Jenni Talcott was an Englewood High graduate who attended DU with optimism and a talent for public debate. During her time, she approached her university life with vigor and enthusiasm, both as an avid Puksta scholar and as President of RAGE (rape awareness and gender education.). Seeking dual degrees in Criminology and Psychology, Jenni discovered an inner-calling to assist those in need and feels that Puksta offered her “a new lens to see the world”. Not only supporting her education, she thinks The Puksta Foundation gave her a “call to action” that matched her desires to make a better world. While spending her campus downtime at the student pub/restaurant: Driscoll Bridge, Jenni studied, created many cherished moments with her fellow students, and diligently completed her Puksta project which resulted in the Colorado Governor declaring the month of February as Dating Violence Awareness Month.
She met her husband while attending DU and relocated with him to Texas when he returned from military deployment in 2011. She immediately dove into social justice work there and has since grown and prospered, both personally and professionally, for nearly ten years. In addition to her current role as Development Coordinator for MOPS International, Jenni is a devoted wife and proud mother of two children (ages six and five) and three cats. Though she doesn’t miss the late nights of studying and dreading finals, Jenni remembers her time as a student with fondness. She lives in Denver with her family and is planning to complete the final year of her dual degrees. She intends to achieve a graduate degree afterward.
Looking back, Jenni is thankful for the experience and sees the foundation as something with immense potential and power stating that Puksta scholars are “world changers, not only because they are smart, but they are passionate. They have [the] drive to pursue change and because of Puksta they have the skills to affect that change.” She’s happy that her personal interests aligned with her career and wishes to stress to current Puksta’s to try and be mindful of the bigger picture while pursuing their studies, as she has noticed some former students struggle to match their passions to their professions. Jenni has become a beacon of light and hope within a world that truly needs the goodwill and fortitude she has to offer. She continues to carry the Puksta torch with pride and spreads the light of social justice with each passing day.
You are truly the embodiment of what Puksta was intended to accomplish and the foundation salutes you for everything you’ve done and for all the accomplishments you will certainly achieve in the future. A happy Puksta holiday salute to you Jenni!
