Alumni Board
23 Jun Alumni Blog: The Power of Inclusion in Public Schools
By Alex Gordon I am filled with a tremendous sense of gratitude and hope as I watch my eldest son graduate from high school and set out into the next chapter of his life. He spent the last four years attending George Washington High School, a school that has a long history and has been going through its own rebirth over the last decade. As a product of Denver Public Schools along with my wife, we are supporters of a strong public-school system and the power of a diverse student body. He chose the school as it felt just right, and little did we know that it was a place where he would find his tribe and ultimately himself. Within the first few weeks of his freshman year, he was cast in a version of Romeo and Juliet set not in fair Verona but in unfair 1920s Chicago where Mugsy and Capone lead their families in a heated rivalry. While his role was minor, it was here where the beauty of this inclusive environment would welcome and support all. Before the first show, the student director read a mission statement from the thespian troupe that vowed to foster, support, and encourage the diversity and equality that today’s society is continuing to wrestle with. The audience was then treated to a wonderful rendition of the Shakespearean story while staying true to its original creator’s vision, with gender-bending roles played by non-binary actors. Our son had found his people and learned as much from his fellow artisans about humanity as any textbook or lecture could hope to convey. After four years of learning, exploration, and experimentation, our son walks out into the world with a well-rounded education in academics and life. His confidence in himself is only matched by his compassion and love for his fellow person. He embarks on his next stage with the understanding that the world is not just black or white, male or female, gay or straight, conservative or liberal, but filled with beautiful souls who will inspire him to achieve great things. We sat in amazement as he role modeled to his younger siblings what you get when you mix individual passion with a loving community, as he capped his high school career with a performance of “Sugar Daddy” by Hedwig & the Angry Inch in full drag. While I look back on four years of amazing performances and tremendous growth for our son, I am grateful for a high school administration, faculty, and community that have embraced these students for who they are and not tried to fit them into predetermined boxes of societal expectations. I am equally filled with hope that these graduates reflect the positive movement our world is making towards broader inclusion and acceptance of ALL people. There is still work to be done, but for this proud father, we are on the right path.... 22 Apr Alumni Blog: Finding the Art in Place
By Tracy Wahl The hospital lobby in Trinidad has an incredible mural designed by a nun. It shows the history of the town of 10,000 people where I have been living for the last two years. One day, when I was waiting in the lobby for something routine, I noticed the huge mosaic of tiles spreading from one side of the wall to the other. I started Googling away and found that it was hung in 1979. The artist was a nun, Sister Augusta Zimmer, from the Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati. It's a 2,000-pound ceramic mural, constructed in pieces. It's so heavy that the wall was reinforced so it could hold the weight of the ceramic tiles. I posted a picture on one of the Trinidad Facebook groups and next thing I know someone has responded, “I helped to hang that mural!” I messaged him and said let’s connect. When I first moved here after leaving Phoenix, Arizona, I had left a job that just didn’t fit. And the weather didn’t fit either. The weather in the summer was, as I have now said over and over again, well, it was just unlivable. So when I prepared to move back home to Colorado, I was drawn to Trinidad for the combination of arts community with deep sense of history tied back to the coal miners who once filled these streets. I started writing for the local paper — writing dozens of profiles, essays, and news pieces in the months before COVID struck. I started reporting for the local public radio station. It turned out the guy who responded to my query about the mural on Facebook had been head of the art department at Trinidad State Junior College decades ago when he got a call that Sister Zimmer needed some help to hang the dozens of ceramic blocks that made up the mural. Inspired, he decided to teach his students how to do similar mosaic projects. Those murals now grace the campus of the college. That same day I was walking down Main Street and was looking at a picture window display at one of the local galleries. A man whom I recognized from the school board meeting I had covered for the paper was standing next to me. His wife and he also own the local Hallmark card store next to the picture