Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What are your interests and hobbies?

I was born in Telluride, Colorado and lived there until I was about 7 years old. My family bounced around a bit until we eventually settled in a town called Ashland in Southern Oregon. My biggest interest is absolutely music. It has been a part of me since before I was born (my parents put on their first music festival 3 days before I was born). I have worked in record stores and have been involved in the music industry in numerous capacities throughout my life. I write and produce music, and for the last couple of years I have been traveling around the country playing shows.

Beyond music, I love snowboarding and am a big Denver sports fan. Go Nuggets! I have a dog, Ari, with my soon-to-be wife, Jenny, and I love spending time with them. They are the greatest joys in my life. I am also interested in all kinds of art and creative expression. I’m also very interested in politics, which is part of the reason I went back to school (I’ll expand more on that in the following questions). 

You came to CU Denver as a transfer student. Tell us about your decision to attend CU Denver and what experiences led to that decision.

I decided to attend CU Denver because, as someone who was working full time, I needed a school that had a great online program and CU Denver is one of the best in the country. Additionally, their school of Public Affairs is excellent and that is exactly what I wanted to go to school for. Being a Denverite, it seemed like the obvious choice. 

What influenced you to choose Public Service as your major?

I chose Public Service as my major because I have always been inspired by social justice movements and after everything that happened at the end of the 2010s and in 2020, I felt a responsibility to make more of an effort and impact on making my community a better place for all people. This program would give me the skills and knowledge to do that effectively. I wanted to figure out how I could leverage my connections, experience, and skills that I gained from being involved in the music industry for so many years to empower people and cultivate social change.

During your final year at CU Denver, you’ve been interning with The Black Box. Tell us about the organization and what you’ve been doing as the Job Shadow and Community Events Coordinator.

The Black Box is a staple in the Denver music scene, particularly for electronic music. It is one of the few independently owned music venues left in Denver and the owner, Nicole, is a legend for what she has done for electronic music in North America. I have been collaborating with her to build this community service program at the Black Box where we are trying to bring in young people who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to get real-world experience in the many jobs available in the music industry. The makeup of the workforce in the music industry is fairly homogenous, so it is our goal with this program to begin to change that by having more people from diverse backgrounds get experience in these roles and eventually get jobs at all the venues and companies around Denver and the U.S.

With my role, I have been working with local organizations to get participants in our programs and oversee their experience at the Black Box. We are currently working on putting together a culminating event that will showcase the skills of these participants and hopefully bring more community members together to expand the program and generate more opportunities for young people in the music industry.  

What steps did you take to find and secure your internship?

I secured my internship through my friendship with Nicole, who I had gotten to know through being involved in the music industry. I brought up the idea to her and she had already been interested in doing something similar, so it just clicked.

How do your internship, college education and life experiences intersect? 

It is all deeply intertwined. It is basically taking all the things I care about and leveraging all the skills, knowledge and experiences I have had to do the things I have always wanted to do. I find myself feeling deeply fulfilled putting my energy into things I care about and all of them feeding into one another. I know that each bit of progress I make allows me to come closer to my goals of making a difference in my community while doing the things I love.

Tell us about a highlight from your internship.

A highlight of my internship has been seeing the participants in our program at the Black Box be excited and inspired to learn these new skills and be a part of the community. That is really the goal of it all.

What advice do you have for future students, especially students returning to college after time away?

Particularly for students returning to school after a time away, I would say that you should really embrace the opportunity to learn about things you truly care about. Along with that, welcome and be open to new and differing perspectives. The world is a massive place, and school is a great place to connect and hear from people who have had far different experiences than you in their lives, so keep an open mind to having your mind change, as no one has all the answers. And even if that new perspective doesn’t change your mind, at least you can gain some understanding as to why someone may think about something differently than you.