Community-Engaged Fellows

Cocina Libre partners with immigrant communities to uplift their food traditions and lived experiences. We have created a movement built around food, storytelling, and community. We host community dinners, cooking classes, and DEI workshops led by immigrant chefs. Each event begins with the preparation of cultural dishes, continues with the telling of personal migration stories, and ends with dialogue and connection across difference. We also produce academic and creative materials—including peer-reviewed articles, books, and an upcoming podcast and documentary series—to amplify these stories in public and scholarly spaces.

In 2025–2026, Fellows and Scholars will support the expansion of this work through public events, multimedia storytelling, and engaged scholarship. Their contributions will directly support Cocina Libre’s mission to center immigrant voices while gaining experience in community-based participatory research, public scholarship, and inclusive creative production.

Cocina Libre partners with immigrant communities to uplift their food traditions and lived experiences. We have created a movement built around food, storytelling, and community. We host community dinners, cooking classes, and DEI workshops led by immigrant chefs. Each event begins with the preparation of cultural dishes, continues with the telling of personal migration stories, and ends with dialogue and connection across difference. We also produce academic and creative materials—including peer-reviewed articles, books, and an upcoming podcast and documentary series—to amplify these stories in public and scholarly spaces.

In 2025–2026, Fellows and Scholars will support the expansion of this work through public events, multimedia storytelling, and engaged scholarship. Their contributions will directly support Cocina Libre’s mission to center immigrant voices while gaining experience in community-based participatory research, public scholarship, and inclusive creative production.

The Valverde Movement Project (VMP) began in 2021 when diverse partners united in a quest to expand community health and wealth in the Valverde neighborhood in Denver. The DU team supports the Valverde Neighborhood Association (VNA) in a variety of projects. The current project we are working on is called "Gals Who Garden," which is a partnership with VNA, The Park People, SustainED, Florence Crittenton HS for teen moms, DU, and several other organizations. The project aims to create a community garden on the HS grounds while also training some of the students in gardening skills that could translate to post-graduation opportunities. We have helped organize feedback sessions with HS students, analyzed data, and creating public-facing materials to share the results. We also support VNA with communication materials - we develop website content, newsletters, and more to ensure residents are informed of important things happening that impact them. This has included supporting the food pantry, getting information to residents about the city of Denver's participatory budgeting program, the Vibrant Denver GO Bond, the Valverde Basin flood mitigation plan, and much more.

In the past, we have used storytelling, asset mapping, and other collaborative approaches in multiple languages to strengthen civic capacity while working with partners from city government offices to ensure that Valverde's interests and needs are heard in policies and infrastructure investments. By moving at the speed of trust, we are creating a bold movement for just transitions toward regenerative local economies supported by infrastructure systems that enhance community-rooted health and wealth, rather than accelerate displacement and climate change.

The Valverde Movement Project (VMP) began in 2021 when diverse partners united in a quest to expand community health and wealth in the Valverde neighborhood in Denver. The DU team supports the Valverde Neighborhood Association (VNA) in a variety of projects. The current project we are working on is called "Gals Who Garden," which is a partnership with VNA, The Park People, SustainED, Florence Crittenton HS for teen moms, DU, and several other organizations. The project aims to create a community garden on the HS grounds while also training some of the students in gardening skills that could translate to post-graduation opportunities. We have helped organize feedback sessions with HS students, analyzed data, and creating public-facing materials to share the results. We also support VNA with communication materials - we develop website content, newsletters, and more to ensure residents are informed of important things happening that impact them. This has included supporting the food pantry, getting information to residents about the city of Denver's participatory budgeting program, the Vibrant Denver GO Bond, the Valverde Basin flood mitigation plan, and much more.

In the past, we have used storytelling, asset mapping, and other collaborative approaches in multiple languages to strengthen civic capacity while working with partners from city government offices to ensure that Valverde's interests and needs are heard in policies and infrastructure investments. By moving at the speed of trust, we are creating a bold movement for just transitions toward regenerative local economies supported by infrastructure systems that enhance community-rooted health and wealth, rather than accelerate displacement and climate change.

