Ednium: The Alumni Collective

?2024 Homegrown Awards Nominations Now Open!? On behalf of Ednium: The Alumni Collective in partnership with the Denver Scholarship Foundation and supported by CBS Colorado, we’re excited to invite YOU to be part of our 2024 Homegrown Awards! ?? ?? Date: December 7, 2024?? ?? Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM?? ?? Location: University of Denver This night will celebrate the remarkable achievements of Denver's Homegrown Talent, and we need your help to make it a success! ?? Nominate deserving DPS alumni who have made a lasting impact on our community by clicking this link: https://lnkd.in/e27SCW7T ?? Nominations close: November 1, 2024, at 11:59 PM?? ?? Winners announced: November 22, 2024 Don’t miss your chance to help us recognize and honor the incredible leaders in our community. Let’s come together for an unforgettable evening! ?? Event registration opens on November 1, 2024! #HomegrownAwards #CelebrateTalent #Ednium

Here are our 2024 Homegrown Award winners!!! After reading through the nominations, with the help of our selection committee, we're excited to announce the five Denver Public School alumni who’ve earned a Homegrown Award. The Game Giver.. Eduardo Chavez, DCIS Baker alum and School Counselor at Denver Justice High School! The Founder.. Dawnae Burnett, Denver East High School alum, and Founder of Devyne Scholar Academy (DSA)! The Creator.. Yazmin Atmore, Denver East High School alum, and Community Organizer, Creative & Educator! The Table Builder.. Cristina G. Chacon, Abraham Lincoln High School alum, and Director of Programs & Partnerships at YEBO! The Dream Investor.. Stephanie Lopez, MSW, Denver East High School alum, and College Success Program Manager at the Denver Scholarship Foundation! Learn more about these award winners by attending the Homegrown Awards on December 7th, 2024! A night of fancy outfits, great food, community connections, and unforgettable memories. Serving as the grand finale for the year, you do not want to miss out! We’ll be celebrating and honoring the impact of Denver’s Homegrown Talent. From 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM on December 7, 2024, at the University of Denver Community Commons (2055 E Evans Ave, Denver, CO 80210). We’re near capacity, RSVP ASAP! https://lnkd.in/eBQBS62F

This is for public school alumni looking for community. The Denver Deep Dive is a six session leadership program that brings Denver metro public school alumni together to learn about the systems you’ve navigated throughout your life. After six sessions of learning and building trust, you’ll leave with the skills, resources, and connections to influence and have a meaningful impact on the wider ecosystem. For past participants like Lesley Del Rio, her passion for education equity has led to bigger roles within the Ednium community. Or for Jeri Romero, the Deep Dive wasn’t just a program—it was the start of a transformative career change. Joining the Denver Deep Dive means becoming part of a community that empowers you to take meaningful action. Your next leadership journey is here, but don’t wait to take action! Apply now before we close applications on December 2nd. https://lnkd.in/gitjY5nJ

??New Podcast Episode?? Good morning and happy Monday! We continue our audio journey with an authentic and powerful leader in our Denver Public Schools system. Episode 76: We Have to Hope, We Have to Resist spotlights Mother, Educator, and Activist – Myka Pettit. Throughout this powerful episode, Myka and the squad dove into meaningful conversations around destiny, teaching and the role it plays in liberation, the role rest plays throughout the struggle, and the importance of hope and resistance. Click the link to listen! https://lnkd.in/gAiV-x_p #Denver #HomegrownTalent #Community #Love #Ednium #Alumni #Resist #Liberation

Read this if you hate feeling absent from the community. The 2023 Homegrown Awards was a night to remember. Our community was dressed to the nines! We had inspiring conversations from leaders across the community, had amazing food, took wonderful photos, and celebrated five Denver Public School alumni who are giving back in great ways to the Denver community. Our 2023 award winners: ?? The Table Builder (Leader of the Year) was awarded to Liloni S. Ramos, Program Manager of the Piton Fellowship at Gary Community Ventures and John F. Kennedy High School alum. ?? The Creator (Artist of the Year) was awarded to Brayan Montez Terrazas, Founder and Lead Creative at YAMZ World of Color and John F. Kennedy High School alum. ?? The Game Giver (Educator of the Year) was awarded to Tashan Montgomery, Educator and Youth Council Liaison at YAASPA and George Washington High School alum. ?? The Founder (Entrepreneur of the Year) was awarded to Miguel Roman, CEO and Owner of Diamond Brown Stucco and CEC Early College alum. ?? The Dream Investor (Outstanding Community Impact) was awarded to Dr. Jamal Bowen, President & Founder of Empowering Community Entrepreneurs and Denver East High School alum. Photos were flying all night at the 2023 Homegrown Awards, and we’re doing it again! Dress to impress and be part of the fun. Come ready to make memories and snap stunning shots. We’re starting right at 6:00 PM! See you on December 7th, at the University of Denver Community Commons (2055 E Evans Ave, Denver, CO 80210). We have 20 RSVP’s left, get yours now: https://lnkd.in/eBQBS62F

