The Puksta Foundation

✨🎓 Please join us in celebrating our Puksta graduate from CU Denver, Adriana Fiero Mena! 🎓✨

🌟 During her time in Puksta, Adriana researched the gaps within AP and IB programs—highlighting how many low-income schools are not able to offer these courses. Recognizing that these disparities often begin early, she shifted her focus this year to early education as a way to address education inequities in underserved communities. Adriana also partnered with Kids In Need Foundation to organize and host a school supply drive that helped ensure local students have the tools they need to succeed academically.

🚀 As she looks ahead, Adriana plans to continue growing her business as a nail technician and build a recognizable brand. Her long-term goal is to open her own location with space for her services and stations to rent to other beauty professionals. Further down the line, she hopes to offer nail courses as well.

🎉 We’re proud of you, Adriana—congratulations on your graduation and all you’ve already accomplished!

On Wednesday evening, we enjoyed a beautiful and inspiring fifth and final Puksta Passage at the University of Denver.

We were honored to hear remarks from Elizabeth Loboa, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, who shared that during our 25-year partnership, Puksta has contributed over $1.6 million to scholarships at DU—helping welcome more than 110 scholars into DU classrooms. ✨

Our DU graduates, Nour Zouhou and Elizabeth Navarro 🎉, shared deeply insightful remarks on their experience in our program and we got to celebrate our continuing scholars and the powerful work they’re advancing in their communities, including:

• Creating pathways to college access with and for youth
• Research to support more informed, nuanced conversations about the heavily stigmatized topic of s*x work
• Education equity for students in special education systems
• Food justice advocacy and partnership with local food pantries
• Compassionate behavioral health support and advocacy in underserved communities
• Writing instruction for incarcerated individuals to help reduce recidivism
• Youth development and mentorship
• Addressing inequities in health outcomes for Black women
• Working toward collective liberation across campus
• Community storytelling

We also said goodbye to longtime Coordinator John Macikas. John, thank you for your steady leadership and care—wishing you all the best in your new role as Associate Director of CCESL. We’re very excited to welcome our new coordinator (and Puksta alum) Brendan Teck. We can’t wait for what’s ahead!

And a special thank you to the DU Advancement team for planning such a meaningful event 💞