The Valverde Movement Project (VMP) began in 2021 when diverse partners united in a quest to expand community health and wealth in the Valverde neighborhood in Denver. The DU team supports the Valverde Neighborhood Association (VNA) in a variety of projects. The current project we are working on is called "Gals Who Garden," which is a partnership with VNA, The Park People, SustainED, Florence Crittenton HS for teen moms, DU, and several other organizations. The project aims to create a community garden on the HS grounds while also training some of the students in gardening skills that could translate to post-graduation opportunities. We have helped organize feedback sessions with HS students, analyzed data, and creating public-facing materials to share the results. We also support VNA with communication materials - we develop website content, newsletters, and more to ensure residents are informed of important things happening that impact them. This has included supporting the food pantry, getting information to residents about the city of Denver's participatory budgeting program, the Vibrant Denver GO Bond, the Valverde Basin flood mitigation plan, and much more.

In the past, we have used storytelling, asset mapping, and other collaborative approaches in multiple languages to strengthen civic capacity while working with partners from city government offices to ensure that Valverde's interests and needs are heard in policies and infrastructure investments. By moving at the speed of trust, we are creating a bold movement for just transitions toward regenerative local economies supported by infrastructure systems that enhance community-rooted health and wealth, rather than accelerate displacement and climate change.

During the 2023-2025 academic years, 12 faculty members at the University of Denver collaborated to create and teach liberal arts and social sciences courses introducing students to El Movimiento, the U.S. Chicana/o/x movement that began in the 1960s and 1970s. This movement significantly shaped the economic, political, and social historical context of our university’s area, yet its history has been underappreciated. Building our efforts on Bernal’s (2020) Chicana feminista methodological and pedagogical interventions and embedding antiracism into the curriculum in ways that complement the work of Grobman and colleagues (2023), faculty aimed to familiarize students with the stories of the region. As part of this endeavor, undergraduate students have been involved with faculty and Community Scholars from the local organizations History Colorado and Celestia Alegria in gathering oral histories that we have then processed professionally to contribute to both History Colorado's archives and to the University of Denver's curricular resources.

We are seeking a research partner who can help us by contributing to publications that are in process, as well as by providing assistance in coordinating continuing efforts in the collection of oral histories and interfacing with the Latina/o/x communities in our area. A promising candidate will have experience in conducting community engaged research, academic publishing, and/or expertise in Chicana, mujerista, and Indigenous feminist methodologies and pedagogies, and an interest in the presentation and publication of community-engaged social scientific and humanities research.

Metro Denver Nature Alliance (Metro DNA) is an equity-based, collective impact effort focused on creating a region where people and nature thrive. DU and CCESL Fellows have been involved over many years, helping to support the organization in all kinds of ways: research and implementation of collective impact, equity-based conservation, communications strategies, organizational governance and outreach. The next stage of work for Metro DNA is build on its regional equity assessment and regional conservation assessment (which are available for review on the Metro DNA website) to create a Regional Vision for People and Nature, an exciting project that will require further expanding our stakeholder networks and facilitating a process to co-create a set of shared values and priorities that can guide urban conservation investments. The opportunity for a CCESL Fellow/Scholar will be to help support this work by participating on the Metro DNA Executive and Steering Committees (where our organizational work takes place) as we take these next steps.

This project is an opportunity for students to develop and then participate in a series of collaborative, collective, knowledge-generating workshops related to Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK). The goal of the workshops is to provide meaningful opportunities for tribal youth and elders (Gidutikad Band of Northern Paiute and the Fort Bidwell Indian Community), researchers (undergraduates, graduates, and faculty), and land managers (Bureau of Land Management; BLM) to co-generate ecological and cultural information about Surprise Valley, California and surrounding areas. These areas are the ancestral homelands of the Northern Paiute and are currently managed by the BLM.

In the workshops, tribal leaders will share information about culturally important plants and their care during a day-long event that includes a field trip on public lands, a round-table expose with various tables and booths highlighting different aspects of ITEK, and culminating in community dinner and sweat lodge ceremony. Students will be introduced to methods used in STEM to document and describe plant ecology and distribution. Data generated will help inform the BLM’s management of cultural resources, contribute to our understanding of human plant-use and resource availability, and build a more equitable model of information gathering and sharing that takes into account Indigenous perspectives on plant and land use.

Research the history of water infrastructure and land use in Commerce City and its contribution to racial inequity in the municipality.

