When DSF Scholar Maria Mendoza-Armendariz isn’t serving the community at the STRIDE Community Health Center as a patient navigator, she can be found at home, spending time with family or studying for her final round of exams. As a senior at the University of Colorado Denver, Maria balances a full course load while working full-time on the front lines through … Read More
DSF Scholar Embraces Changes and Challenges on Journey to College Graduation
As a senior at the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), DSF Scholar Israa Hussein is expecting to graduate this fall. While the COVID-19 pandemic evolves and her priorities shift from day-to-day, she’s keeping her eyes on the prize: College graduation. Facing uncertainty with determination This isn't the first time Israa has demonstrated bravery in the face of uncertainty. When the Hussein family left Iraq and arrived in the United States in 2009, Israa had not received any prior education. Immersed ... Read More
DSF works to Ensure Success of its First-generation Scholars
By Lorii Rabinowitz, Chief Executive Officer, Denver Scholarship Foundation In November, each year, as a community, we celebrate the triumphs of our first-generation college students in concert with the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act. What’s been clear since that signing in 1965, and our Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) founding in 2006, is that the partnerships created … Read More
DSF Alumna Takes the Stage at TEDxCherryCreekWomen
Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) Alumna Bradlie Jones, known as Jelie, is no stranger to a performance stage. With a knack for the art of rap and spoken word, Jelie is putting her college education to work by running a successful business while growing her career as an artist. Jelie will share how her college journey equipped her with the tools … Read More
On Auraria Campus, DSF Campus Advisors help Scholars build bridges
This time of year, the Auraria Campus is buzzing with the excitement of a new college semester. Students have decorated their academic planners with due dates; they have sifted through important reminder emails in their inboxes; they have hole-punched their course syllabi and organized them in binders. Through the flurry of deadlines and information, DSF Scholars can count on their … Read More
DSF adds a splash of spirit to Auraria Campus
With the addition of DSF’s Campus Advisors as part of our expanding college success program, DSF Scholars on the Auraria Campus have convenient access to DSF staff support all year round. Recently, we added a splash of DSF spirit to our Campus Advisor workspaces across the Community College of Denver (CCD), Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver), and the … Read More
It’s in the numbers: DSF Scholar finds passion in finance
For DSF Scholar and first generation college student Daniel Rivera-Ibarra, life is more than a numbers game. Growing up in Denver, Daniel’s father worked long days while his mother stayed home to take care of him and his two siblings. Through many hours spent practicing multiplication and division with his mom after school, Daniel’s fascination with numbers turned into a … Read More
DSF Alumnus Takes Leadership Skills All the Way to London
In school and at work, DSF Alumnus Bryant Burciaga challenges himself to become a better leader. After graduating from CEC Middle College of Denver in 2011, Bryant matriculated to the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance, management, and marketing in 2015. Recently, his sense of adventure … Read More
Meet Austin Nguyen
Meet Austin, Aviva, and Seraphine Nguyen: three siblings who, with encouragement from their parents, support from DSF, and guidance from each other, have become first generation college students. Austin Nguyen, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, will graduate in June and embark on his journey to and through college this fall. Equipped with the tools provided by his … Read More