Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) Alum Elizabeth Gutierrez-Gutierrez was born and raised in Denver. She attended South High School and later enrolled at the University of Denver, where she majored in Marketing. As the oldest of seven children, she naturally became the default translator for her family. She is currently a Marketing Strategist. Her parents instilled in her the value of higher education, as they did not have access to it in their home country. From an early age, she loved school, prioritizing punctuality and cherishing the memories she created. Still, she never imagined college was an option—until she discovered community organizations like DSF.
Elizabeth was involved with Minds Matter of Denver during high school, where she had her mentor. She also met DSF Success Program Manager Stephanie Lopez at a DSF FAFSA workshop at the DSF Future Center in South High School. She vividly remembers Stephanie assisting her parents in filling out the application in Spanish—an invaluable resource that helped make college feel like a real possibility. Determined to challenge herself academically, Elizabeth took the most rigorous classes, knowing she would be the first in her family to attend college.
While attending South High School, Elizabeth became a mother at 16. This life-changing event motivated her to graduate and pursue a college education. She frequently visited the DSF Future Center for guidance on college applications and financial aid. Navigating the college application process was particularly challenging, as she had to explain each step to her parents, but she was incredibly grateful for DSF’s Spanish-language resources. After mastering the process herself and attending the University of Denver (DU), she took on the role of mentor for her younger siblings, helping them apply for college, scholarships, and financial aid.
At DU, Elizabeth became president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. In this role, she attended multiple student conferences in Orlando and Arizona, where she learned the importance of networking, leadership, and creating spaces for students to connect with valuable resources. Today, she is incredibly proud to be one of the founding members of the society at DU, which has since grown tremendously in student engagement.
Graduating from DU was a moment of immense pride for Elizabeth and her family. Seeing the joy in her parents’ eyes and her son’s admiration was indescribable. Soon after graduation, she secured an internship at a marketing agency, where she learned from industry experts, honed her skills, and eventually became a Marketing Strategist. She is now a Sales and Marketing Representative at Techtronic Industries, where she develops strategic marketing plans for various projects.
For current DSF Scholars, Elizabeth shares this advice:
“Take every opportunity to meet people. The power of networking is significant after graduation. Now that I’m relying on the support of my community, including DSF, I’ve met so many amazing people, including DSF’s Leadership Team and DSF Alumni Advisory Committee members. Get out there and build those connections—you can do it, too.”
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