Ivan recently graduated from Battle Mountain High School and is looking forward to his next adventure at Regis University in Denver. Ivan is the second in his family to attend college, following his older sister. He is thrilled to be living in the dorms and pursuing a career in computer science. Ivan took some classes in high school with computers and found them interesting, and his forward-thinking knows there are lots of opportunities in this field.
Ivan has been involved in lots of different organizations interested in bettering our community and our youth. He started as a volunteer mentor with SOS Outreach, helping with the snowboard program until a terrible accident left him in a coma for two weeks in the hospital in Denver. It was a long road to recovery, and he has had to change his interest in sports to working out in the gym, hiking, camping, and hanging out with friends.
No longer able to be a part of the SOS Outreach snowboard program, he did participate in a week-long backpacking trip near Leadville with SOS Outreach, which was challenging but a fantastic experience. Ivan has also volunteered with TedX, Salvation Army Community Gardens, and the Youth Master Plan.
Ivan’s compassion for youth and seeing a need in our community for mental health accessibility lead him to the Youth Executive Board with Mountain Youth for the past year. His most memorable event with Mountain Youth was the Water Safety Event held this past Sunday. Ivan plans to continue being a part of the change and focusing on youth mental health while at Regis University.
We wish Ivan all the best in his future endeavors. His compassion and commitment will lead him far.
Written by: Michele Zoeller, Operations Manager