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In a class she took with Orphan, Estrada says she learned valuable lessons about the importance of understanding institutions. “The class focused on shared governance, and the value of getting stakeholders in the community to enact change,” she says. “It takes into consideration a variety of perspectives and gives context for why leadership buy-in is important.”

Interning over the past year with��, an organization dedicated to promoting college completion by closing achievement gaps, provided Estrada the opportunity to analyze institutional change firsthand. Her job responsibilities involved collecting and reporting on the success of new remedial math and English programs in several states.

Right now she’s finishing up a capstone research project on funding financial aid from a federal and state perspective. “My focus is on Colorado’s College Opportunity Fund, a state organization which grants financial aid, and how we can improve it for students who are pursuing higher education,” Estrada says.

The lessons learned in her courses and internship will certainly help Estrada as she heads into her future, though it will be a bittersweet transition. “After being at DU for the past six years, it’s a part of me,” Estrada says. “I’m very emotionally attached to DU and I’ve had a great experience here—it hasn’t really sunk in yet that I’m leaving.”

To learn more about Commencement at the 91����, please visit the��Commencement website.