The Colorado Dream: Recent Episodes
KUNC
The Colorado Dream shares stories of Coloradans who are overcoming obstacles to create a better life for themselves and their families in an effort to achieve the American Dream.
New season coming August 5 - Newcomers Welcome. Aurora is home to thousands of immigrant residents from the continent of Africa. As the city strives to become an inclusive home for all, is it truly helping those most in need? Join host Stephanie Daniel as she explores the Black immigrant experience in Aurora as told through the eyes of one African immigrant — and the city itself.
Midterm Election Debrief: The midterm elections were held just last week. KUNC’s Statehouse Reporter Lucas Brady Woods talks about the results and how things shook out post-election.
Pobre Pancho’s: One of Fort Collins’ oldest Mexican restaurants — Pobre Pancho’s — closed last spring. The owner wants to sell the property to a fast food change planning to knock the building down.But reporter Mickey Capper says the family who ran the restaurant for decades is now fighting to preserve the building and its history.
CreditsColorado Edition is hosted by Yoselin Meza Miranda and produced by the KUNC newsroom, led by news director Sean Corcoran. Web was edited by digital editor Megan Manata.
The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.
Green Rooves: A researcher in our region is looking at a new way to grow vegetables and flowers at home, but as KUNC’s Emma VandenEinde reports, it might be more difficult than anticipated.
Tap Water Taste Test: There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a cold glass of water straight from the tap — but it takes a lot of work to make your water clean and tasty.City water providers from all over the Mountain West put their supplies to the test at a recent event in Colorado. KUNC’s Alex Hager was invited to judge.This story is a part of ongoing coverage of water in the West, produced by KUNC and supported by the Walton Family Foundation.
A study into the health activity of dairy cattle: A research team at Colorado State University is using pedometers to monitor the activity of dairy cattle. The goal is to improve milk quality while maintaining a cost-effective solution for local farmers.Heading the study is CSU’s Department of Animal Science, Associate Professor Dr. Pablo Pineda. KUNC’s Yoselin Meza-Miranda spoke with him to learn more about the research.
CreditsColorado Edition is hosted by Yoselin Meza Miranda and produced by the KUNC newsroom, led by news director Sean Corcoran. Web was edited by digital editor Megan Manata. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling.
Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.
It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!
KUNC hosted a live community event and panel discussion to talk about the themes explored in The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome podcast.
The panel included podcast host Stephanie Daniel and people featured in the series including Salwa Mourtada Bamba, Mariem Dia and Amanda Blaurock.
The conversation took place at the historic Aurora Fox Arts Center and was moderated by Scott Williams, Museum Director of the Aurora History Museum and Historic Sites.
To learn more about The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome, go to our website.
Credits
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome is a production from KUNC. This episode was recorded live at the Aurora Fox Arts Center. It was produced by Kim Rais and Kyle Cunningham with help from Connor Bergman. Brandon Case is the technical director, Casey Burnham is the theater and sound technician. This season's theme song was composed by Jason Paton.
Special thanks to Marcus Burnett, Ashley Jefcoat, Jennifer Orf, Odaliz Gaytan, Sean Corcoran, Mike Arnold and Tammy Terwelp.
Aurora is home to immigrants and refugees from around the world. To help them succeed, the city created an integration plan, one of the first local governments in the country to do so. Aurora has made a conscious decision to welcome foriegn-born residents but should the city get all the credit for embracing newcomers?
“I think it just happens to be the city that people were relocated to,” said Mathew Mengesha, a policy advocate who works on city and state level policies that support the successful integration of immigrant and refugee communities. “Like it more so had to do with the affordability of Aurora, in my opinion, than it had to do with Aurora wanting immigrants and refugees in their city.”
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome episode five explores what stands in the way of Aurora being a welcoming home for all immigrants. Also, Salwa Mourtada Bamba achieves one more big milestone.
Credits and links
To learn more about Salwa Mourtada Bamba and the city of Aurora; and to see photos of the people included in this episode and other extras, go to kunc.org/coloradodream.
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome is a production from KUNC. It was written and reported by Stephanie Daniel. Editing by Johanna Zorn. Fact-checking by Cat Jaffee with additional help from Adam Rayes. This season's theme song was composed by Jason Paton, who also sound designed and mixed the episode. Additional audio is from NPR’s Morning Edition. Ashley Jefcoat is the digital editor. Special thanks to Chandra Thomas Whitfield, Robert Leja, Kyle Cunningham and Kim Race. Sean Corcoran is KUNC’s executive news director. Tammy Terwelp is KUNC’s president and CEO.
Aurora is home to immigrants and refugees from around the world. To help them succeed, the city created an ambitious integration plan that focuses heavily on supporting foreign-born entrepreneurs. And for good reason; immigrants and refugees have higher rates of starting new businesses than American-born residents. Throughout the city there are immigrant-owned businesses like food markets, restaurants, beauty salons and transportation companies.
“Aurora, it's welcoming and if you are comfortable, you achieve,” said Ayelech G-Michael. “First impression, you see somebody who look like you, you would be comfortable. I think that's why Aurora (has) a lot of entrepreneur(s).”
