Front Range Community College hosted its second annual Equity, Inclusion and Diversity award ceremony—celebrating the work of FRCC students, employees and community partners who are making a difference in how we create a welcoming environment to serve our traditionally underserved students.
FRCC Mount Massive Excellence in Equity Award
We start with the president’s award—which goes to Chico Garcia, dean of student affairs for online learning and for the college’s Boulder County Campus (interim).
Chico encourages community building and an informed respect for differences among students, faculty and staff by fostering an inclusive environment that prepares students to be engaged in a global society. From his esteemed position as a Saint Vrain Valley School Board member to his transformative leadership as a core team member of FRCC’s Hispanic Serving Institution Task Force, he has demonstrated upstanding commitment to DEI time and time again.
Chico has made an ongoing effort to increase diversity of the FRCC community and transform systems to support students from underrepresented groups. He has sought to learn about and cultivate relationships with people of diverse backgrounds—above and beyond the daily expectations of his position—through exemplary service that embodies the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.
For decades, this inspiring leader has been on the cutting edge of ensuring that DEI values and commitments are at the center of every decision-making process, student support resources and community partnerships. He is one of the longest serving members of the Wolf Pack and the FRCC community absolutely would not be the same without him.
Moving Mountains
Named after some of the highest mountains in Colorado, each of the following awards recognizes the honoree’s major achievements, as well as the significant challenges they are working to overcome.
The “Mount Antero Award” (14,276 feet)
This award goes to a current student who has demonstrated advancement in research, community building, engagement and advocacy—someone who advances the climate of diversity, equity and inclusion at FRCC. Nominated students must have demonstrated a strong record of engagement, mentorship, campus change and/or outreach that positively impacts the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Cristian Madrazo is studying engineering and computer science and is about to graduate with his second associate degree. He is a student worker in the Multicultural Center at FRCC’s Westminster Campus. He has been involved in various projects and teams that highlight both his work as a student and a student work study.
As the team lead for the Multicultural Center, he is constantly learning and expanding his knowledge around equity and inclusion, and bringing in new ideas on how to improve the space. He truly tries to make every space he walks into more equitable and inclusive. A person who likes to listen and learn, he is a participant in FRCC’s Latinx leadership program.
Cristian was on the FRCC engineering team last year and worked hard to develop a project to clean up oil spills, by making the device more cost effective and equitable. He will continue working to make the STEM field more equitable and inclusive. He pushes everyone he meets to learn and expand their mindset.
The “Blanca Peak Award” (14,351 feet)
This award goes to a student organization for collaborating with campus or community groups to create, sponsor and implement programs, initiatives or projects around diversity and inclusion. This year’s winner was chosen for exemplary service through active leadership in promoting a diverse and inclusive culture.
The Assisting Students Through Discovery (ASD) club at our Larimer Campus is doing an exceptional job of promoting an inclusive culture and helping students with disabilities feel they belong at FRCC. ASD has been a critical piece of the FRCC experience for many students.
This student organization was started in the spring of 2018 and they consistently strive to make FRCC a more welcoming place for all types of students. Initially oriented to support autistic students, the ASD club has transformed into a space for all kinds of students. Members discuss the disability experience and work to create opportunities for disability inclusion across campus and the overall Fort Collins community.
The group has worked on topics ranging from accessible community transportation to advocating for support with instructors and employers. Many members of the club are autistic and can share their unique experiences in supportive, educational ways. They are respectful of each other’s intersecting identities and make meetings open and welcoming to people of various genders, ethnicities and disabilities. They honor each other’s individual experiences and backgrounds in a way that celebrates diversity and learning.
The “Uncompahgre Peak Award” (14,321 feet)
This award is for outstanding efforts to foster a diverse and principled academic community—including exemplary service in the areas of student and employee recruitment and professional development. Faculty members and instructors who are considered for this award:
- Demonstrate a sustained commitment to the values of diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism by documented efforts that exceed the routine expectations of one’s job.
- Establish policies and procedures that recognize and celebrate exemplary individual and team behaviors that promote diversity and inclusion.
- Demonstrate a strong record of published research academic visibility, teaching, mentorship, and/or outreach that positively impacts the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Successfully use pedagogy, student engagement and exemplary scholarship to address the challenging issues of inclusion, equity and social justice.
Faculty member sociology faculty member Kristina Kahl, PhD, is our 2023 Uncompahgre Peak award winner. Kristina has demonstrated a sustained commitment over many years to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion and multiculturalism. She is one of the unfaltering champions of this work at FRCC.
