DENVER, April 8, 2022 — Colorado State University Pueblo senior Phillip “Flojo” Flores has been named the Colorado Leadership Alliance’s (CLA) 2022 Student Leader of the Year. The annual award, announced in February and presented on April 6 at the Leading Colorado Luncheon, is given by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation and the Boettcher Foundation.
“Flojo’s enthusiasm and commitment to the CSU Pueblo community are both astounding and part of his DNA,” said Tiffany Anderson, director of programs at the Boettcher Foundation. “He is committed to leadership in multiple ways, seeing leadership as a day to day activity and recognizing that anyone can be a leader.”
A Pueblo native, Flojo graduated from Pueblo South High School. At CSU Pueblo, he has been a campus leader throughout his years on campus. His involvement in a number of programs, most notably the President’s Leadership Program, are where he has been able to connect with students and serve as a mentor for many students, in particular new undergraduates.
“I see leadership as the ability to positively and organically motivate and unite people to act during difficult situations by understanding their complex needs,” Flores said. “Leadership is knowing how to bring the best out of people when they don’t see it in themselves.”
Flores says prolifically that he has become the student he once looked up to, a role he cherishes. Receiving the Students Leader of the Year means that dreams are real and there are many others who grew up just like him who are capable of being community leaders and influencers.
“I am here today because of people who believed in me,” Flores said. “As Student Leader of the Year, I look forward to doing the same for others.”
He will graduate in 2023 with a master’s degree in mechatronics engineering, a double major in Spanish, and a minor in leadership studies. Flojo, who was recognized at the Leading Colorado Luncheon on April 6, will be the first in his family to graduate from college.
The Colorado Leadership Alliance works to bring together leadership programs, directors, and students from college campuses across Colorado, in order to define and address community needs. Find out more at denverleadership.org/colorado-leadership-alliance.
About the Boettcher Foundation
We believe in the promise of Colorado and the potential of Coloradans. Every day we champion excellence across our state by investing in our most talented citizens and high-potential organizations, because supporting their hard work and leadership will enable them to give back for years to come.