G-Michael is one of these entrepreneurs. She came to the U.S. to go to college in 1995 and then moved to Aurora five years later. She has owned a liquor store and a home health agency. Now, she works as an interpreter for medical and law offices, schools and the community. She interprets two Ethiopian languages: Amharic and Tigrinya.
She also performs Ethiopian coffee ceremonies at events around Aurora, including the city’s annual Global Fest.
“That's how I start serving the coffee,” she said. “To show my culture to other very diverse Aurora.”
Credits and links
To see photos of the tea ceremony and Ayelech G-Michael, as well as other extras from the series, go to the Colorado Dream website.
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome is a production from KUNC. It was written and reported by Stephanie Daniel. Editing by Johanna Zorn. This season's theme song was composed by Jason Paton. Ashley Jefcoat is the digital editor.
The Black immigrant population in Colorado is growing faster than anywhere else in the U.S. They come from Africa, the Caribbean and beyond and many settle in Aurora, where about one in five residents is foreign born. What does it mean for these immigrants, and their kids, to be Black in America?
“There's a tension between the African immigrant and the Black community. Why? Because of misconception and assumption from both (parties).” said Papa Dai, founder and president of African Leadership Group. “So for me, coming together, being united as Black, as African immigrant, as African in the Diaspora, however you want to identify yourself, it's a must and it's time.”
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome episode four examines the relationship between Black African immigrants and African Americans. It also shares how Salwa Mourtada Bamba and other Black immigrants in Aurora identify themselves.
“I am Black and proud,” Bamba said. “Yes, it's undeniable.”
Links and credits
To learn more about Salwa Mourtada Bamba and the city of Aurora, and to see photos of the people included in this episode and other extras, go to the Colorado Dream website.
Salwa on social media:
- Salwa Rita Mourtada on Facebook
- @Aunty_Salwa on Instagram
Also in this episode:
- Village Exchange Center: @VECAurora
- University of Colorado: @CUBoulder and @CUSystem
- University of Colorado Boulder Department of Ethnic Studies: @EthnStudies_UCB
- African Leadership Group: @officialusalg
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome is a production from KUNC. It was written and reported by Stephanie Daniel. Editing by Johanna Zorn. Fact-checking by Cat Jaffee with additional help from Adam Rayes. This season's theme song was composed by Jason Paton, who also sound designed and mixed the episode. Additional music was composed by Matthew Simonson. Ashley Jefcoat is the digital editor. Special thanks to Chandra Whitfield, Robert Leja, Kyle Cunningham and Kim Rais. Sean Corcoran is KUNC’s news director. Tammy Terwelp is KUNC’s president and CEO.
English is the “language of opportunity.” That’s a line from Aurora’s 10-year Immigrant Integration Plan. Before creating this plan, the city conducted focus groups in 2019 with community members and found the two top priorities for immigrants and refugees were learning English and finding employment.
Research shows that immigrants who are proficient in English have higher paying jobs. Not only can they better support their families but the city of Aurora benefits too. The more money residents make, the more they can spend, and the more the city prospers.
To help foreign-born residents succeed, Aurora’s integration plan emphasizes education. How well are schools serving Aurora’s immigrant families?
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome episode three looks at efforts by two educational institutions and some of the unique challenges facing first and second-generation African students.
“A first generation African kid, my child can tell you, that goes to school acting like an American and then comes home and has to act like an African kid,” said Anne Keke, an immigrant from Côte d'Ivoire and Aurora Public Schools Board of Education Director.
Links and credits
To learn more about Salwa Mourtada Bamba and the city of Aurora, and to see photos of the people included in this episode and other extras, go to the Colorado Dream website.
Salwa on social media:
- Salwa Rita Mourtada on Facebook
- @Aunty_Salwa on Instagram
Also in this episode:
- Community College of Aurora: @CCAurora
- Aurora Public Schools: @aurorak12
- Village Exchange Center: @VECAurora
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome is a production from KUNC. It was written and reported by Stephanie Daniel. Editing by Johanna Zorn. Fact-checking by Cat Jaffee with additional help from Adam Rayes. This season's theme song was composed by Jason Paton, who also sound designedand mixed the episode. Additional music was composed by Matthew Simonson. Ashley Jefcoat is the digital editor. Special thanks to Chandra Whitfield, Robert Leja, Kyle Cunningham and Kim Rais. Sean Corcoran is KUNC’s news director. Tammy Terwelp is KUNC’s president and CEO.
Aurora is one of the most diverse cities in Colorado. In fact, about one in five residents is foriegn born. Over half came from the Americas, mainly Mexico. After that the largest groups hail from Ethiopia, Vietnam, Korea, El Salvador and India. To help immigrants and refugees succeed, the city created an integration plan. It was among the first in the country to do so.
“Our city leaders at the time, intentionally they (made) a very important decision,” said Ricardo Gambetta, manager of Aurora’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs. “They realize that in the last 20 years, we have a new face of the city.”
To implement the integration plan, Aurora partners with dozens of organizations including Village Exchange Center. The non-profit supports immigrant and refugee communities with a range of services including the Natural Helpers Program which is staffed by volunteers who are immigrants themselves.
