Introducing the Cohort 9 Moonshot Fellows!
This fall, we welcomed Moonshot’s ninth Cohort (C9) comprising 17 leaders joining a statewide network of more than 130 innovators, founders, and builders working to create better futures for Colorado’s youth.
Moonshot leaders recognize that young people experience interconnected systems. Education, housing, healthcare, transportation, justice, and economic opportunity all influence whether youth have what they need to thrive. Lasting change requires leaders who can see those connections and bridge them.
Through the Moonshot fellowship, Cohort 9 Fellows will strengthen their skills, relationships, and capacity to turn innovative ideas into meaningful action. They’ll learn alongside one another, expand their networks, and gain space to develop solutions grounded in the experiences of the communities they serve.
We’re thrilled to introduce this remarkable group. Meet the C9 Fellows below and discover how they’re reimagining the systems that shape young people’s lives.
Interested in joining the Moonshot Community?
Complete the interest form by clicking the button below to learn more about Cohort 10 and our next application cycle.
Listed alphabetically by first name. In the Moonshot Innovation Space, Fellows develop solutions to address inequities in systems that serve youth. These solutions may be new standalone organizations or initiatives within existing structures.
Aaron Nakai
Aaron (he/him) is an educator, youth development expert, facilitator, equity consultant, and restorative justice practitioner. He has worked extensively in education settings centering culture, youth voice, restorative practices, recovery from addiction, participatory action research, wellness, and wraparound support for system-impacted youth. Aaron began as an educator and culture bearer by reclaiming the language and traditions of his family's lineage in Wakayama and Hiroshima, Japan. Born and raised in Colorado, he is of Japanese (Nikkei Yonsei), German, and Scots-Irish descent, and a graduate of UC Boulder and San Francisco State University.
Connect: Linkedin
Ana Karen Gonzalez
Ana (She/Her/Ella) is a Latina educator and special education specialist with over a decade of experience dismantling educational disenfranchisement through human-centered systems design. Born and raised in Chicago, she brings her identity as a Mexican woman in the diaspora and her early career managing specialized caseloads for multilingual and neurodivergent youth directly into her commitment to community power. Ana is the Advisory Lead at RiseUp in Denver and holds an M.Ed. in Special Education, a B.A. in Psychology & Gender Studies, and LBS I & Multilingual Education endorsements.
Andrea Macias
Andrea (She/Her/Ella) is a Afro-Latina, first-generation college graduate from the University of Denver, and passionate advocate for students and families. Andrea currently serves as the Family and School Partnerships Coordinator at Adams 12 Five Star Schools. She founded Language Is Power Series (LIPS), a family engagement and multilingual literacy initiative that equips families with practical tools to support English Language Development at home, turning family engagement into a strategy for strengthening language and literacy development.
Connect: Linkedin
Angelica Granados
Angelica (She/Her/Ella) is a Abraham Lincoln High School alumna, and community advocate. She serves as a Policy Advisor for the Division of Youth Services, focusing on juvenile justice, educational equity, and immigrant rights, and also does grassroots work with Ednium, the DPS Latine Education Advisory Council, and the Denver Clerk and Recorder's Spanish Language Advisory Board. As a Moonshot Fellow, Angelica is developing Mereces Sonreír, empowering the Latino community to access oral healthcare through direct programming, career pathways for Latino dental professionals, and equity certification for dental practices.
Connect: LinkedIn
Jihee Yoon
Jihee (She/Her) is an educator, researcher, and consultant with over a decade of experience across K-12, higher education, community nonprofits, and STEM organizations, creating inclusive, affirming learning environments. She holds a BA and MSS in Ethnic Studies and is completing her PhD in Multicultural Education, with an emphasis in Gender and Women's Studies. As Mentorship Coordinator at Asian Girls Ignite, Jihee leads a program that connects AANHPI girls and gender-expansive youth with mentors who share their identities and lived experiences.
Connect: LinkedIn | Asian Girls Ignite
Kasandra Ornelas
Kasandra (She/Her) is from Southwest Denver and lives, works, and serves the community that raised her. As a Latina and Native American, her identity and deep community roots guide her commitment to equity and opportunity. A graduate of Abraham Lincoln High School and MSU Denver (B.S. Criminal Justice and Criminology), she brings 20 years of nonprofit and grassroots leadership in coalition building, community engagement, youth development, and facility operations. Kasandra has led the Southwest Denver Coalition since 2013, growing it into a trusted, collaboration-centered organization, and helps lead operations of the Westwood Community Center.
Connect: LinkedIn
Kenya Mahogany Fashaw
Kenya (She/Her) is a Denver-based playwright, director, and teaching artist committed to amplifying Black youth voices through culturally grounded arts education. As founder of Black Artists Amplified, she is developing a creative youth theater initiative that nurtures identity, confidence, and storytelling skills for Black children across Colorado, blending performance, pedagogy, and community care. Her artistic journey includes award-winning productions, youth theater leadership, and a decade of designing transformative arts curricula.
Lucas Garcia
Lucas (He/Him) is a Native American Student Advocate, Navy Veteran, community builder, and lifelong servant leader from the north side of Denver. His work is rooted in one belief: every young person deserves to feel seen, supported, and empowered to believe in their future. Lucas works alongside Native students, families, schools, and community partners to create opportunities and remove barriers at JeffCo Public Schools. His Moonshot is to create spaces where Native youth can grow in mind, body, spirit, and purpose while knowing their culture, voice, and dreams matter, helping the next generation believe in themselves and become leaders who create positive change.