window where we stood. We were looking at a wonderful sculpture made of nuts and bolts and other metal parts. "The guy who did that sculpture is a police officer," he told me. Cool, I replied, saying that I had always wanted to learn to weld. Well, he said, there is a welding class at the local community college and, in fact, the person you need to call to find out more is married to the police officer who made that sculpture. Small world. Actually, small Trinidad world. About the time I moved here, a friend gave me a piece of pottery. It was curvy and undulating, a bowl but also a cloud shape. A few months later I took a pottery class. The teacher had taught the woman who made the bowl. That's just the way it works here. The fabric of the place is interwoven with art. Two years later, I have completed dozens of paintings, many of which hang in the co-op downtown. Before moving here, while working at NPR in Washington D.C., I had taken several continuing education art classes while I worked the overnight. I’d go to class from 6 pm to 10 pm and then drive to work at midnight. Even though I had taken several of these classes, I had never had one of my paintings professionally framed and displayed in a gallery — that is, until I moved to Trinidad. Now, I had. It was in no small part thanks to my amazing painting teacher, and my high school boyfriend whom I had reconnected with. But it is also partly thanks to this place that is so layered with artists. One day I was working at the art co-op (as part of our membership we all agree to work a few hours a month) and a fellow artist came in and walked up to one of my paintings. They are mostly of local geologic landmarks and scenic views. "My grandparents live right behind this hill, and I grew up seeing that," he told me. I got a little thrill.... 31 Mar Alumni Blog: Women and the Power of Investment
By Amelia Atencio For those reading this blog, I have the distinct pleasure of being the first of many guest authors to share my story. The first piece of financial advice I received was a snippet I overheard from a Youtube video, “Aim to save a year’s worth of your salary at any given point in your life. This way, if anything were to happen, you could secure your livelihood while you re-gain your footing.” For those I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, I am Amelia Atencio, a 2014 Scholar and ’18 Colorado College Alumna. Growing up, money was tight in my household and I was always aware of the cost of living. Years like 2008 were challenging and others like 2014 were filled with promise. If, like me, you’re shifting in your seat because this is a slightly uncomfortable topic, that’s because talking about money is taboo. Korrena Bailie, a consumer finance editor at Forbes Advisor says, “Not talking about money can have sweeping social effects, like stopping women from getting equal pay for equal work in the workplace.” March is Women’s History Month - a time to celebrate the achievements of woman across the world and a time to have conversations that carry the torch forward for equal rights, equal pay, and equal representation. I should share that I do not work in finance, I am just a young woman who wants to be able to better manage my money and be financially secure. I want the same for all women. So, how do we help women better manage their money? First, we can begin by being candid and not being embarrassed by financial conversations. Secondly, we can share resources, tips, and empower women to be champions of their own financial security. Most importantly of all, we can make banking and investing more accessible to women. I recently attended an event with History of Colorado to learn more about The Women’s Bank. One of Colorado's and Boettcher’s own champions, Judi Wagner helped found the Women’s Bank in Denver, CO. in 1978. At the time, banks were not favorable to women and until 1974 women still needed a male co-signer to open a bank account or line of credit. This law prevented many female settlers and widowed businesswomen from using a bank to manage their assets. Unlike other female-chartered banks in the U.S., this bank was intended for women. On opening day, they took in over $1 million dollars from women in the community. The success of the bank was so profitable that the annual return averaged ~14%. This success continued for 16 years until 1994 when the bank was acquired by the Colorado Business Bank. During the virtual event, I had the pleasure of asking Judi Wagner, “What advice would you share with women managing their money?” and she said, “To invest.” Not only should women learn to invest, but they should also create portfolios that will allow them to “sleep well at night” and are resilient to market bubbles. A great place to start is ElleVest, but she also stressed the importance of interviewing several brokers to ensure you trust the person managing your investments. I also asked Judi if she thought banking was more welcoming today. She said, “Yes, of