“The natural helpers are like this bridge between their country and here,” said José Gómez , who manages the Natural Helpers Program. “ I feel that one of the biggest things that has kept our immigrant or refugee community, you can say down, is the lack of knowledge.”
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome episode two examines the city’s immigrant integration plan. Meanwhile, more than 15 years earlier, Salwa Mourtada Bamba gets a job and enrolls at the local community college as she settles into her new life in Aurora.
To learn more about Salwa Mourtada Bamba and the city of Aurora, and to see photos of the people included in this episode and other extras, go to the Colorado Dream website.
Salwa on social media:
- Salwa Rita Mourtada on Facebook
- @Aunty_Salwa on Instagram
The Migration Policy Institute on social media:
- @MigrationPolicy on Twitter
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome is a production from KUNC. It was written and reported by me, Stephanie Daniel. Editing by Johanna Zorn. Fact-checking by Cat Jaffee with additional help from Adam Rayes. This season's theme song was composed by Jason Paton, who also sound designed and mixed the episode. Additional music was composed by Matthew Simonson. Ashley Jefcoat is the digital editor. Special thanks to Chandra Whitfield, Robert Leja, Kyle Cunningham and Kim Rais. Sean Corcoran is KUNC’s news director. Tammy Terwelp is KUNC’s president and CEO.
The Black immigrant population in Colorado is growing faster than anywhere else in the U.S. They come from Africa, the Caribbean and beyond, and many settle in Aurora, where about one in five residents is foreign born. A lot of them have overcome great challenges to emigrate here, including Salwa Mourtada Bamba.
Salwa was born in Liberia, West Africa and endured the country’s brutal civil war. She was displaced, her sister was murdered and she literally fled for her life, moving to Ghana for four years. But during moments of relative calm she would daydream about coming to the United States.
“To me, the American dream was just being afforded the opportunity to come here and attain the highest level of education that I possibly could,” she said. “It was always touted on television to be this place where you can be and grow and and gain the best at anything and at any dream you wanted to.”
Her dreams became a reality in 1998 when she arrived alone at JFK International Airport in New York City. A year later she was settled in Aurora, Colorado, ready to take on her new world.
To learn more about Salwa Mourtada Bamba and the city of Aurora; and to see photos of the people included in this episode and other extras, go to the Colorado Dream website.
Salwa on social media:
- Salwa Rita Mourtada on Facebook
- @Aunty_Salwa on Instagram
The Migration Policy Institute on social media:
- @MigrationPolicy on Twitter
The Colorado Dream: Newcomers Welcome is a production from KUNC. It was written and reported by me, Stephanie Daniel. Editing by Johanna Zorn. Fact-checking by Cat Jaffee with additional help from Adam Rayes. This season's theme song was composed by Jason Paton, who also sound designed and mixed the episode. Additional music was composed by Matthew Simonson. Ashley Jefcoat is the digital editor. Special thanks to Chandra Whitfield, Robert Leja, Kyle Cunningham and Kim Rais. Sean Corcoran is KUNC’s news director. Tammy Terwelp is KUNC’s president and CEO.
In Aurora, Colorado about one in five residents is foreign born. While most come from Mexico, many hail from other parts of the world including thousands from the continent of Africa. The city created a plan called “Aurora is open to the world” and partnered with dozens of organizations that provide services to immigrants and refugees. But is the plan helping those most in need? In season two of The Colorado Dream, join host Stephanie Daniel as she explores the Black immigrant experience in Aurora as told through the eyes of one African immigrant living in Aurora as the city – and its residents – strive to become an inclusive home for all.
“Tomorrow Starts Today,” is the slogan for Westminster High School’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. The school offers 13 CTE career pathways that are designed to give students both job training and education to prepare them for future success. This episode features current and former students from the aerospace engineering and cybersecurity classes who want to work in some of Colorado’s fastest growing industries.
Westminster, Colorado began as a small farming community when the first settler arrived in 1870. Today, it is the state’s eighth-largest city. Even though it’s part of the sprawling, urban metro Denver area, Westminster has held onto its agricultural roots. There’s still a working farm about three miles from downtown. So it’s not surprising Westminster High School has a robust agriculture program. This episode features the school’s Career and Technical Education agriculture pathway and two students who’ve found success in the urban jungle.
Biomedical Science is the most popular Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway at Westminster High School in Westminster, Colorado. Biomedical Innovations is the final of the four year-long classes. Last semester, students studied how dementia affects the brain and created wellness plans to treat these patients. This episode follows three teens who will be first-generation college students. They are using the Biomedical Science and Health Occupations pathways to prepare for college and careers in the medical field.
Westminster Public Schools is one of the smallest school districts in metro Denver and has only one comprehensive high school. Westminster High School, or Westy as it's fondly called, houses the district's Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. In 2019, the district received a CTE grant from the state which paid for Wolf Bites, a food truck run by culinary students. This episode follows them as they prepare for their first paid catering gig and features a video cinema arts student who helped produce the school's Wolf Bites video documentary.