Meet the Cohort 7 Moonshot Fellows!
In August, we welcomed the inaugural cohort of the Moonshot Innovation Space, a re-envisioned version of our flagship fellowship program. These 13 Fellows joined a collective of over 100 innovators, leaders, founders, and builders in the Metro Denver area. We are honored to introduce them further! We invite you to read a short profile of each one below.
Moonshot Fellows, Cohort 7: Alexis Lopez | Cecilia Quintanilla | Frida Soto Leyva | Jasón Romero, Jr. | Jen Derosby | John Perez | Karen J. Nuñez Sifuentes | Karen Rojas Meza | Magnolia Landa-Posas | Marialuisa Meza-Burgos | Miarri Phillips | Ramone Carson | Victoria De Leon
Listed alphabetically by first name. In the Moonshot Innovation Space, Fellows build solutions for problems they see in systems that serve youth. These solutions may be new standalone organizations or visions within existing structures.
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We are also currently accepting applications for the next cohort of Moonshot Fellows!
Alexis Lopez
she/her/hers
Program Manager, Project Invent
Alexis is a STEM education and nonprofit professional who cares deeply about interest-based, equitable education for all. She is currently the Senior Program Manager at Project Invent, a national organization that brings invention education to youth via school and out-of-school programs. Alexis is creating the STEM Educator and Youth Alliance of Colorado (SEYAC) to ensure equitable exposure, access, and opportunity to STEM fields and career paths for youth traditionally excluded from STEM.
Connect: alexis@projectinvent.org / LinkedIn
Cecilia Quintanilla
she/her/ella
President, YBN (Yachay Bolivia for the Neurodivergent)
Moved by her own school experience and driven by advocacy, Cecilia specializes in Gifted and Talented education. In 2017, she was hired by Denver Public Schools to launch the Spanish immersion preschool program at Bryant Webster Dual Language and moved to Northwest Denver, where she instantly fell in love with the culture and community. Ceci’s solution, YBNeuro, works with neurodivergent students to positively engage with and thrive in their community by developing knowledge and skills to address their unique needs as learners.
Connect: cecilia@ybneuro.org / LinkedIn / ybneuro.org
Frida Soto Leyva
she/her/ella
Director of DYS Programming, Fully Liberated Youth
Frida centers the values of resilience, cultural pride, and indigenous spirituality in her profession as a mental health provider. Frida and her solution, Tloque Nahuaque: Interconnectedness Healing, believe that when mental health providers merge therapy and lived experience and are equipped with a cultural conceptualization framework, Latino, Indigenous, and Chicano youth can thrive with confidence that their cultural identities are a source of strength and healing.
Connect: fridafernandasoto@gmail.com
Jasón Romero, Jr.
he/him/él
Executive Director, Colorado Youth Congress
Currently the Executive Director of Colorado Youth Congress (CYC), Jasón is an educator and community organizer who taught Chicano and Ethnic Studies courses at the high school and college level for over a decade. His solution, Regional Hub Development for CYC, establishes local centers for youth to engage in transformative systems and social change work, amplifying the leadership and healing of young people in diverse communities across Colorado.
Connect: jason@coyouthcongress.org / LinkedIn
Jen Derosby
she/her/hers
Teacher + Leader, The Girls Athletic Leadership School Denver
This is Jen's 24th year in education and 14th year at the Girls Athletic Leadership School, where she has served in a variety of roles, from Social Studies Teacher to Dean to Assistant Principal, to currently teaching a class that centers the social-emotional well being of girls, trans- and gender non-conforming students. Jen's solution, We Need Each Other, centers on middle school girls, femme-identifying and gender-expansive youth, cultivating the opportunity for them to dream of and create better worlds for themselves and each other.
Connect: jenniferderosby@gmail.com
John Perez
he/him/his
Program Manager, Denver Healing Generations Network
John is the Program Manager at Denver Healing Generations, where he supports the organization’s mission, grounded in the La Cultura Cura framework. He leads Calmecac Academy, a program dedicated to helping BIPOC youth build a stronger sense of cultural identity and responsibility to themselves, their families, and their communities through ancestral healing practices and knowledge.
Karen J. Nuñez Sifuentes
she/her/hers
Programs Consultant, Convivir Colorado
Karen is a dedicated program designer, researcher, and youth advocate. At Convivir Colorado, she is working to redesign the Convivir Speakers' Collective, aiming to better address the evolving needs of young people. Her efforts focus on empowering more youth leaders to speak publicly, helping to shape societal narratives toward greater support for immigrants and refugees.
Connect: karen@convivircolorado.org / LinkedIn
Karen Rojas Meza
she/her/ella
Research Coordinator, Denver Botanic Gardens
Karen was born in Mexico City and, at seven years old, migrated with her family to the United States. Embracing her undocumented identity has helped shape the values that ground her as she continues to navigate the complexities & injustices of the immigration system. Karen’s solution, Sociedad Toltecatl, aims to build confidence in BIPOC youth to pursue professions in the arts.
Connect: karo4919@gmail.com / LinkedIn
Magnolia Landa-Posas
she/her/ella
Director of Student Voice & Leadership, Denver Public Schools
Magnolia, raised in Aurora by a proud Mexican immigrant family, learned the value of advocacy and leadership early on as the eldest of six. Magnolia’s solution is building a collective of seasoned BIPOC educators focused on fostering accountability and driving institutional change to support the most marginalized communities in education.
Connect: magnolia_landaposas@dpsk12.org / LinkedIn
Marialuisa Meza-Burgos
she/her/ella
Band Leader, Mariachi Las Dahlias
Marialuisa is a singer, musician, and actor from Colorado, specializing in Mariachi music as the lead vocalist and vihuela player for the all-female group, Las Dahlias. With a Bachelor's in Music and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre, she has performed with various theater companies in Metro Denver. Mari’s solution looks to elevate and enrich Mariachi education across Colorado, fostering cultural understanding and excellence in performance.
Connect: marimezaburgos@gmail.com / Instagram
Miarri Phillips
she/her/hers
Para Educator, Traverse Academy (Cherry Creek School District)
Miarri is a sociology student at the University of Colorado Denver, deeply passionate about social justice and creating change in her communities, from Rochester, New York, to Denver. She has held various roles, including Teaching Assistant and Outreach Chair for Millennials 4 Environmental Justice, focusing on active citizenship and civic engagement. Miarri's love for nature inspired her to develop Green Goddess, an inclusive and equitable environment that fosters connection, culture, and community for young girls, women, and gender-expansive folx of color.
Connect: miarriphillips@gmail.com / green1goddess.com / Green Goddess Instagram
Ramone Carson
he/him/his
Executive Coach/Change Management Consultant, Lyceum Leadership LLC
Ramone works with leaders and professional teams nationwide as an executive coach and change management consultant. Ramone believes in the power of transforming organizations by inspiring teams and individuals to find confidence in their solutions. Ramone’s solution, Sardonyx Media Collaborative, looks to disrupt systemic racial injustice by cultivating a community of socially conscious young artists who center BIPOC protagonists and heroes in art.
Connect: rc.lyceumleadership@gmail.com
Victoria De Leon
she/her/ella
8th Grade English Teacher, DSST: Green Valley Ranch Middle School
Victoria is a dynamic educator deeply committed to supporting and empowering students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Victoria’s solution, Red Latina, envisions a future where Latina youth in Metro Denver are celebrated and empowered leaders, thriving academically, socially, and culturally while building inclusive communities and shaping a more equitable world.
Connect: deleonva1217@mail.com / LinkedIn