course. There are many women in banking and investment roles today.” She also pointed to Jane Fraser saying, “We have come a long way, but there is still much work to be done.” Jane Fraser is a poignant example because she was appointed the CEO of Citigroup this past year — the first female CEO of a large financial institution. While her accomplishment marks an incredible achievement for women, it is also a reminder that appointing women in high-ranking positions is long overdue. Though March is coming to a close, it is important that the work continues. How can you empower the women in your life to play an active role in their finances? Perhaps you can start having conversations with your children at a young age or help them set up their first bank account. Or, if you are well versed in financial planning or investing, you can share your resources with women you mentor at work. At the end of the day, what matters most is dismantling the stigma around money and we can all do that by having candid conversations. Money doesn’t have to be so mysterious....24 Aug Boettcher Scholars Making a Difference through the Mission Spark Fellows Social Impact Program
Mission Spark, a social impact consulting firm founded by 1994 Boettcher Scholar Kara Penn, continues a close relationship to Boettcher Scholars by selecting Scholars and other high performing undergraduate and graduate students, or recent graduates, interested in social impact careers to serve as Mission Spark Fellows. Each year, Mission Spark offers paid fellowships to dynamic and social impact-minded individuals. Fellows receive mentorship on career and educational pathways from Mission Spark consultants, as well as six sessions of professional and personal development coaching by a CTI-trained coach through the Boettcher Coaching Program. In addition, Fellows work independently on high impact projects, with guidance from Mission Spark consultants and clients. Current Mission Spark Fellow and 2019 Boettcher Scholar, Anila Narayana, is a sophomore at the University of Colorado Boulder studying Integrative Physiology, Geography, and Public Health. She is interested in helping close gaps in healthcare access for marginalized communities. Anila shares, “Working at Mission Spark has been an irreplaceable experience for me. Being a Fellow has given me the opportunity to work on projects important to me and specific to my interests in health and equity. Specifically, I have been helping draft data products based on the Health eMoms survey conducted by CDPHE, highlighting inequities in paid family leave in Colorado. I’ve also been able to work with Her Future Coalition, an NGO empowering survivors of human trafficking, to create business plans for a social enterprise recycling center in Kolkata, India, and to revamp their impact tourism programming. Contributing to these areas has taught me how to create a data-driven story and improved my research skills, while also helping me explore how I can better incorporate activism into my future career. In addition, the coaching experience provided by Mission Spark has prompted me to more intentionally examine my goals for the future, growing my sense of self in the process. I am incredibly grateful to be part of a network that connects me to such meaningful opportunities and values my development, both professionally and personally.” 2016 Mission Spark Fellow and 2013 Boettcher Scholar Alumna, Scarlett Jimenez, now serves as the Development Director for Alliance for Youth Action. She shares that “As a fellow at Mission Spark in 2016, I had the opportunity to support the robust re-visioning process for the Denver Public School’s teacher performance pay incentive program, ProComp. This process brought together stakeholders including the District and Denver Classroom's Teacher Association (DCTA) to review national research related to teacher incentives and tackle the unique challenges and opportunities within the Denver Public School district. At the time of my fellowship, I was a rising Senior at the University of Denver and saw a clear connection from this work to my public policy studies, so I pursued turning this experience into an independent study. Working alongside Professor Robert Fusfeld, I dove into the world of theory and research surrounding teacher performance to both inform my time at Mission Spark and jumpstart a career in social impact work. As an almost lifelong community organizer and political science/public policy major, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in social justice. My time with Mission Spark broadened my perspective of what a career in public service and social impact could look like and cemented my commitment to this work. After graduating, I took a role with the Alliance for Youth Action in Washington, DC. Today, I serve as the Alliance's Development Director, leading our efforts to partner with philanthropy and individual donors to build young people's political power. We are a network of