Denver Urban Scholars Walk of Fame, 20 Years in the Making: Amanda Campbell

How long have you been involved with DUS?

I have been involved in some capacity since spring of 2005. I started as an intern and helped to develop what is now the Stepping Stones (middle school) program. After my internship finished in spring 2006, I was lucky enough to be hired on as the Youth Development Coordinator.

I had a caseload of students that I was working with directly and I was also responsible for volunteer recruitment. In 2008, I became Program Director and played that role until fall of 2012. I continued my involvement in the agency serving as interim Program Director through a couple of staff transitions. I now am a member of the board and the program committee.

I was also a mentor to a high school student named Precious. We are still in touch to this day. She works as a Supply Chain Manager and is finishing her undergraduate degree at CU Denver.

How has Denver Urban Scholars impacted your life?

Denver Urban Scholars is where I feel like I have really learned what it means to be a social worker. And it’s seen me through the infancy of my social work career into developing my professional identity. But beyond that, I also feel like it’s a large community and almost a family I am part of and is inextricably linked with who I am and what’s important to me. I think there are people at all levels—students, staff, board members—who have become significant parts of my life. Both as it relates to DUS but also outside of that, it’s such an integral part of what’s important to me.

What are the ways you see DUS impacting the community?

I see DUS as an organization in the community that really represents hope and possibility for very deserving youth who can benefit from extra resources to help them see what’s possible for their future. I think the fact that it’s grown from a really small family foundation to a much larger nonprofit that’s really working closely with very innovative school systems in Denver has just been really inspiring and exciting. To see that the reach has been broadened and to see that we are impacting so many communities within Denver is amazing. I also really feel like it’s a place that fosters community between the youth that we serve as well as mentors, volunteers, and other stakeholders in the community. It brings people together for the common purpose to promote college and career readiness.

Why do you think it is important for community members to support DUS?

Pure and simple, I think we are doing great work. I think that through people giving time and money, those resources are really being used very wisely to impact the lives of youth in our community. I think this is an organization that is about people showing up and giving of themselves and believing that together we can really affect change not only for an individual student, but also thinking about larger systems change. We can help a good number of kids in Denver graduate from high school and move on to college or a career that works for them and allows them to contribute to society and community as well.

Any fun or significant memories about DUS that you’d like to share?

The times that we’ve taken our student into the mountains to do ropes courses or challenge courses which get them out of their normal day to day environments and give them a chance to interact with peers and staff and mentors in a different way, have been so incredibly impactful for me. To watch these kids over the course of a day or weekend to go from being very apprehensive in terms of what they can accomplish physically or mentally in terms of tasks or activities to conquering those fears by taking risks and attempting things that were scary or unknown to them. They reflect back on how they have so much inner strength and there is so much value in them taking risks and building strength they can bring back into their everyday world.