvarez, José 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 acompañera, 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 acompañera in our Puksta family, and we are so grateful for that. We wish you all the best 💞
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 community—her 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 for—truly an angel in the lives of so many. To know her was to love her.
We hold Jada’s family, friends, and all who loved her in our hearts during this time.
With love,
The Puksta Foundation 💛
📣 Shout out to ✨ Will Trevizo✨, one of our MSU scholars for being an amazing person and Puksta community member! 🎉 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. 💞 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
Project Focus: Technology for Social Impact, Digital Literacy Equity, Leadership Development
Project: 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.
Inspiration: 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.
Future 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
✨ Meet Jazmyne Ewing ✨
🎓 Colorado State University Senior
🔄 Continuing Puksta Scholar
🏋️♀️ Health and Exercise Science major
🌟 Making an impact through her Puksta project combating Housing Insecurity
🔗 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 I’m 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 they’re making because that’s the goal.
#PukstaFoundation #CommunityImpact #HigherEdAccess #FinancialAid
🍀⚾ Looks like the Puksta Scholars are good luck! 🎉✨
We had such a blast welcoming 18 new scholars from all 5 universities 🎓🎓🎓🎓🎓 at the Rockies’ last home game of the season — and they pulled off the win! 🏟️🙌💥
From chicken tenders 🍗, Rockies dogs 🌭, and Dippin’ Dots 🍦 to new friendships 💬🤝, our scholars kicked off their Puksta journey in true community spirit 💜🌈
Here’s to the start of an amazing journey together! 🌟
#PukstaScholars #GoodLuckCharm #RockiesWin #CommunityInAction #BuildingConnections #ScholarshipWithImpact
🎉 The Puksta Foundation proudly hosted our 25th Anniversary Celebration! 🎓✨ 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. 🌿🕊️
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. 💫💛 Here`s to the next 25 years of impact and community! #Puksta25 #EducationForChange #CommunityStrong
✨🎓 Congratulations to our incredible 2025 University of Colorado graduate, Anahi Sarmiento Garcia! ✨🎓
🌟 This year Anahi had the opportunity to return to her high school with a group of Puksta peers to talk to students about college and answer any questions they had. As part of this effort, she created a prototype app designed to help students stay on track with scholarship and college application deadlines, and provide a space for them to reach out to us with questions. She noticed an increase in the number of students who were interested in going to college after realizing they had someone who understood their challenges and was there to support them.
🚀 Moving forward, Anahi plans to pursue a full-time career in real estate while also continuing to build her skills in data science. She`s excited to grow within the industry and gain experience, while also using data to inform smarter business decisions.
Here`s to Anahi`s amazing achievements and bright future ahead! Congratulations 🎉
✨🎓 A huge congratulations to Jay Keodonexay, a 2025 Graduate at University of Denver! 🎓✨
🌟 This year, Jay facilitated over 10 workshops with Envision You, an organization that seeks to improve LGBTQ+ mental health through community programming, advocacy, and evidence-based training. Jay was also a mentor for a 5th grade mentee through joy as resistance, and created art that he sold to donate over $200 to non-profit organizations!
💞 When asked about his favorite aspect of the Puksta program, he said it is "our meetings and getting to know the scholars in and outside of my school." He also shared, "The Puksta program has meant a lot to me. Sometimes I find it hard to stay motivated and the program and other scholars always are able to help re-light the fire to keep doing what i`m doing."
🎉 Here`s to Jay`s accomplishments and bright future ahead!!
#PukstaProud #PukstaFoundation #PukstaGraduates2025 #CUBoulder #CommunityImpact #LBGTQ #QTBIPOC #joyasresistance
✨🎓 Congratulations to Samantha Rodriguez, a 2025 Puksta Scholar graduating from the University of Denver! 🎓✨
🌟 This year, Samantha worked with DAWN Clinic, which sees more than 35 patients Monday-Thursday every week to provide medical necessities that include primary care, rheumatology, dermatology, OBGYN, and optometry services to the community members of Aurora. She was on a year-long team of individuals to build a list of resources to help provide to their patients that included rent, utilities, food, and employment resources, and many more to support their patients in their everyday life activities. She worked diligently with 2 physicians to build monthly schedules of Rheumatology patients to be seen and assisted in filling out forms to assist patients in getting expensive medications for discounted prices and within their price range to continue getting the care they needed.
🚀 Future plans: Samantha will be pursuing her CNA certification and then working before applying to physician assistant school next spring!
👏 Join us in celebrating Samantha`s incredible achievements and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors!
#PukstaProud #PukstaFoundation #PukstaGraduates2025 #CUBoulder #CommunityImpact #HealthcareAccess
✨🎓 Congratulations to our amazing 2025 CU Boulder Graduate, Mariajose Baca! 🎓✨
🌟 Mariajose 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 students. They covered topics such as budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing, and planning for the future and created interactive videos, worksheets, and online simulations to help their students grasp the material. They were proud to be the support they needed when coming to CU Boulder.
🚀 Moving forward, she is pursuing a career in Real Estate. Way to go Mariajose, we know you are looking at a bright future ahead! 👏
#PukstaProud #PukstaFoundation #PukstaGraduates2025 #CUBoulder #CommunityImpact #FinancialLiteracy
✨🎓 Congratulations to our incredible 2025 University of Colorado Denver graduate, Leo Banuelos-Rivera! 🎓✨
🌟 Leo began working construction in September 2021 and was surprised when they’d tell him, “just throw it out”, and it could be material that was still good for a purpose. This inspired him to dedicate his time in Puksta to find a way to reuse construction material rather than it just being thrown out. Anything from drywall, and plywood to cabinets, and more, etc.
🚀 Leo plans to integrate what he has learned about sustainability and responsible consumption and production into his career in construction management!
🎉 Way to go, Leo, we know you are looking at a bright future ahead!
#PukstaProud #PukstaFoundation #PukstaGraduates2025 #CUBoulder #CommunityImpact #sustainability #ResponsibleProduction
✨🎓 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!
#PukstaProud #PukstaFoundation #PukstaGraduates2025 #MSU #CommunityImpact #StudentGovernment
✨🎓 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
