By: Jessica Villena Sanchez, Community-Engaged Fellow | PhD in the Department of Geography and the Environment I joined the Valverde Movement Project (VMP) in February 2021. This project seeks to bring community health and wealth to Valverde, a historically marginalized and redlined neighborhood in west Denver. Through several community engagement events and constant communication with community leaders and members of … Continue reading My Experience as a CCESL Graduate Student Fellow in the Valverde Movement Project
Student Programs
Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: Reflections From a Senior Puksta Scholar
By: Margarita Soltero, Undergraduate Student, Biological Sciences Hello everyone! My name is Margarita, but I also go by Maggie. I am a first-generation Latina student majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. For my Puksta Project I wanted to create better access for young Latina and African American women to receive accurate sex … Continue reading Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: Reflections From a Senior Puksta Scholar
Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: Fostering Virtual Community with DU Puksta Scholars
By: Kathleen Ferrick, Student Program Coordinator, CCESL There’s no question that the DU Puksta Scholars program has been different this fall. As a close-knit community of 21 undergrads, in-person meetings and events throughout the year have, in the past, always been a given. Initially, the prospect of moving all Puksta programming online was a daunting … Continue reading Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: Fostering Virtual Community with DU Puksta Scholars
Connecting Change Makers: The ABC(D)’s of Community Engagement
By: Katy Constantinides, International Studies and Gender and Women Studies, Scholar Shop Last year, my desire to be more involved with CCESL brought me to the page of Scholar Shop projects waiting to be picked up. When I decided to work with the Episcopal Church of Denver on a report to learn more about Asset-Based … Continue reading Connecting Change Makers: The ABC(D)’s of Community Engagement
Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: Reflection From a Recent Puksta Graduate
By: Blanche Ndoutou, Criminology, Puksta Scholars Program At first, Puksta was just a financial aid opportunity. However, it was not difficult to figure out that Puksta would become my community for the rest of my college career. It was at the biweekly meetings where we would eat together, meditate, and share what was happening in … Continue reading Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: Reflection From a Recent Puksta Graduate
Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: Annual DU Puksta Passage Celebrates Puksta Community
Puksta Scholars make social change happen that is grounded in community organizing principles and solidarity. Each year, the University of Denver (DU) recognizes the amazing collaborative public good work carried out by Puksta scholars at the Puksta Passage event. The event provides an opportunity to bring together the entire Puksta community including new and current scholars, graduating seniors, alumni, as well as DU and Puksta Foundation leadership. This year’s event continued previous traditions of wisdom sharing by graduating scholars, welcoming incoming scholars, and community building over a shared meal.
Public Good Impact 