The Valverde Movement Project (VMP) began in 2021 when diverse partners united in a quest to expand community health and wealth in the Valverde neighborhood in Denver. The DU team supports the Valverde Neighborhood Association (VNA) in a variety of projects. The current project we are working on is called "Gals Who Garden," which is a partnership with VNA, The Park People, SustainED, Florence Crittenton HS for teen moms, and DU. The project aims to create a community garden on the HS grounds while also training some of the students in gardening skills that could translate to post-graduation opportunities.

In the past, we have used storytelling, asset mapping, and other collaborative approaches in multiple languages to strengthen civic capacity while working with partners from city government offices to ensure that Valverde's interests and needs are heard in policies and infrastructure investments. By moving at the speed of trust, we are creating a bold movement for just transitions toward regenerative local economies supported by infrastructure systems that enhance community-rooted health and wealth, rather than accelerate displacement and climate change.

QueenShipp's mission is to empower all young people, including queer, trans, and non-binary students. They achieve this through a holistic approach that includes leadership development, mentorship, and community engagement to develop emotionally intelligent and civically minded leaders who contribute to their families and greater communities. We are seeking scholars who will serve as dedicated and enthusiastic facilitators to contribute to the QueenShipp program. Scholars will be responsible for delivering our specialized curriculum to middle school students, fostering their growth and development.

The Valverde Movement Project (VMP) began in 2021 when diverse partners united in a quest to expand community health and wealth in the Valverde neighborhood in Denver. The DU team supports the Valverde Neighborhood Association (VNA) in a variety of projects. The current project we are working on is called "Gals Who Garden," which is a partnership with VNA, The Park People, SustainED, Florence Crittenton HS for teen moms, and DU. The project aims to create a community garden on the HS grounds while also training some of the students in gardening skills that could translate to post-graduation opportunities.

In the past, we have used storytelling, asset mapping, and other collaborative approaches in multiple languages to strengthen civic capacity while working with partners from city government offices to ensure that Valverde's interests and needs are heard in policies and infrastructure investments. By moving at the speed of trust, we are creating a bold movement for just transitions toward regenerative local economies supported by infrastructure systems that enhance community-rooted health and wealth rather than accelerate displacement and climate change.

The Metro Denver Nature Alliance is an equity-based, collective impact effort focused on creating a region where people and nature thrive. DU and CCESL Fellows have been involved over many years, helping to support the organization in all kinds of ways: research and implementation of collective impact, equity-based conservation, communications strategies, organizational governance, and outreach. The next stage of work for Metro DNA is to build on its regional equity assessment and regional conservation assessment (which are available for review on the Metro DNA website) to create a Regional Vision for People and Nature, an exciting project that will require further expanding our stakeholder networks and designing and facilitating a process to co-create a set of shared values and priorities that can guide urban conservation investments. The opportunity for a CCESL Fellow will be to help support this work by participating on the Metro DNA Executive and Steering Committees (where our organizational work takes place) as we take these next steps. 

The Valverde Movement Project (VMP) began in 2021 when diverse partners united in a quest to expand community health and wealth in the Valverde neighborhood in Denver. The DU team supports the Valverde Neighborhood Association (VNA) in a variety of projects. The current project we are working on is called "Gals Who Garden," which is a partnership with VNA, The Park People, SustainED, Florence Crittenton HS for teen moms, and DU. The project aims to create a community garden on the HS grounds while also training some of the students in gardening skills that could translate to post-graduation opportunities.

In the past, we have used storytelling, asset mapping, and other collaborative approaches in multiple languages to strengthen civic capacity while working with partners from city government offices to ensure that Valverde's interests and needs are heard in policies and infrastructure investments. By moving at the speed of trust, we are creating a bold movement for just transitions toward regenerative local economies supported by infrastructure systems that enhance community-rooted health and wealth rather than accelerate displacement and climate change.

The "Documenting the Past, Fostering the Future (DPFF)" team works on the National Endowment for the Humanities-funded “Youth Voice in El Movimiento” curricular project. The Fellow assists in cataloguing, archiving, and preparing oral histories collected as part of the project. A minimum of 12 of the oral histories will be processed for delivery to History Colorado in the summer of 2025. The fellow will also work with the DPFF team to develop short written statements about the various materials that are collected and to help curate appropriate content to appear on the project website.

