The Ednium Podcast

Alejandra Venzor is a school counselor at Excel Academy, an intensive pathway school located in Southwest Denver. Ale was born in Chihuahua and raised in southwest Denver. As a first-generation student, she graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, received her bachelor's from MSU Denver, and later on received her master's in Counseling from CU Denver. Prior to Excel, Ale worked at the...

Carlos Villagrana-Juárez is part of the Culture Team, specifically one of three Restorative Practices coordinators at the newly unified West High School. Prior to this role Carlos served as a math intervention fellow for DPS and a social-emotional learning program instructor through the YESS Institute at West Leadership Academy. Currently Carlos is pursuing his masters degree at the Morgridge Coll...

Born and raised in Colorado, Michelle Quattlebaum specializes in addressing communication barriers, building relationships, and forging unique ally partnerships. Michelle has an extensive background in Banking ranging from customer service to management. Ms. Quattlebaum holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, focused on Intercultural Communications, and a Master’s degree in Organizational Lead...

Bailey Loving grew up in Denver, Colorado and graduated from Montbello High School. His undergraduate major was in Molecular Biology at The University of Denver, where he had early exposure to Radiation Biology. He then completed his medical doctorate at the University of Colorado, where he further pursued his interest in oncology. He is grateful for the opportunity to train at Beaumont...

This week we sit down with Dr. Anne Keke. She is a community leader, a teacher, and newly elected school board member of Aurora Public Schools. Dr. Anne has worked in the fields of education, social work and criminal justice. She has served as a restorative justice coordinator, K-12 tutor, and peer counselor, as well as being a key member of the African Leadership Group. 2:32  differences in...

This week we sit down with Dr. Antwan Jefferson, a Associate Clinical Professor in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver. In his work, Antwan teaches in the Human Development and Family Relations program and the Urban and Diverse Communities concentration of the Leadership for Educational Equity doctorate (EdD) program. His teaching emphasizes interroga...

This week we sit down with Melanie Asmar, Senior Reporter at Chalkbeat Colorado. Melanie covers education in Denver and other cities in the metro region. We discuss her journey and why it’s important to tell stories. 3:40 chalkbeat start 10:50 interviewing tips 13:03 how has media changed? 23:10 real people telling stories 28:17 what news to run? 42:47 what does it mean to be a journalist? 46:10 h...

This week we sit down with the new Denver Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero. We discuss his story, his process, and how he seeks to lead the district as a whole.  

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....

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 t...

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 will...

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 will...

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 will...

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 an...

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 educ...

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 Spri...

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 YouTube: Li...

This week Lilloni Ramos sits down with Kwame Spearman, a Denver native, who graduated from East HIgh School. He is a son of a DPS educator of 35 years, and the new owner / CEO of Tattered Cover. Tattered Cover Bookstore - Website Denver Artist Spotlight - IamMTG - "Big Bag"  

This week we sit down with Ellie Mata-Bustillos, Founder of Latino Counseling where she strives to provide services to those who have limited access to mental health interventions specifically targeting the Spanish speaking community. W ith over 12 years of experience, h er education background includes a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and she is also a certified Addiction Cou...

This week we sit down with Bobby LeFebre, an award winning writer, performer and cultural worker fusing a non-traditional multi-hyphenated professional identity to imagine new realities, empower communities, advance arts and culture, and serve as an agent of provocation, transformation, equity and social change.  LeFebre’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Pos...

This week we sit down with Sofia Romero Campbell a Denver Center for International Studies grad and Senior at Smith College. We get to learn about how travel and experiencing different cultures shaped her vision, her work in supporting sustainable food, and get to hear her share her talent as our Denver Artist Spotlight. Alma Del Folklore: https://www.facebook.com/mariachialma.delfolklore.5 Outsid...

This week we sit down with Kai Suematsu. A George Washington grad and current CU Boulder Student, Kai also runs the KOBU Foundation where he serves meals and provides college scholarships. Learn more at kobufoundation.org . After we recorded this episode we were made aware of the lives lost in Atlanta, Georgia. We thought it necessary to start this podcast off with a separate conversation addressi...

This week we sit down with Xochitl, a DPS Alumni from Dr. Martin Luther King Early College and graduate from Colorado State University. We chop it up about he experiences being a first generation student and supporting students in school today. Denver Artist Spotlight: Zanib - "Catch me if you can" https://open.spotify.com/track/7a3De00xVgkyeieXXJEBLP?si=560bdf7939ea427d

This week we sit down with Denver Artist 3lack. He puts us on game around creating and protecting your energy and building things that can out live us.  Denver Artist Spotlight: 3lack - "Manifest" from his 2021 album "No Feelings 2" https://open.spotify.com/track/2lrPeMbtFSG5zIOLiOyfZP?si=6772af47ced9442f Social: @3lackmusic Website: https://www.3lackmusic.com