Kristina constantly challenges students in her classes to explore and think critically about issues relating to diversity, equity and inclusion. She wholeheartedly supports the Sociology Club, which regularly organizes programming like our very successful and popular Diversity Day, film screenings and more. She is also a powerful voice for historically marginalized individuals in meetings and on committees.
The “Maroon Peak Award” (14,163)
This award is also for outstanding efforts to foster a diverse and principled academic community—including exemplary service in the areas of student and employee recruitment and professional development. Staff members who are considered for this award:
- Demonstrate a sustained commitment to the values of diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism by documented efforts that exceed the routine expectations of one’s job.
- Establish policies and procedures that recognize and celebrate exemplary individual and team behaviors that promote diversity and inclusion.
- Demonstrate a strong record of published research academic visibility, teaching, mentorship, and/or outreach that positively impacts the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Successfully use pedagogy, student engagement and exemplary scholarship to address the challenging issues of inclusion, equity and social justice.
The 2022 Maroon Peak award goes to Vanessa Mendez, director of the TRIO Upward Bound program at FRCC’s Westminster Campus. Vanessa has been proactive in establishing an inclusive culture as the new director of this program. She serves on the committee for FRCC’s Latinx leadership program as an active member as well as a mentor to students in the leadership program.
She consistently seeks ways to empower students to have a voice and take pride in who they are and where they come from. She is constantly looks for ways to network within the larger community to bring opportunities to our students and is always eager to learn how to make people feel heard and seen. She goes out of her way to understand others and build relationships. She has established herself as a safe person who students feel comfortable being themselves with.
She reached out to the state department of higher education’s Office of Educational Equity to collaborate on a student speaker series, which hosted a minority student panel to allow students to tell their stories and to provide their perspectives and worldviews. This opportunity empowered our students and this partnership will continue to develop.
Vanessa is a lifelong learner and promotes professional development to her TRIO Upward Bound team. She is eager to find ways to collaborate and embodies the values of equity and inclusion wherever she goes.
The “Castle Peak Award” (14,279 feet)
This award goes to a department, organization or committee that:
- Sponsors or actively promotes programs, initiatives or projects in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Collaborates with campus or community groups in creating, sponsoring and implementing programs, initiatives or projects in the area of diversity and inclusion.
- Establishes policies and procedures to recognize and celebrate exemplary individual and team behaviors that promote diversity and inclusion.
- Provides exemplary service to the campus and/or community through active leadership and involvement in college partnership initiatives.
- Promotes activities that document success in the recruitment, retention and professional development to increase the diversity of FRCC faculty and staff.
- Participates in activities that lead to the creation of leadership teams and organizations that promote a diverse and inclusive culture.
- Promotes activities that document success in attracting and/or recruiting students who increase the diversity of our school, or to help ensure the success of those students.
This year’s Castle Peak award winner is the Pathways Advising team at FRCC’s Boulder County Campus. This group is committed to DEI work and they use an equity lens in all of their work with students. The department leadership encourages professional development and collaboration around diversity, equity and inclusion—and the team includes advisors who lead student groups like Latinx Club, Queers United in Pride (QUIP), Veterans Club, Latinx Excellence and Achievement Development Scholars and help coordinate the campus food pantry. This team promotes conversations about equity work and emphasizes the DEI lens when working with FRCC students and employees.
The “Mount Ouray Award” (13,961 feet)
This award is given to a community member for collaboration with campus or other local groups on creating, sponsoring and implementing programs, initiatives or projects in the area of diversity and inclusion.
FRCC chooses someone who has shown exemplary service to the campus and/or community through active leadership and involvement in college partnership initiatives—and whose work helps lead to creating leadership teams and organizations that promote a diverse and inclusive culture.
This year’s Mount Ouray Award goes to community member Jan Iron, Agricultural Sciences Professor at Colorado State University. When FRCC was writing our land acknowledgement statement, Jan joined in to help provide feedback. She shared her opinions as a parent of three FRCC students, as a member of the FRCC community at large, as a Native American/Indigenous person herself, and as a staff member for CSU working on similar efforts at their college.
Her involvement in the drafting process was indispensable—no other parent specifically joined those feedback sessions, so hers was a unique and pointed stakeholder voice. She also took the initiative to forward our draft out to a local Native American group in Fort Collins of like-minded individuals to see if they had further feedback, which did garner additional essential community member comment and assistance.
Jan’s positivity and upbeat involvement helped drive the land acknowledgement drafting process towards completion. Without her impromptu leadership and unique voice as a stakeholder statement would not be as complete as it is today.
Congratulations to all of the award winners!
And thank you to everyone who is working so hard to make these efforts succeed.
Welcoming. Respectful. Inclusive. Together, we are FRCC.