The fellow with the DPFF team assists in the scholarly review and evaluation of the National Endowment for the Humanities-funded “Youth Voice in El Movimiento” curricular project. The fellow will work with the DPFF team to contribute to the publication of our efforts in an academic journal like Chicana/Latina Studies, Aztlan, or an appropriate education journal. There are opportunities to support the development of pieces for publications like The Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as newspapers and blogs. 

Collaboration with WHS to provide weekly mentoring (via Zoom) and occasional on-site visits to both DU and WHS. Structured near-peer mentoring program to support significant life changes from senior year of high school to college or other post-high school career plans. Work directly with DU faculty and WHS faculty, aiming to grow the career development aspect by increasing partnership with DU CPD and WHS Futures Center. 

Against the Otherness:

This project aims to create and empower the sense of belonging between and within academia and the community by embracing diverse cultures and identities through education. It provides an opportunity for the indigenous and emigrant members of DU and the community to present their cultural identity through workshops, events, and exhibitions.

Woman, Life, Freedom:

WLF project is an ongoing one, started last year in support of the women-led Iranian movement for women's rights in Iran. It is a project including several cultural and artistic events engaging DU and the Iranian community in Colorado.

The purpose of the "Did you eat?" project is to create a platform and framework that fosters meaningful connections and interactions between Asian American elders and youth. This initiative aims to address the growing generational gap within the Asian American community by promoting understanding, cultural exchange, and shared experiences between older adults and younger individuals. The project recognizes the rich heritage, wisdom, and life experiences of Asian American elders while leveraging the fresh perspectives, energy, and potential of the youth.

Goals:
Inter-generational Bonding: The primary goal of the project is to establish strong emotional bonds between Asian American elders and youth. By facilitating regular interactions and shared activities, the project aims to foster mutual respect, empathy, and friendship.

Cultural Preservation and Transmission: The initiative seeks to create a space where Asian American elders can share their cultural traditions, stories, and history with the younger generation. This helps preserve cultural heritage while allowing youth to gain a deeper appreciation for their roots.

Mentorship and Guidance: The project aims to provide a platform for elders to serve as mentors and guides for the youth. Through their life experiences, elders can offer valuable advice, life lessons, and insights, which can aid young individuals in making informed decisions and navigating challenges.

Reducing Social Isolation: Many Asian American elders experience social isolation due to language barriers, cultural differences, and changing family structures. By integrating them into an inter-generational community, the project aims to alleviate feelings of loneliness and disconnectedness.

Empowering Youth Leadership: The initiative also focuses on empowering youth to take leadership roles in organizing events, workshops, and initiatives. This provides them with valuable skills, builds their confidence, and encourages them to actively contribute to the community's well-being.

Cultural Exchange and Learning: Through collaborative activities, workshops, and events, both generations can engage in cultural exchange. Elders can learn about contemporary issues and trends, while youth can gain insights into traditional values and practices.

Community Strengthening: The project's overarching goal is to strengthen the Asian American community by bridging the gap between different generations. By nurturing a sense of belonging and shared identity, the community becomes more cohesive and resilient.

YO is a youth civic engagement initiative in which young people address a social justice issue based on the principles of community organizing. Supported by the CCESL Student Programs Manager, a team of CCESL scholars and Community-engaged Fellows serve as coaches and work closely with DMLK high school students in the class Socially Just Education to identify, research, and take action on social justice issues that students care about within their school and community.

The STEM Mentorship Project connects STEM-majored undergrads in DU with high school seniors from Westminster High School. The aims of this mentorship project are:

1. setting role models and encouraging high school seniors, especially traditionally unrepresented groups in STEM, such as females and students of color, to explore and embrace STEM subjects as they make decisions about their post-secondary education and career paths;
2. develop leadership, equity mindsets and empathy among DU undergrads using STEM expertise to serve communities, commit to the public good, and engage in social justice issues. DU undergrads will meet high school seniors online per week and in-person per quarter to provide mentorship in various STEM-focused areas, such as college and scholarship application and internship searches.

Youth Organizing is a youth civic engagement initiative based on the principles of community organizing, equity, and social justice. YO draws on talents of marginalized students of color who are exploring the dynamics of using their voice to organize for social change. In YO, a team of DU students of color work closely with youth in the Socially Just Education class at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College (DMLK) to identify, research, and take action on issues that directly impact the youth in their communities. DU teams visit the class weekly and facilitate this process for students based on the YO curriculum that draws on the traditions and diversities of youth organizing and youth participatory action research. DU Teams also engage in research on the impacts of this process and action on youth and community members.

