As Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) Scholar Luis Borrego Castaneda gets ready to graduate from Colorado School of Mines in spring 2022, he looks back at all the support that helped get him here.
Luis graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 2018, where his DSF College Advisor Emily Weiss guided him through the college application, financial aid, and scholarship process. As a first-generation college student, Luis says it was so crucial to have the support from a DSF College Advisor to navigate the entire college-going process. He is currently studying chemistry at Colorado School of Mines and plans to continue his education by pursuing a graduate degree. His dream is to lead his own research or even teach at the university level.
Luis faced challenges when it came to pursuing his major. “I’m going into a career where very little chemists look like me, but I want to change that,” he said. He is currently doing research with a Latinx professor at Colorado School of Mines, where they are creating chemical compounds that can detect nuclear radiation. His confidence in the field has skyrocketed since teaming up with this professor, and he views him as a role model.
Inspiring Other DPS Graduates to Become DSF Scholars
DSF Scholar Luis posing in the chemistry lab
Luis says that one of the perks of being a DSF Scholar is that you form a community in college. Two years ago, his Colorado School of Mines Campus Advisor suggested Luis create a DSF mentorship program at the university, with the aim of mentoring DSF Scholars their freshmen year and beyond. During the first year of the mentorship program, Luis worked with four students who came from different cultural backgrounds. “It was a chance where we created a new community, a new family in college, helping students find their place,” says Luis when looking back at his relationship with those DSF Scholars.
Not only do they keep in touch, but the mentorship program continues to grow, with more DSF Scholars helping incoming freshmen. “We help them understand the expectations of college and show them that they have a community they can rely on.”
After starting the DSF mentorship program at Colorado School of Mines, Luis realized he wanted to go beyond the college campus. He worked with his network of other DPS Alumni and DSF Scholars to partner with their high schools and give presentations to juniors and seniors. Luis wanted to give back and encourage other high schoolers, especially those that come from Latinx or Hispanic backgrounds or who are first-generation college students, to pursue a college education, just like his DSF Advisor Emily Weiss did at John F. Kennedy.
