The Colorado Springs nonprofit Educating Children of Color’s annual summit Saturday was bigger than ever in its 18th year.

This year’s theme was a quote by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “We open doors so others can walk through them” and emblematic of the group’s founding principle, said board President Cynthia Jacquet.

“Our mission is to provide our local underserved students exposure to what success looks like in people like themselves,” she said.

Since 2008, Educating Children of Color has worked to end the cradle-to-prison pipeline for impoverished children and children of color in the Colorado Springs area through education.

Expanding from Colorado College to Fountain-Fort Carson High School and its Trojan Arena, the daylong summit featured over a hundred speakers for various work sessions for students, parents and educators and a series of information booths by local postsecondary schools, nonprofit organizations and honor societies.

Beyond the education and networking opportunities, over $100,000 in scholarships and educational gifts and 20 laptops were also awarded during the event to select students and educators.

More than 800 students and parents made it to the summit, with many like Mateen Ramezani, assistant principal of the Denver charter school Rocky Mountain Prep Westwood, attending for the first time.

“I just now got here and I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “And I’ve been surprised by just how many people there are here.”

Ramezani and three staff members decided to attend this year’s summit after hearing about what it provided to both students and educators for Title I schools like his. He said he was most eager to catch the summit’s seminar on equity in math instruction.

Not limited to just classroom instruction, breakout session topics ranged from personal and professional development to health and diet to empathizing with different student groups. Students were treated to their own sessions that explored different career options, college preparation, self-worth and fostering healthy relationships.

For attendees from the Colorado Springs area, the summit has become an annual family tradition of sorts. Harrison High School senior Mateen Saeed learned about the organization through his older brothers and their involvement.

He’s looking to continue following in their footsteps and attend college out of state.

“I kind of knew that I wanted to go to college, but didn’t really know where or how I would get there,” he said. “And I think this whole experience has really helped me figure out what exactly I want to do.”

Over the past year, Saeed and other high school students participated in the nonprofit’s recently expanded Leadership Academy, which develops their leadership skills while also creating opportunities for their futures through interactive learning and community engagement.

In addition to monthly meetings with their college mentors, students visited local, prominent career sites like Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center at Colorado College and partnered with local businesses like Connie’s Cupboard to provide winter clothing to community members in need.

The academy’s president and Fountain-Fort Carson High School senior Jazmine Jaramillo said she now hopes to become a speech and language pathologist, thanks to the experiences and skills she gained from the yearlong program.

“Because this has really helped me develop my own speech and diction and I’ve seen the impact that this work has on those who need it,” she said.

Between now and the end of the school year, Jaramillo and Saeed said they’ll also work to promote the academy to fellow classmates at their respective schools.

Educating Children of Color’s Executive Director Marissa Prince said the program has tripled in recent years to over 300 students participating during the 2024-25 school year. As a whole, the organization has expanded its reach to additional school districts like Academy District 20 and School District 49 up north, increased its partnerships with local universities and received additional grant funding from organizations like Russell and Ciara Wilson’s Why Not You Foundation and Common Spirit for $100,000.

Prince, who grew up in Fountain, she said she’s come “full circle” after her own experiences with poverty, expulsions and a teen pregnancy as a student of color herself.

“Tears,” she said was her reaction when she first learned about the organization in 2019.

“Because I know that this is what these kids need. This is exactly what I needed when I was their age.”

The Colorado Springs nonprofit Educating Children of Color’s annual summit Saturday was bigger than ever in its 18th year.

This year’s theme was a quote by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “We open doors so others can walk through them” and emblematic of the group’s founding principle, said board President Cynthia Jacquet.

“Our mission is to provide our local underserved students exposure to what success looks like in people like themselves,” she said.

Since 2008, Educating Children of Color has worked to end the cradle-to-prison pipeline for impoverished children and children of color in the Colorado Springs area through education.

Expanding from Colorado College to Fountain-Fort Carson High School and its Trojan Arena, the daylong summit featured over a hundred speakers for various work sessions for students, parents and educators and a series of information booths by local postsecondary schools, nonprofit organizations and honor societies.

Beyond the education and networking opportunities, over $100,000 in scholarships and educational gifts and 20 laptops were also awarded during the event to select students and educators.

More than 800 students and parents made it to the summit, with many like Mateen Ramezani, assistant principal of the Denver charter school Rocky Mountain Prep Westwood, attending for the first time.

“I just now got here and I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “And I’ve been surprised by just how many people there are here.”

Ramezani and three staff members decided to attend this year’s summit after hearing about what it provided to both students and educators for Title I schools like his. He said he was most eager to catch the summit’s seminar on equity in math instruction.

Not limited to just classroom instruction, breakout session topics ranged from personal and professional development to health and diet to empathizing with different student groups. Students were treated to their own sessions that explored different career options, college preparation, self-worth and fostering healthy relationships.

For attendees from the Colorado Springs area, the summit has become an annual family tradition of sorts. Harrison High School senior Mateen Saeed learned about the organization through his older brothers and their involvement.

He’s looking to continue following in their footsteps and attend college out of state.

“I kind of knew that I wanted to go to college, but didn’t really know where or how I would get there,” he said. “And I think this whole experience has really helped me figure out what exactly I want to do.”

Over the past year, Saeed and other high school students participated in the nonprofit’s recently expanded Leadership Academy, which develops their leadership skills while also creating opportunities for their futures through interactive learning and community engagement.

In addition to monthly meetings with their college mentors, students visited local, prominent career sites like Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center at Colorado College and partnered with local businesses like Connie’s Cupboard to provide winter clothing to community members in need.

The academy’s president and Fountain-Fort Carson High School senior Jazmine Jaramillo said she now hopes to become a speech and language pathologist, thanks to the experiences and skills she gained from the yearlong program.

“Because this has really helped me develop my own speech and diction and I’ve seen the impact that this work has on those who need it,” she said.

Between now and the end of the school year, Jaramillo and Saeed said they’ll also work to promote the academy to fellow classmates at their respective schools.

Educating Children of Color’s Executive Director Marissa Prince said the program has tripled in recent years to over 300 students participating during the 2024-25 school year. As a whole, the organization has expanded its reach to additional school districts like Academy District 20 and School District 49 up north, increased its partnerships with local universities and received additional grant funding from organizations like Russell and Ciara Wilson’s Why Not You Foundation and Common Spirit for $100,000.

Prince, who grew up in Fountain, she said she’s come “full circle” after her own experiences with poverty, expulsions and a teen pregnancy as a student of color herself.

“Tears,” she said was her reaction when she first learned about the organization in 2019.

“Because I know that this is what these kids need. This is exactly what I needed when I was their age.”