This week we sit down with Nate Cadena. He is the Chief Operating Officer at Denver Scholarship Foundation and Board Chair of Ednium: The Alumni Collective. 

We discuss his story along with a research project Ednium and DSF partnered on exploring post-secondary experiences of Latino males in Denver. We reflect on the qualitative research, how to shift systems, and how we think about success. 

Show notes:

2:30 - Intro

8:30 - Growing up

10:55 - Slow Grind

33:03 - DSF Research Reflection

48:00 - Reach

This week we sit down with the cofounder of Be The Change Community School, Amanda Gonzales. We discuss her journey as an educator and administrator and her vision for creating authentic spaces for students, teachers, staff, and the community as a whole. 

Learn more about Be The Change here.

We get the honor of running it back with the original Ednium Podcast Guest, Alvaro Marquez Gandara who recently served as a campaign manager for DPS Board Member Dr. Carrie Olson.

Alvaro also runs a successful concrete business and brand (Paying Dues). 

We reflect on his experience being front row for the first time during a board election cycle and discuss what it means for our communities to show up. 

The Denver Public Schools Board Candidate Series is a conversation with those running for DPS school board. In 2021 there are 4 seats open (At-Large, District 2, District 3, and District 4) for election with 13 total candidates vying for those positions.

This series is not an endorsement for any of the candidates interviewed. We reached out to each candidate and sat down with everyone who was willing and able.

Our goal for this series is to get insight into the human beings themselves, understand what it is like to run for school board, and learn more about  our communities in Denver.

You can see all of the candidates at this link.

For our final instillation we have the At-Large race. We had the opportunity to connect with three of the candidates running for this seat: Vernon Jones, Scott Esserman, and Jane Shirley.

You can find voting locations in Denver using this link.

The Denver Public Schools Board Candidate Series is a conversation with those running for DPS school board. In 2021 there are 4 seats open (At-Large, District 2, District 3, and District 4) for election with 13 total candidates vying for those positions.

This series is not an endorsement for any of the candidates interviewed. We reached out to each candidate and sat down with everyone who was willing and able.

Our goal for this series is to get insight into the human beings themselves, understand what it is like to run for school board, and learn more about  our communities in Denver.

You can see all of the candidates at this link.

Up next is District 2. We had the opportunity to connect with one of the two candidates running for this seat: Karolina Villagrana.

You can find voting locations in Denver using this link.

The Denver Public Schools Board Candidate Series is a conversation with those running for DPS school board. In 2021 there are 4 seats open (At-Large, District 2, District 3, and District 4) for election with 13 total candidates vying for those positions.

This series is not an endorsement for any of the candidates interviewed. We reached out to each candidate and sat down with everyone who was willing and able.

Our goal for this series is to get insight into the human beings themselves, understand what it is like to run for school board, and learn more about  our communities in Denver.

You can see all of the candidates at this link.

Up next is District 3. We had the opportunity to connect with one of the two candidates running for this seat: Dr. Carrie Olson.

You can find voting locations in Denver using this link.

We are back with a brand new series!

The Denver Public Schools Board Candidate Series is a conversation with those running for DPS school board. In 2021 there are 4 seats open (At-Large, District 2, District 3, and District 4) for election with 13 total candidates vying for those positions.

This series is not an endorsement for any of the candidates interviewed. We reached out to each candidate and sat down with everyone who was willing and able.

Our goal for this series is to get insight into the human beings themselves, understand what it is like to run for school board, and learn more about  our communities in Denver.

You can see all of the candidates at this link.

We kick this off with District 4 (Northeast Denver). We had the opportunity to connect with two of the four candidates running for this seat: Gene Fashaw and Michelle Quattlebaum. 

You can find voting locations in Denver using this link.

Denver Artist Spotlight: Kenya Fashaw - "Change Gon' Come"

This week we sit down with Sia Chandler-Garcia. She was born and raised in Denver Colorado. Has a B.A. in Behavioral Science, a Masters in Counseling of Education, a postgraduate degree in Principal Administration, and a graduate from Denver Seminary with a certificate in Chaplaincy. She is currently working as the Principal at Emily Griffith High School in Denver.

Sia has worked in education for over 26 years and has a counseling business named With Love. Her latest adventure is Sia’s Bean Pies. She loves to bake!

Sia co-founded Watch Me Grow Mentoring Program for girls ages 11-14. Where they mentor young ladies by encouraging them to exhibit self-love, and love for others and the community.

Sia has authored two books: Luke the Loving Dog (yes, it is about my dog), and I Don’t Want to Fight Anymore: How to get your tween/teen to listen to you.

Though she has established a career in education, and counseling, Sia’s first love is singing. She is the founder and lead singer of Decades of Love Band, performing annual concerts to raise funds for various causes. She is married, has a blended family of 5 children and 1 dog.

Her ultimate goal in life is to see how much love she can give.

Denver Artist Spotlight - Decade of Love - Live performance - https://youtu.be/pAncMo5_6tQ

Welcome Back! 

This week we sit down with Founder of Juntos 2 College, Luis Antezana Alba. 

He was born in Bolivia, raised in Los Angeles, and has called Colorado his adopted home since 2015. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the Honors College at the California State University of Los Angeles. His professional career began as an educator in Colorado Springs, teaching high school Language Arts and AVID. In recent years, Luis has focused on college access for Seniors as a Denver Scholarship Foundation College/Career Advisor at Abraham Lincoln High School. With 6+ years of experience, Luis has worked with hundreds of immigrant students and families to help guide them through state financial aid (CASFA), private scholarships (including helping over a dozen students receive the DREAM.US scholarship), career exploration, ITIN support, entrepreneurship, and the DACA process. Luis is a global speaker and is often sought out to consult with teachers, educators, school leaders, and legal teams to support individual families. For his efforts toward education equity, Luis was recognized with the Teach for America 2018 Colorado Springs Alumnus of the Year award. 

Denver Artist Spotlight - Avatar Vaughn - "Stray Away" (Cosmic)

This week we connect with Trev Rich, a Grammy-Nominated songwriter and artist from Denver. We discuss what it takes to define and achieve success for yourself, how schools tend to create workers (not bosses), and how we can build an ecosystem around a collective vision. 

Denver Artist Spotlight: Trev Rich - "24-8" from his 2021 album "Out the Dark"

Website: www.iamtrevrich.com