locally-rooted grassroots organizations across the country (including a fantastic Colorado affiliate!). I continue to be grateful for my experience with Mission Spark and the opportunity to work closely with public stakeholders and explore emerging approaches for creating a more just and equitable system for young people.” The Mission Spark Fellowship represents a unique and informal collaboration between an organization run by a Scholar Alum and the Boettcher Scholar Program, by creating mentorship and career opportunities for current or recently graduated Scholars. For more information or to become involved by contributing a project for Fellows to tackle or to be considered as a Fellow in the future, please reach out to Kara Penn at kara@missionspark.org.... 14 Feb Alumni Board Scholar Profile: Q&A with 1992 Scholar Jason Wheeler
Boettcher Scholar Year: 1992 Hometown: Black Hawk College/Degree: Colorado State University – B.S. finance (1996); Harvard Business School – M.B.A. (2000) Tell us about your current work and how long you’ve been doing it. What is your favorite aspect of your current occupation? I'm currently on sabbatical after 13+ years at Google and a little under two years at Tesla, where I served as the CFO. I loved my work as a finance executive and CFO. It was a daily search for truth. In its simplest form, my role was to bring insights and foresights to the table each day to optimize resource allocation and decision making for the organizations for which I worked. What could be better than that? What role has being a Boettcher Scholar played into where you are and what you are doing now? The Boettcher Scholarship was quite literally my only ticket to higher education. I have always felt that since I was granted this wonderful gift that I have an ongoing obligation to the Foundation – and to the Scholars that have followed – to make good use of it. My view is that the Boettcher Scholarship shouldn't be thought of as an end. It's the beginning of a life dedicated to the values of intellectual achievement, leadership, community involvement, and character. Tell us about your involvement in activities, organizations, or groups outside of work. I keep myself busy with a variety of different things. I'm a serial team manager for our kids' sports teams. I serve on the audit committee of Sacred Heart Schools and on the Alumni Board of the Boettcher Foundation. I've also served on the national board of Positive Coaching Alliance. For the past two years, my wife and I have also been very active in politics – we have gotten to know many aspiring U.S. House of Representatives candidates and have helped campaign and raise money for them. Physical fitness is also a big deal in our house. I'm psyched to have completed the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon twice, once in 2012 and again last summer. What’s the best advice you’ve received and what advice do you have for current graduates entering your career field? On values (from a business school professor): Integrity is binary. On excellence (from a former boss & mentor): Winners don't believe in trade-offs or diminishing returns. My practical advice for new graduates entering finance: Hone the skills necessary to turn data into analysis, into insight, and ultimately into action. When you drive action, you are adding value. The rest is just part of the journey. If you could have dinner with one person or a few people from history, whom would you choose and why? This answer changes depending on what I am learning about at any given time. The easy answer here is Abraham Lincoln. Leonardo daVinci as well. Currently though, I have a real interest in Lyndon B. Johnson. From my perspective, his domestic policies were a great legacy overshadowed by his handling (or not handling) of the Vietnam War. I'd really like to get inside his head and understand the calculus that ultimately led him to not seek re-election and indirectly pave the way for Richard Nixon to come to power.... 11 Dec 2018 Reflection: Lori Prok, Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board Chair
Dear Boettcher Scholar community, As I reflect on 2018 and our work together as a network of engaged and active Scholars, one word sums up my experience on the Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board: gratitude. Thank you for a wonderful year of learning, serving, building relationships, sharing experiences, and growing our Boettcher Scholar community and its impact on Colorado and beyond. I am continually amazed by how much a small group of committed people can do together, and I am very grateful to be part of such a unique and amazing crew! I would like to sincerely thank our outgoing board members: Angelique Diaz, Tony Navarro, Edie Sonn, and Carly Stafford. Thank you for your time, energy, great ideas. and dedication to the Boettcher Foundation and the mission of the Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board. I am very happy to welcome four new members