Jackie’s project explores how sense of belonging and connection are fostered and sustained in various communities. Focusing primarily on mutual aid and civic engagement spaces, she is identifying the group strategies and commitments that allow for the creation of safe, brave, and welcoming environments, both in-person and virtually. She seeks to create:

1. a belonging and connectedness “toolkit” so that these learnings can be adapted to more traditional spaces, and
2. a photo storytelling project on how different people define and experience community and belonging.

Shipra's project is focused on trying to understand how best we can make use of Buddhist teachings and values as pedagogical, program, and research methods at DU. Shipra is hoping to build upon the past two years of work, and come up with a concrete plan on how these methods can be applied into research and teaching. This includes exploring how it would look like for gallery/museum exhibitions and examining ways to demonstrate them in a decolonized manner that does justice to indigenous and local communities.

Ash will assist the Arapahoe Philharmonic in their community engagement programming. This will include revitalizing previous projects that were paused due to COVID as well as developing a new program for young composers.

Surrounded by researchers who study social problems such as homelessness and human trafficking Natcha is inspired by their leadership, impact, and their story leading up to today. Natcha plans to use these connections to create a project involving creative writing or a visual which will tell the inspiring stories of 5-6 researchers she is closely connected to (from  DU, CU Anschutz, UC Denver, and MSU). 

The Metro Denver Nature Alliance (Metro DNA) is a growing coalition of non-profit, government, research, and private sector members seeking to align nature-based efforts to ensure more equitable access to nature and to promote healthy people, communities, and natural places. Jenna Wyatt assists with organizational/project management and logistical support for the Regional Equity and Conservation Assessment. She is also supporting the Valverde Movement Project (VMP). VMP supports the Valverde Neighborhood Association in a quest to expand community health and wealth in Valverde.

Colleen is planning to work on the Valverde Movement Project as a community-engaged fellow. The Valverde Movement Project is a project that focuses on naming harm, centering harm, and building on collective strengths. She will be building an organizing committee that has goals of movement building in and for the community. 

Lusungu plans to collaborate with different charities that focus on empowering and keeping girls in school and keeping them from child marriages.

Derek will be continuing two projects, both of which center on ecological minded education and care. For the last two years, Derek has been part of a research team that is a collaboration between the Graduate School of Social Work, Metro State University, and Denver Public Schools. They are currently co-creating a ecological minded professional development curriculum with a team of teachers from the district. This effort is running parallel with another project with similar goals, but focuses on working youth activists in DPS. For his second project, Derek will continue mentoring DU undergraduate students, helping them craft sustainability curriculum for STRIVE Prep, a middle school in DPS.

Naichen will work on a K-12 equity project alongside a CCESL-connected faculty member who has been collaborating with Westminster High School on a STEM mentoring program. 

Bennett will be researching environmental justice in the Denver Metro area by focusing on the health and wellness benefits of urban green spaces, as well as issues of access and equity in those spaces.

Mona will work on a series of projects whose objective is the revival of the ancient roots and cultural heritage of the colonized people and emigrants, and to dissolve the otherness in a multicultural society providing familiarity, engagement, and inclusivity.

cultural decolonization; activism against racial, gendered, and ethnic oppression through academic research, education, art, music, and public events.

Brandon and Dani Chavez will support youth organizing with high school students at Dr. Martin Luther King Early College. Guided by community organizing principles, their team will aid DMLK students to learn the power of their voice and to identify, research, and take action on an issue they are passionate about.

Dani Chavez and Brandon Arneson will support youth organizing with high school students at Dr. Martin Luther King Early College. Guided by community organizing principles, their team will aid DMLK students to learn the power of their voice and to identify, research, and take action on an issue they are passionate about. Dani will also be working with Valverde Movement Project on youth community outreach to better understand community needs.

Calvin is interested in exploring how online media platforms (social media, gaming, Twitch, etc.) influence individual and community identity formation in ways that are similar and different than in other environments. Calvin is also interested in understanding how these modalities affect the experiences of individuals and communities holding marginalized identities.