How did you become an intern for DPS Foundation?
In high school, I was a part of a class that made actual policies to solve root systemic issues in our school society. At North High School, we had an influx of students from South America, specifically from Venezuela, most of whom were low-income and first-generation. I was deeply intertwined with this work, as I am Venezuelan-American, with many family members fleeing from the same country that many of these new students came from.
Because of this sudden increase, the school’s already limited resources were stretched even thinner. We desperately needed funding to provide after-school activities, tutoring, and free meals to support these students. Our best option was handed to us by Jen Mays-Krimmer, who introduced us to the student grants. It felt like students were finally being recognized and supported through the grants offered by the Denver Public Schools Foundation (DPSF). There, I continued to apply for the grant for the next school year, and by the end of my senior year, I was offered the opportunity to apply as an intern.
Hello, my name is Sara Marquez, and I am very proud to call myself a (former) intern for DPS Foundation!
What was your favorite part at DPS Foundation?
The most gratifying moment of my internship wasn’t organizing service days at elementary schools across Denver or handing out donated tote bags to new educators. It was reviewing photos of candid students from across Denver Public Schools who had benefited from special accommodations funded by DPSF’s A-Z Grant.
I was working on a slideshow for an event, and my task was to gather photos of previous grant recipients for the background. Searching in the grant interface, I meticulously read through pages of grants, finally fully grasping the Foundation’s mission. I saw how educators used these funds in creative, meaningful ways to fill the gaps left by underfunded and historically marginalized schools.
The photos captured both big experiences, like elementary schoolers skiing for the first time, and quieter ones, like students finally having access to essentials such as headphones.
My work here at DPS Foundation was always about directly supporting DPS communities, even when I was doing simple tasks such as organizing spreadsheets and school supplies. In my time here, I finally felt like my passion for social justice was fulfilled, as the impact was tangible and clearly represented in the photos I gathered for the slideshow.
What did you learn as an intern at the Foundation?
Going into my first day of work at the Emily Griffith office, my objective was simple: to see if I could handle an office job. I can hardly sit still for more than ten minutes at a time, so I knew this would be a challenge. But to my surprise, even something as simple as creating a spreadsheet of organizations we could support turned out to be both fun and a valuable skill to learn.
As an intern, I organized school materials for new educators, helped coordinate over 70 volunteers to beautify an elementary school campus, and tabled at a community event to collect water bottles for students and families. As time passed by, I didn’t grow tired of the idea of going to work a couple of times a week. Instead, I thought about how I was giving back to the same Denver communities that have shown me compassion in the four years I was in high school.
What I realized during my time here is that the thought of making a real impact on students, educators, and families is what made everything feel worthwhile. For me, it’s important to have passion and care for the work I do. This whole summer, I never once dreaded going to work like I did in the food service jobs I’ve had before. While I’m excited to study biology in college, my time at DPSF has given me a lasting passion for nonprofit fundraising that I’ll carry with me wherever I go.
