By: Lusungu Chirambo, Community-Engaged Fellow | MA in Development Economics & International Development Working on my project with the fellows’ program has been one of the most remarkable experiences at DU. After being accepted into the program, I had mixed feelings because I thought it is something that I couldn’t manage. On the other hand, the mixed … Continue reading My experience as a CCESL Community-Engaged Fellow
DU Grand Challenges
My Experience as a CCESL Graduate Student Fellow in the Valverde Movement Project
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
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Outdoors
By: Audrey Mitchell, Biological Sciences; Ben Roueche, Computer Science; Emily Gage, Biology; Madi Fawcett, Computer Science; Sarah Schuller, Environmental Science & Spanish; Trudy Mickel, Psychology; Undergraduate Students Next time you go skiing or on a popular hiking trail, look around, see what people you are sharing the outdoor space with. Do they look like you? … Continue reading Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Outdoors
Educational Videos to Support Independence
By: Whitney Buckendorf, International Studies, Public Policy; Corin Turner, Management; Sam Colvett, Public Policy, International Studies; Peyton Howell, Public Policy, Biology; Charlie Lemke-Bell, International Studies, Public Policy The goal of this project was to create a set of educational videos for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Denver Office to use over the course of their … Continue reading Educational Videos to Support Independence
Biology of Healthy Aging: Mindfulness and Meditation
By: Anna Foley, Undergraduate Student, Communication Through the course of a year, I studied the biology of aging in college students specifically surrounding the topics of physical activity and wellness levels. The public problem addressed by this project was exemplified during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. During the coronavirus pandemic, loneliness and social isolation … Continue reading Biology of Healthy Aging: Mindfulness and Meditation
STEM Mentoring with Denver High School Students
By: Sophia Kim and Kayla Nocon, Undergraduate Students, Biological Sciences Through DU’s collaboration with Westminster High School (WHS), we established a focused mentoring program with current DU STEM students and WHS senior students. A total of 33 DU undergraduates mentored 67 WHS senior students, creating a total of 21, 35-50 minute mentoring sessions that were … Continue reading STEM Mentoring with Denver High School Students
Amplifying University-Community Voices: Geography to “Fight the Good Fight”
By: Jessica Villena Sanchez, PhD Student, Department of Geography and the Environment “So, what do you do with a degree in Geography?” As a 4th year PhD student in Geography, I get asked this question a lot. I usually respond” “Well, geographers help people!”, and as I approach the end of my program, I feel … Continue reading Amplifying University-Community Voices: Geography to “Fight the Good Fight”
Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: A Reflection on DUGC Student Scholars
By: Katie Kleinhesselink, Associate Director, CCESL When I realized back in July 2020 that the coming academic year would take place almost completely online, I panicked. DU Grand Challenges (DUGC) had received a generous grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations just a few months before to boldly scaffold our undergraduate programs, especially DUGC Student … Continue reading Galvanizing Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders: A Reflection on DUGC Student Scholars
Tackling Grand Challenges: DU Grand Challenges by the Numbers
By: Katie Kleinhesselink, Associate Director, CCESL Thanks to a generous grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVDF), DU Grand Challenges (DUGC) has built and greatly expanded a campus-wide program suite that intertwines community engagement, collaborative problem-solving, and undergraduate student development to improve daily living, increase economic opportunity, and advance deliberation and action for the … Continue reading Tackling Grand Challenges: DU Grand Challenges by the Numbers
Connecting Change-Makers: The Role of Higher Education in Movement Building
On May 24th, DU Grand Challenges hosted the final forum of this academic year, The Role of Higher Education in Movement Building. It was an incredible event featuring speakers from two different projects. Meg Sagaria-Barritt, Integration Partnerships Coordinator for the Colorado Refugee Services Program, and Amina Bouayad, Masters in Higher Education Student, have been working … Continue reading Connecting Change-Makers: The Role of Higher Education in Movement Building
Public Good Impact 