Community Leader & Activist: Indigenous/Xicana ~ Otomi, Apache, Mexican ~ Spiritually Raised Rosebud Lakota Sioux

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado by her beautiful parents Alberta Lorriane Urioste and Thomas Duane Lopez in South West Denver. Her grandparents are Leo and Angelina Urioste, and Anthony and Mary Louise Lopez. Her journey as an indigenoues young girl living in a complex world, shaped her activist heart, spirit and voice. She became a mother in high school and is now a proud mother of a powerful daughter. Solicia’s life experiences have driven her to dedicate her leadership and advocacy to organize the voices of Denver’s youth to lead the change they want to see in the world. 

She earned a bachelor’s degree of science in Urban Studies with an emphasis in Business Management and Urbanization from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. She has designed her career in education, in addition to working in local grassroots nonprofit organizations emphasizing civic education, advocacy, pipeline programs, and leadership development. 

Over the last seven years she brought her vision to life by creating the Student Voice and Leadership (SVL) department for Denver Public Schools. SVL develops and prepares students to lead policy research and become experts in their own learning, and exercise their voices and genius to develop policy change through action civics. SVL approaches this work through three programs serving 20-25 high schools across the district: Student Board of Education (SBOE), Young Afrifcan American Lantinx Leaders (YAALL), and the Critical Civic Inquiry (CCI) Educators track. SVL is rooted in education justice, organizing and activism. 

Magnolia Landa Posas was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado to a proud and hard working Mexican immigrant family. She is the eldest of six children and quickly learned the importance of mentorship and leadership to the educational success of her entire family. She attributes her social activism and civic engagement to her mother and she thanks her father for her earth stewardship and love for the outdoors. 

Magnolia earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in Ethnic Studies with a minor in Education. Her career has centered around educational equity, environmental justice and social justice. Her professional trajectory has included community engagement efforts, just transition work, racial equity consulting and program development, implementation and facilitation.

As Student Voice and Leadership coordinator for Denver Public Schools, Magnolia designs, plans and facilitates youth learning and civic engagement in all SVL programming. A crucial part of her position involves brokering youth and adult partnerships around policy development and implementation. She is currently working on developing a curriculum that integrates ethnic studies pedagogies with action civics.

Katie was born and raised in Northwest, Indiana, just outside of Chicago. Her experiences growing up in a highly segregated area among working-class families raised many unanswered questions in her youth, but ultimately seeded her commitment to work towards racial and class justice.

Katie earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Non-Profit Management  from Indiana University. Upon graduation she worked a direct-service organization that had a mission of serving community members experiencing poverty. She quickly realized that band-aid solutions were not truly serving the community and since has committed her career to working towards systemic change with a vision of social justice. For the last decade in Colorado she has had the honor of working with educators, students, and communities in Denver and across the state at the intersection of education, social justice, and policy. 

In her role as Student Voice and Leadership Coordinator, she focuses on educator curriculum,  professional development, and learning communities that support student-centered learning, sharing power with students, and understanding and dismantling systems of oppression as it applies to educators’ role as change-makers in partnership youth for education justice. 

Kevante Hobley is a graduate of Denver East High School and currently an Intern with Student Voice & Leadership. He is a proud alumnus of all SVL programming and a vital representative of student voice on our team. He is a hard working individual who is always up for a challenge and a fundamental part of a team. 

In the fall of 2019 he led our successful DPS School Board Candidate Forum where students from all over DPS met with school board candidates to hold them accountable to prioritizing student voice once they are elected. His work also includes co-facilitation, peer mentorship and  social media management. He continues to grow in his leadership and we are privileged to witness his journey!