Denver, CO
Ednium Homegrown Award winner Tashan Montgomery, a Denver Public Schools alum changing the game
A group of Denver Public Schools alumni was disappointed that — time and again — when they asked DPS grads how many people from their community had gone on to success. Few, if any, hands would go up.
The group Ednium: The Alumni Collective is on a mission to change that by showcasing the talents of DPS grads — homegrown talent — making meaningful contributions to Denver.
Tashan Montgomery is the recipient of Ednium’s Game Giver Award.
“First of all Tashan’s ‘that’ guy,” said Ednium Executive Director TeRay Esquibel. “An educator that is number one not afraid of being who they are is not afraid to tell you that you can be everything you can be and that’s to be celebrated.”
“I feel really honored to have been able to receive it,” said Montgomery.
The event had all the glitz and glamour of an awards night.
“People were looking good. They got me to wear a bowtie, which was crazy. Never happened before,” said Esquibel.
DPS alums came out to champion their peers for the knowledge and wisdom they see up close.
Montgomery said, “There’s so much talent that exists in our communities that goes unheard of unseen and sometimes that can cause a ripple effect where people start to believe, ‘Oh, well, my community is not special. My community is not doing anything important.’ So Ednium is saying, ‘No, you are important, you are special, and we’re going to invest into you.’”
And invest they do. In addition to awards, Ednium hosts a Leadership Launchpad where DPS alums build the skills to support personal and professional goals. Alums build careers in everything from education to business or medicine.
Trying to end what’s long been known as the Colorado Paradox – where major employers here rely on imported talent rather than homegrown.
“We see ourselves as the bridge of developing talent and highlighting the folks that are coming up, grown up in our backyard,” said Esquibel.
Montgomery is teaching a social studies course at high schools across the metro area to promote civic literacy and engagement.
“You learn from the youth as much as people expect the youth to be learning from you,” he said.
Students say Montgomery exemplifies grace, empathy and respect.
And he concludes, “I just want to thank Ednium, again for paving the way for DPS alumni, and folks who exist both in Denver and Aurora to celebrate themselves and have a platform to create the change that they want to see.”
Learn more about Ednium.
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DENVER — More than 24 hours after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, Coloradans are continuing to express their feelings about what the attack means not only for the world, but here in our state.
For the second straight day, Coloradans expressed their opinions on the steps of the state Capitol about the attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
But instead of anger, as was the case on Saturday, the tone on Sunday was more cheerful.
“Today it’s a celebration about like getting our freedom back, and we would love to have people to be happy with us,” said Forzun Yalme, who helped organize the event with Free Iran Colorado.
For some Iranian-Americans, the news of the attack brings a new sense of hope that freedom is near.
“For me to be Iranian-American, in 47 years here, I learned about democracy and human rights and what I like,” detailed Amir Tosh, another member of Free Iran Colorado. “I want to transfer what your values are for democracy, human rights, freedom to my country, my motherland.”
Denver rally shows divided feelings over U.S.-Israel action against Iran
“My uncle and grandma, grandparents, they were all so happy about what happened, because we can, like, now feel the freedom,” explained Yalme.
But some Iranian-Americans are more cautious.
Colorado’s only Iranian-American state representative, Yara Zokaie, doubts the operation will have a significant impact to Iran’s leadership.
“I’m sympathetic to people who want regime change by any means necessary, but I think we also need to stop and realize what this actually means,” said Zokaie. “Regime change is not something that can happen in one airstrike.”
Zokaie admits she herself was elated to hear Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials were killed in the attack.
But she hopes Coloradans remember the innocent people who have already been killed and those who are more likely to come.
“I ask that we remember the humanity of people in the Middle East as this news unfolds. I ask that we call for a peaceful resolution that we empower Iranian people who will bring change from within, and that we call for no war with Iran,” said Zokaie.
Several people at today’s event at the Capitol approached our Denver7 team. They shared their gratitude for President Donald Trump, the US military, and the Israelis for their action in helping bring freedom to Iran.
They hope others will see that as well. They plan on being here for the next hour and a half or so.
Denver police are looking for information that could help them identify the suspect in a fatal assault overnight.
Officers were called to the scene in the 9700 block of E. Hampden Avenue around 2:08 a.m. They said an injured man at the scene was taken to a hospital for treatment, but he has been pronounced deceased.
DPD says they’re investigating the case as a homicide. They did not provide the identity of the man who was killed or further details on the case.
Police encouraged anyone with information about the attack or the possible suspect(s) involved to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
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