We’re Celebrating Progress and Looking Ahead

December 11, 2025

We’ve been busy this month! So busy, in fact, that we’re a tiny bit late in sharing all the places and spaces our team will be visiting. As 2025 winds down, we are looking forward to learning, sharing, and connecting with partners across the state and the nation who share our commitment to education-to-career transformation.


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December 2–5

๐Ÿ”น CivicLab Convening – Savannah, GA

Libby joined this national gathering hosted by CivicLab, focused on strengthening civic infrastructure, collaboration, and systems change.


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December 5

๐Ÿ”น Young Invincibles Policy Shark Tank – Denver

Katherine and Michelle attended this exciting event to hear young leaders pitch their policy ideas across education, workforce, and health.


๐Ÿ”น
Prosperity and Progress Celebration – Denver

Rana, Michelle, and Katherine joined partners and Prosperity Denver Fund to celebrate the impact of collective investments in student success and economic mobility and to celebrate the unveiling of their new logo and branding campaign


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December 10

๐Ÿ”น Cañon City ICAP in Action Tour – Cañon City

Ashley and SLV partners will tour Cañon City High School’s Innovation Center to learn from their success with ICAP implementation and career exploration programming.


๐Ÿ”น
Release of Talent Development Recommendations – Denver

Rana will join other state, education and workforce leaders for the release of the state agency recommendations required by Governor Polis’ Executive Order to reimagine Colorado’s talent development systems. 


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December 11
๐Ÿ”น
Emily Griffith Foundation Holiday Party – Denver
Rana is joining partners and friends for this annual celebration of Emily Griffith Foundation’s work and impact.


๐Ÿ—“๏ธ December 16

๐Ÿ”น Talent Pipeline Report Release – Virtual
We’re all tuning into as the Colorado Workforce Development council releases the
2025 Colorado Talent Pipeline Report. We’re excited to see the data on workforce supply and demand, hear about the most in-demand occupations, and explore policy recommendations to strengthen Colorado’s talent ecosystem.


๏ปฟ๐Ÿ”น Introduction to Workforce Pell Webinar – Virtual
Michelle will attend this national webinar exploring the rollout of the
One Big Beautiful Bill Act and expanded Pell Grant access for short-term workforce programs.


๐Ÿ—“๏ธ December 24 - January 2
Our team will be slowing down over the holidays, reflecting on a year of growth, learning, and collaboration – and refueling for a new year full of partnership and progress.


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I recently had the opportunity to meet Aimar Amezcua-Sandoval, a workforce development specialist at Denver Health, during a panel discussion at Metropolitan State University Denver titled Healthcare Careers You Didn’t Know Existed. During our conversation before the event, I learned something unexpected: Years earlier when I worked at the Denver Scholarship Foundation, I had hired the college and career advisor who helped launch Aimar’s journey. It was a powerful reminder that the systems we talk about improving are ultimately built and shaped by people. The ripple effects of a highly qualified, well-prepared advisor can extend far beyond a single decision or moment in time. We often talk about education and career pathways as if they are obvious routes that learners intuitively step onto and follow. In reality, many learners experience something very different. They face big decisions without clear information about their options or what steps to take next. That’s where career advising makes such a difference. Advisors help people distill their interests, understand what’s possible, and navigate decisions with more confidence. I wanted to hear more about Aimar’s career journey, so I reached out to learn more about her path from from high school student to nurse to workforce development specialist at Denver Health. The following edited excerpt from our conversation illustrates how powerful high quality career guidance can be.