to our Alumni Board: Theo Chapman, Lori Marchando, Jason Wheeler, and Hannah DeKay (current Scholar representative), who will be profiled in upcoming Scholar newsletters. We are so excited to work with all of you! I would also like to introduce Tommy George as our incoming Alumni Board chair. Tommy has been an active and dedicated member of our Board, and we are thrilled to have him lead us for the upcoming year. 2018 was a busy and productive year for the Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board and the alumni community. We focused on several areas of growth and impact, including: Staying connected. We continue to expand our network through our “Class Champion” initiative. You have likely been contacted by your Scholar year Class Champion, a fellow Scholar acting as your class contact point. We hope this will continue to be an efficient and useful way to keep you connected to the Alumni network. The Boettcher Foundation is also preparing to roll out a new Scholar portal that will facilitate communication, mentorship, service, and networking opportunities for Alumni. Look for updates on the new Alumni portal in 2019. Our Alumni Ambassador program also continues to expand, connecting Alumni with middle and high school students in underrepresented schools and communities, and raising awareness about the scholarship program. Building our Alumni network. New Scholars were welcomed at Scholars Weekend in August, and members of the Alumni Board hosted undergraduate Scholars at various informal welcome barbecues at their homes. Graduating seniors were formally welcomed into the Alumni network during spring president’s/chancellor’s events on each campus as well as at the Alumni Board’s annual spring Colorado Rockies baseball game. We hope to continue these traditions, so that our newest Scholars and youngest Alumni are an active part of the community, are inspired to maintain their connections and opportunities for impact through the Alumni network, and “pay forward” the Boettcher Foundation’s investment in them. Offering educational and service opportunities. Members of the Alumni network helped organize service events in various cities, a “Beer and Blue Books” discussion regarding Colorado ballot issues and an online book club. Our biggest project this year, the first Boettcher Scholar Alumni summit, was held in June at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and was a wonderful opportunity for both education and service. This year’s theme, “Make Your Mark,” allowed Scholars and Alumni to connect, hear inspiring and diverse TED-style talks from fellow Alumni, engage in service opportunities, explore Denver, and get inspired to become more engaged on a variety of levels. So…THANK YOU for a powerful year! I am thankful for the opportunities the Boettcher Foundation and the Alumni network continue to give me and all of us. And I am very excited for the year ahead, and all the creative ways we, the Scholar Alumni community, can use our collective energy to make meaningful impact in our communities. Here’s to 2019! Cheers, Lori Prok, MD 1992 Scholar Outgoing Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board Chair... 12 Nov Alumni Board Scholar Profile: Q&A with 2015 Scholar Natalie Kalin
Members of the Boettcher Scholar Alumni Board are interviewing their fellow Boettcher Scholars to help the community get to know one another better. The following Q&A was compiled by Boettcher Scholar Gergana Kostadinova. Boettcher Scholar Year: 2015 Hometown: Colorado Springs University: Colorado School of Mines - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, May 2019; M.S. Computer Science, May 2020 What are you interested in pursuing after graduating? This past summer I had the pleasure of working at a robotics startup called Misty Robotics in Boulder. It was a new experience for me, and I loved it. The company was only about 40 people and had only been around for about two years. I loved the tight-knit feel and the ability to work so closely with a new product. Because of this experience, I’m definitely considering robotics startups after I graduate. Of course, I have one additional year of grad school after I finish my undergrad before I dive into the real world. Tell us about what activities, groups, and/or organizations you have joined in college and why you joined them. I’m a huge robotics nerd, so of course I joined robotics club when I started college. This has by far been my favorite activity. When I first joined, the organization only had about 10 members and no budget. Now, three years later, we’re 60 members strong and have a $10,000 budget. It’s been amazing to help grow this organization into a powerful force on campus. Even more so, I’ve loved meeting all the intelligent and hardworking people that are part of robotics. Outside of robotics, Society of Women Engineers also holds a special place in my heart. I’m all about women’s empowerment. Tell us about an important mentor you have had. I