About Us
Mission Statement
The mission of the Center for Pre-Collegiate and Academic Outreach Programs at the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is to administer pre-college and pipeline programs. These programs are designed to educate, motivate, and prepare first-generation students to be successful in secondary and post-secondary education with the ultimate goal of obtaining a higher education degree.
Meet Our Staff
Greg Lee, Director
Greg earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder and his master’s degree in counseling education from the University of Colorado Denver. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in education with Walden University. Greg enjoys working with first-generation students in the area of college preparation and accessing higher education. He made the decision to work with first-generation students to help alleviate some of the barriers they may encounter in preparing and accessing higher education. He is passionate about empowering students, helping them enhance their opportunity to be admitted to college and become successful. Greg’s career endeavor is to continue working with students in a higher educational setting and make an impact in their lives.
Leslie Farrell, Program Manager
Leslie was born and raised in Southern California, moved to Colorado when she was 13, and went to Alameda High School in Jefferson County. After high school, she attended the University of Colorado Denver where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. As a first-generation student, the biggest aid for her was being part of the Pre-Collegiate Program. She always aspired to go to college and knew she was going to make it there no matter what. With Pre-Collegiate she was able to learn about all the different resources available that would help fund her education. Now, she is honored to work for Pre-Collegiate as the Middle School Coordinator and appreciates helping first-generation students like herself. Her goals for the next couple years are to continue impacting first-generation students and use her past experiences and background to help and encourage students for years to come.
Norma Marquez, Program Manager
Norma Marquez was born and raised in Texas where she received her Bachelors degree in Spanish from the University of North Texas. She moved to Colorado in 2019 and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Higher Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. As a former first-generation college student, she enjoys providing students with knowledge and resources that may be critical to their post-secondary education goals. She hopes to continue her education and continue to gain resources to better serve first-generation students at CU-Denver.
Daniela Castorena, Coordinator
Daniela was born in Los Angeles, California but raised in Denver, CO for most of her life. She attended Denver Public Schools and graduated from West High School. She is an alumnus from the University of Colorado Denver and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Minor in Ethnic Studies. She was a TRIO SSS participant during her undergraduate experience and was a TRIO Talent Search participant in high school. Daniela enjoys being back at CU Denver and working for the program that helped her graduate. She would like to “Pay it forward” and help other first-generation students complete their degrees.