Felipe Mosqueda gets a handshake from President Stephen Jordan for been selected the 2009 Apprentice @ Metro State.

Marketing student Felipe Mosqueda has been named “The Apprentice 2009.”

As the winner of this year’s Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State, he will receive a full-tuition scholarship for his senior year and a paid internship with one of the program’s community partners. His four co-competitors all received $500 book scholarships.

“We’ve all put a lot of commitment into this program and sacrificed a lot,” said Mosqueda at last night’s Boardroom Finale. “I’ve really worked to motivate my teammates to do their best and let their talents shine. . . The most memorable part has been seeing the impact we’ve had on the people we’ve worked with.”

More than 100 people gathered in the Tivoli Turnhalle to see videos of the program’s projects, hear the contestants answer questions, and cast their votes via hand-held electronic devices. Alan Gionet, CBS4’s weekend anchor, was master of ceremonies.

A panel of judges from the community partner organizations and the College faced the stage as Cookie Hetzel, co-chair of communication arts and sciences and theatre director, interviewed the students seated on stage. The judges determined two finalists based on a preliminary audience vote as well as evaluations collected throughout the program, and then the audience cast the final vote. President Stephen Jordan announced Mosqueda as winner and congratulated all the competitors.

“You’ve all learned and demonstrated what it means to be community organizers and create change,” Jordan said to the students. “It’s something you can bring to any future employer: ‘I’m capable of organizing people and making change, moving people from this point to this point.”

The contestants: (clockwise from left) Felipe Mosqueda, Chantay Banks, Jesse Martinez, Jeannine Malm and Rachael Fisher.

Mosqueda and the other Challengers – Chantay Banks, Rachael Fisher, Jeannine Malm and Jesse Martinez – had worked all semester, partnering with local nonprofits and corporations in a series of four projects that challenged them to apply their classroom learning to address real needs in the community.

Projects included developing a strategic plan and marketing tools for the Metro State Food Bank, educating consumers about recycling electronics and promoting a Comcast recycling rally, and helping the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority reach out to homeowners at risk of foreclosure. The fourth project involved numerous partners, including Kaiser Permanente, LiveWell Colorado, and three Denver Public Schools; the Challengers worked with kids, parents and the schools to encourage elementary students to walk to school as a means of promoting health and reducing obesity.

The Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State is the brainchild of the Alumni Association. You can read more about the four community projects, see photos and read the students’ blogs at http://www.mscd.edu/alumni/apprenticechallenge/.