Working with us, you’ll get a sense of purpose and connection. After over 28 hours of dedication, deep dialogue, and courageous collaboration, our Advocacy Accelerator Homies are approaching a milestone! They’re preparing to present their recommendations to Ednium’s Alumni Council—a decision-making body that ensures the voice of our community shapes our direction. This is more than a set of proposals; it’s a testament to the power of community-led change. Real progress is slow, built on trust, and rooted in authentic relationships. In our sessions, we’ve seen our alumni embody values of Community, Trust, and Action, engaging openly about their journeys through Denver’s education system and their experiences within the city they call home. As they’ve grown together, they’ve also grown in their vision for a better, more inclusive Denver. These past 10 weeks, it’s felt like our Advocacy Homies have been building a compass; a compass that’s modified with every conversation, helping alumni find a North Star worth working towards. In this journey, we are reminded: community change isn’t linear; it’s a layered process, like building a house one brick at a time. Stay locked in, because our Advocacy Homies are just getting started! Let’s continue supporting each other, sharing stories of resilience, and building together.

Warning to Denver metro alumni: this is a game changer. You are powerful and brilliant. To continue developing said power and brilliance, you need community, trust, and action. If you’re looking to deepen your social capital and grow your leadership skills, then the Denver Deep is the program for you! During this experience, our intention is for Denver metro area public school alumni to leave with a deeper understanding of the environments you have navigated throughout your life. You will be equipped with the skills, resources, and connections to influence and have a meaningful impact on said environments. At the conclusion of this program, you’ll have created a personalized civic engagement plan. This plan will change the way you make an impact in the city that raised you. Sound interesting? Apply now: https://lnkd.in/gitjY5nJ

The city of Denver has seen such monumental changes in the past two decades where the city has become unrecognizable for some folks that grew up here. As displacement runs rampant, we continue to critique the role that institutions around us play in the lack of investment in our homegrown talent. Kellsie Forfar-Jones values traveling to different parts of the world and admiring its infrastructure. However, her passion and loyalty lies in her city – Denver. She is committed to making a difference and ensuring that we can live, work, and play in the city that raised us. Do you still live in Denver? Why or why not? What measures do we need to ensure more alumni can live and thrive in our city? Let us know in the comments below! Click here to listen to the podcast - https://lnkd.in/gRHfnQje #Podcast #Ednium #Denver #HomegrownTalent #Infrastructure #Community #Love

We believe community voices can create positive systems change. To challenge the status quo, you need community connections and knowledge to ‘know how’. You can do this by building trust with your community and taking action with your peers. We’ve seen it happen from the ten alumni who’ve graduated from our Denver Deep Dive program: Like Kiara, who does Community Outreach for the city of Denver and is now serving as Ednium’s Alumni Council Chair. Or Vallerie, who is a Digital Organizing Manager for a local non-profit. And Carlos, an Educator and Dean Of Culture for a historic Denver high school. They came out of the Denver Deep Dive with more knowledge, skills, and agency to achieve their goals. If you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone; you too can be part of this community. You can apply for the Denver Deep Dive. This is for people who believe in their leadership potential and want to increase their social capital. We’re waiting and ready to support you, but only if you apply yourself. Application: https://lnkd.in/gitjY5nJ

As we navigate through turbulent waters and chaos all around us, it can get difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our recent iteration of the podcast has emphasized that the light that can be seen through and at the end of the tunnel is hope. In our most recent podcast episode, Kellsie Forfar-Jones reflects on what is giving her hope and the power of giving grace to those around us. Click the link to listen to the episode! https://lnkd.in/gvMBvv3E #Podcast #Ednium #Denver #HomegrownTalent #Hope #Friends #Grace