Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) Scholar Keema Ebong is graduating from the University of Colorado at Denver (CU Denver) with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on Marketing this Spring and is the first marketing and communications intern at DSF! She graduated from DSST Montview High School in 2019 and discovered community at DSF while creating lifelong mentors and friends through her internship.
Keema first learned about DSF in high school, where she attended DSF workshops to help students fill out the FAFSA and DSF scholarship applications. When she transitioned from DSST to CU Denver, the process was overwhelming. Her primary motivation for getting involved with DSF was to find her community. Keema joined the DSF Mentorship Program, where she met her mentor Perla Bustillos, who guided and encouraged her to try new opportunities and build new friendships through DSF.
DSF Marketing and Communications Team: From right to left – Evan Wilder, Keema Ebong, Graciela Valencia, Kimberley Villegas and Olivia Omega.
In August 2022, Keema started her year-long internship at DSF in the Marketing and Communication Department. She has learned new skills daily and pivoted her professional growth based on her future goals. With a realistic expectation of what it is like working at a nonprofit organization and within a marketing team, she is excited to find her new journey.
With an appreciation for attending different DSF events, Keema has participated in the DSF Homecoming Gala since her first year. In her sophomore year, she even had the opportunity to be a featured speaker and is now helping to organize the annual event and will apply the various skills she is learning in her future career. Keema helped to edit videos, design graphics for DSF Future Centers, coordinate photoshoots, and many other tasks.
Every DSF Scholar has a dedicated DSF Campus Advisor or DSF College Contact to help guide them through the college process and find resources. “The support system that I have received from DSF is invaluable,” said Keema Ebong. “Every meeting with my DSF Campus Advisor, Alyssa Diaz, was helpful and encouraging.”
“It has been wonderful to work with Keema and see how much she has grown in the year and a half that I’ve known her. Seeing her grow and prosper in her Business Marketing degree has truly shown what she is passionate about,” said Alyssa Diaz, DSF Campus Advisor at CU Denver. “Since knowing Keema, I have seen her be involved with DSF, her academics, and building her future one steppingstone at a time. I am truly honored to have been a part of her journey and see her prosper as a DSF scholar, DSF intern, and amazing individual.”
This semester Keema has built her resume as she has been interning with DSF on the Marketing and Communications team while also applying for future opportunities. She was able to travel abroad last year, which has only inspired her to continue to grow and experience the world as she wraps up her undergraduate degree. When it comes down to what to do immediately after graduation, she will take some time to rest and think about the many ideas she could pursue including entrepreneurial ventures, traveling, plans for graduate school, and focus on advancing her career.
