Angelo “DjLo” Fajardo is a DSF Alum and a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from University of Colorado Denver in 2012. Since graduation, Angelo has supported DSF and gives back to his community to continue to support other students in the same ways he was helped in high school and college. For three years, Angelo worked closely with University of Colorado Denver’s Pre-Collegiate Development Program and discovered the value of delivering quality service and advocating post-secondary education to first generation, underrepresented, low-income, and non-traditional students. He is currently a professional DJ, event coordinator, and sound engineer.

Jackelyn Nguyen graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 2008. She earned her BSBA in marketing in 2012 and MBA in 2017 from University of Denver (DU). She started her professional career in marketing at DU but found her passion in working directly with students and pivoted to a role in advising graduate students. She wanted to make an impact in student lives much like the mentors she met through DSF. Today Jackelyn uses the skills she nurtured in her previous roles in her current position as Account Manager for Zoom Video Communications.

Sydnee Scadden graduated from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College in 2018 and is currently earning her undergraduate degree at Colorado State University. She plans to graduate this upcoming December with a bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in marketing. Sydnee grew up in Denver and plans to explore the US as she builds her career in marketing. Her ultimate goal is to work for Spotify.

Derrek Sandoval serves as the Assistant Director of TRIO Talent Search for DSF at CEC Early College, North, and West High Schools. He is a Denver native, a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School, and a DSF Alum. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University in human development and family studies with a concentration in adolescent development. Derrek’s passion stems from navigating the college process as the first traditional college student in his family. As a male of color, he strives to empower students who find themselves in similar situations and believes it is vital to educate students, families, and the community about the importance of higher education.

Renae Bellew has been a standout leader in the Denver community for over 17 years, championing equity in access to educational opportunities. In her current role at DSF, she provides leadership for a department of 40 team members, including the College Access, Scholarship, and College Success teams serving more than 5,000 DPS students and awarding over $4.5 million in scholarships annually. Previously, Renae was a DSF College Advisor for six years at John F. Kennedy high school, her alma mater, and received recognition from Stanford University for her outstanding achievements in that position. Renae earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder in sociology and education policies, respectively. Her graduate research focused on issues related to college access and success of underrepresented students and parent engagement. In 2000, Renae was named to the inaugural class of Daniels Fund Scholars, and in 2022 was selected by the Denver Business Journal for a Top 40 Under 40 award.

Tim and Bernie Márquez founded DSF in 2006. As philanthropists, they wanted to increase the level of college attainment in Denver, therefore they created the organization based on wide recognition that DPS students face multiple barriers to completing a post-secondary degree. Tim and Bernie pledged $50 million in the form of a challenge grant. As a Lincoln High School graduate, Tim felt called to make a long-lasting impact on DPS students for generations to come. This challenge catalyzed the process of putting into place a comprehensive program to support DPS students in completing high school and obtaining a higher education degree. They were joined by former Mayor John Hickenlooper and former Superintendent Michael Bennet to help make access to higher education possible for all DPS students today and for generations to come.

Curtis Esquibel leads the Boettcher Foundation’s strategic communications as Director of Communications and Community Engagement. Before joining Boettcher, Curtis served as the Associate Director of the Latino Leadership Institute (LLI) at the University of Denver. Prior to the LLI, Curtis spent 15 years working in college access and secondary education as a program director, fundraiser, outreach lead, college advisor, and teacher. Curtis was one of the original DSF College Advisors at Abraham Lincoln High School, and was an integral part of DSF’s founding. He earned a Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MPA from the CU Denver School of Public Affairs.  A proud Colorado native, Curtis lives in Adams County with his wife, Rosemary, a registered nurse, and their two children, Adilene, 9, and Sammy, 15.

College Partner
of the Year

Lauren Koppel (she/her) is the Associate Director of Scholarship Support & Retention at MSU Denver. In this role she gets to work with the Denver Scholarship Foundation Leadership program, support the DSF Campus Advisors at MSU Denver, and work with several other scholarship programs. She received her bachelor’s in women’s & ethnic studies from the University of Northern Colorado and master’s in student affairs administration from Michigan State University. When Lauren isn’t celebrating student successes and navigating education systems with students, she enjoys spending time with her wife by walking the dog, listening to podcasts, and completing puzzles (nothing more than 750 pieces).

District Partner
of the Year

Hap Legg is the son of Thomas and Sau Legg, proud father to daughters Lakai, Rece, and Ella Legg and partner to their mother, Amanda Bustamante. Mr. Legg graduated from the University of Colorado-Denver in 1999 with a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. While there, he started his thirteen and half year career with FirstBank, where he finished his time as the Senior Vice President of FirstBank of Aurora in 2010. Mr. Legg earned a Masters of Science in School Counseling from the University of Phoenix in 2011. He has served students in DPS for twelve years, starting as a Parent and Community Liaison at Montbello High School. Mr. Legg has served as a School Counselor at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College for the past nine years.

Corporate Partner
of the Year

Kayla Garcia is the Director of Community Affairs at Molson Coors Beverage Company. She is responsible for managing Molson Coors Beverage Company’s national community programs for Hispanic, Asian, sustainability and employee engagement programs. Kayla serves on various boards such as Denver Leadership Foundation, Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, Food Bank of the Rockies, and Downtown Denver Partnerships. In 2021, Kayla was named to Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. Kayla is a graduate of Colorado State University and has a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. Kayla is a proud Colorado native and resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Joseph and son, Teddy.

Community Partner

of the Year

Jason J. Clark is a Diversity Business Partner at Charles Schwab serving as a chief consultant to a third of the company’s executives. Prior to joining the corporate sector, Jason held leadership positions within higher education and college access landscape including the University of Colorado Denver, College Track, and DSF. While at DSF, Jason was college and financial aid advisor at West, Manual, and MLK, Jr. Early College and Retention Manager on the Auraria Campus. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College, a master’s degree from the University of Denver, and is alumnus of the Latino Leadership Institute.