Melody Ramos
As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, Melody (She/Her) has built her career around creating those spaces for children and caregivers. After more than 15 years of teaching early childhood music, she founded Music Moments Colorado with a simple belief: every family deserves access to music, connection, and community. Music Moments uses singing, movement, and play to support early childhood development while empowering caregivers to become active music makers with their children. When not spending time with her partner and children, you can find Melody singing karaoke.
Connect: www.musicmomentsco.com
IG: musicmomentscolorado | LinkedIn
Monica Acosta
Monica (She/Her/Ella) brings over two decades of nonprofit experience developing youth and community programs rooted in self-empowerment, holistic health, and social justice. As Program Director for The Village Institute's Village Futures and C.A.R.E. services in Northwest Aurora, she serves newcomer youth and families navigating the integration process. A first-generation college student and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Monica serves on the board of the Latinx Therapist Project, which increases the number of Spanish-speaking clinicians through workforce development. She holds a B.S. from California Polytechnic University Pomona and an MSW from Metropolitan State University Denver, and is working toward her LCSW.
Connect: Linkedin
Nancy Palacios
Nancy (She/Her/Ella) is a first-generation Mexicana, MSU graduate, and Aztec dancer from Denver, with family roots in Tierra Blanca, Zacatecas, Mexico. She holds a BA in Chicano/a Studies with a minor in Human Services focused on youth at risk, and is part of the Mijente team, a political home for Latinx and Chicanx people seeking racial, economic, gender, and climate justice. Nancy also teaches Zumba and Indigenous Beading classes in Swansea and supports community events with Auricular Acupuncture/Acudetox. As a Moonshot Fellow, she aims to combat barriers to holistic health for young people and families through Tonalli Wellness & Strength, which offers trauma-informed coaching, weightlifting, Zumba, and Acudetox for BIPOC youth and families.
Connect: LinkedIn
IG: _tonalliws | cualtzin.co
Nimita Weiss
Nimita (all pronouns), a South Asian queer immigrant, brings 28 years of K–12 education experience to her role as Jeffco Public Schools’ Diversity and Equity Specialist. She moved from New Jersey to Colorado 22 years ago and, after one bite of local pizza, seriously questioned all of her life choices. She stayed anyway, working as a teacher, dean, instructional coach, and assistant principal before "joining the dark side" of central office four years ago. She remains committed to building schools rooted in belonging, vulnerability, and authenticity.
Outside of work, she enjoys painting, volleyball, hiking, and patiently waiting for text replies from her son, who recently left for college in D.C.
Connect: Linkedin | Thriving Unity
Nya Joy Trusty
Nya (She/Her) is a Colorado-born, Black and Indigenous youth educator, creative practitioner, and emerging therapist. As a Moonshot Fellow, she is developing programming that helps high-school-aged Black girls use written expression and somatic knowledge to explore how their lived experiences and traumas shape their present, empowering them to become authors of their own stories. As a woman of Northern Cheyenne and Cherokee ancestry, she is deeply connected to ancestral knowledge and committed to integrating it into her work. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Dance from CU Boulder and is completing her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at CU Denver.
Connect: Linkedin
Reina Ross
Reina (She/Her) is an educator, violence disruptor, and youth advocate. For over a decade, Reina has been working to support the well-being and success of young people in her home state of Colorado. In her role as the Senior Manager of Programs and Engagement at Project PAVE she runs groups focused on social-emotional and healthy relationships education for high school students. Reina created the Orange Heart Retreat, giving young BIPOC women beginning their adulthood the opportunity to learn healthy relationships, violence prevention, and holistic mental wellbeing in a weekend of supportive connection.
Connect: LinkedIn
Sheleaha Rice
Shaleaha (She/Her) is a counselor, mental health professional, and emerging social entrepreneur, born and raised on the east side of Denver. Her experience in education and mental health has shaped her commitment to creating equitable pathways for young people to thrive, particularly spaces where youth can explore identity, strengthen emotional well-being, and develop leadership. As a Moonshot Fellow, she is launching Edify Me, a community-centered initiative empowering young people, particularly Black and Brown youth, through holistic personal and emotional development, bridging mental wellness, education, leadership, and empowerment.
Connect: LinkedIn
Wafa Saeed
Wafa (She/Her), PMP, founded ProjectEDGE Consulting & Coaching, a leadership and organizational development firm that helps mission-driven organizations strengthen their leaders, systems, and long-term sustainability. Through culturally responsive coaching, organizational assessments, strategic planning, leadership development, and capacity-building, ProjectEDGE equips leaders to move from constant crisis management to sustainable growth. Wafa brings more than 12 years of experience across philanthropy, nonprofit executive leadership, government, and community development. As a Sudanese American and Black immigrant, she founded ProjectEDGE to build the kind of trusted, culturally grounded support ecosystem she saw too many visionary leaders navigating without.
Zeta Arellano
Zeta (They/Them/Elle) follows the ways of the arañas as a Community Weaver and Restorative Practitioner, born and raised on Chicago's North Side by undocumented parents from Mexico. For over 12 years, Zeta has worked alongside system-impacted youth and communities, bringing transformative justice, healing justice, and Indigenous strategies into youth-serving spaces and leading restorative practices and MTSS coordination in schools. Zeta's solution helps end the school-to-prison pipeline by building elective-credit pathways through community-partner programming, alongside a year-long school program on youth wellness. Zeta holds a B.A. in International Studies and Ethnic Studies from Colorado State University, with training through the National Compadres Network.