Desirae Sarabia

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Desirae Sarabia is currently a senior studying to achieve her B.A. at Metropolitan State
College of Denver with a Chicana/o Studies Major and a Social Work Minor.
Desirae is married with two daughters. She is a Colorado native but enjoys travel.
She also enjoys engagement with her community and has volunteered with various
organizations including District 27J, Chicano Arts and Humanities Council, City of
Thornton and many others. Desirae had spent her early career in the corporate
field gaining skills in Finance and Accounting but found purpose in the non-profit
sector while working at First Nations Development Institute, a Native non-profit located
in Longmont, Colorado dealing with economic development in Native communities.
She held various positions in the organization, from Office Manager to Finance/ Executive
Assistant focusing on accounting, human resources, and benefits. Later she was able to
gain the position of Programs Associate for
the Non-profit Capacity Building Department
providing support on two grants, Health and Human Services,
Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF) as well as a grant from the Department
of Justice Office of Violence Against Women providing non-profit capacity building to
various coalitions and other native non-profit organizations. While returning to Metro
to finish her degree, and following the advice of Dr. Ramon Del Castillo, Desirae was
led to a program called Journey Through Our Heritage (JTOH). JTOH is a mentor program that teams up college and high school students in a year long endeavor building confidence and providing leadership skills that motivate students to finish high school and pursue higher
education. Under the leadership of Dr. Renee Fajardo, she is learning leadership skills.
With these skills, she leads her students by example. Desirae shows them how to become productive, active members of their community all while celebrating their indigenous culture. As a mentor to the students at Brighton High School, she is excited to share
about her culture and help her students find the motivation and power
within themselves to do anything they want to do. Desirae has also
assumed the role of treasurer with the JTOH Student Organization and is a
participant in the Center for Urban Connections, AmeriCorps and 1 Book/
1 Project/ 2 transform programs. She is looking forward to making the best
of her undergraduate experience as she collaborates with
others who share in her passion to make a positive impact in their communities.