realize it is cliché, but nobody in my life stacks up to my dad. Whenever I come across a situation I can’t face on my own, my dad is the first person I call. I think what I appreciate the most about my father is he has raised me and my three sisters to be strong women. Just because we are girls didn’t mean we couldn’t do construction work in high school or be engineers. I continue to appreciate his mentorship to help make me the fiercely independent woman I am. I would be nothing without his continued guidance. What's the best advice you've ever received? Though not necessarily advice, one of my very best friends has a life motto of “just having fun.” As a Boettcher Scholar, fun is usually on the bottom of my list. Goals, expectations, and responsibilities come first. It was not until I met this friend that I considered letting fun guide your life. But why shouldn’t it? I think about this often now. I think if you’re having fun and truly enjoying what you’re doing, your impact on the world will be far greater. If you could have dinner with one person or a few people from history, who would you choose and why? I would love the chance to speak with Alan Turing. It would be so interesting to see how his mind works. I think it would be fascinating to hear about his work during World War II not simply from a factual perspective but also to hear about how he actually thought about what he was doing and its influence. I would also love to tell him how profoundly his work in computer science has influenced our world today and hear his thoughts on that. Also, how cool would it be to watch him experience a laptop for the first time?... 12 Nov Boettcher Scholars Across the Country Make a Difference through Service
Boettcher Scholars participated in coordinated service events as part of the national 2018 Make a Difference Day on October 27. Scholars organized and publicized volunteer opportunities to local Scholars in communities across the country. We were thrilled to see the impact our scholars had in their regions and the joy they experienced as they reconnected. Below are reports from sites where Scholars worked to make a difference. Colorado Springs Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado Eight Boettcher Scholars gathered to create more than 400 food packs at Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado. They worked with assembly-line efficiency and an enthusiastic attitude to support the “Send Hunger Packing” program, which aims to feed families over weekends when students don’t have access to free or reduced meals. The volunteer tasks involved preparing and sorting bulk food, quality checks, and ensuring that the meal kits were complete. At the end of the day, 481 families had access to a weekend’s worth of meals as a result of the project. Boulder/Denver A Precious Child Fifteen past and present Boettcher Scholars and their family members had a hands-on introduction to A Precious Child’s mission as they sorted donations to ensure that high-quality items made it to the families served as quickly as possible. Volunteers helped hang, size, and re-stock approximately 1,000 pounds of donated clothing that will serve 115 children who come to A Precious Child to receive clothing and other necessary items. East Coast/ Washington D.C. United Community Food Bank Unfortunately, inclement weather on the East Coast caused projects in New York and North Carolina to be cancelled. However, Washington D.C./Baltimore area Boettcher Scholars were able to move from their nature preserve project to an indoor project utilizing their bilingual skills to help facilitate a food bank survey. They partnered with United Community Food Bank in Alexandria to help promote locally produced fruits and vegetables for the health and wellness of consumers. Kitty Shaw-Gardner also employed her creativity to craft a sign for their group that recognized the cross-country efforts of scholars on Make a Difference Day 2018. Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity ReStore and FoCo Cafe Current and Alumni Boettcher Scholars and their families spent the day partnering with Habitat for Humanity Restore in the morning and FoCo Café in the afternoon. Scholars at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to helped to upcycle and/or demolish furniture that needed to move through the store and hauled doors throughout the facility as well. At FoCo Cafe, Scholars helped make fresh food and freshen the ambiance for the restaurant with the mission of providing nutritious and locally sourced meals to the people of Fort Collins, regardless of their ability to pay. A handful of the volunteers celebrated the day with lunch, connecting and discussing plans for continued service. Phoenix Public Lands Clean-up In Arizona two Boettcher Scholars ventured into area national park lands, cleaning trash along trails and waterways and talking to fellow adventurers to spread an attitude of gratitude as they reveled in the beauty of the parks. ...