About Us
The Center for Undergraduate Exploration & Advising (CUE&A) Success Advising Team is dedicated to helping students achieve their goals. We help students succeed at CU Denver by providing academic advising and
programming for College of Arts and Media first-year students, pre-architecture students, and those who are still exploring majors.
What is Success Advising?
It's our goal to help you select a major and to provide accurate and current information to assist you in getting into the degree program of your choice.
Success Advisors
- Are interested in you and your story
- Believe you possess the strengths and talents to be successful in college
- Help you learn to make effective decisions
- Assist you in setting and attaining academic and career goals
- Recognize you have a life outside of school
- Explain and clarify university rules and requirements
- Help you choose a major and an academic pathway that aligns with your interests and skills
- Make referrals to other services when needed
The Success Advising Team
Denée Janda, Director of University Advising
What inspires me? People’s ability to learn, grow, and overcome challenges.
If I could provide a new college student only one piece of advice, what would it be? Approach situations with curiosity – you never know who you might meet or what you might learn!
What was my undergraduate major? Communication Studies, with minors in Music, History, Geology, and Psychology
What is my favorite quote? “The what in your life and work will only ever be as good as the authentic why of your life and work.” Zach Mercurio
John Patsey, Senior Success Advisor
What inspires me? I am inspired all of the time, by all of it, and by everyone. I cannot be alive and not be constantly in awe.
If I could provide a new college student only one piece of advice, what would it be? Travel somewhere far away with a good friend and tattered journal and write about it.
What was my undergraduate major? Bachelor of Arts in English, Minor in History
What is my favorite quote? "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the
trade winds in your sails." ~ Mark Twain
Regina Rodriguez, Senior Success Advisor
What inspires me? When I witness an ordinary person doing something extraordinary for another person.
If I could provide a new college student only one piece of advice, what would it be? Choose a pathway that comes naturally to you.
What was my undergraduate major? Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a Minor in Chicano Studies
What is my favorite quote? "The essence of a man can not be described in one word."
Rebecca Rothkopf, Success Advisor
What inspires me? Hiking and spending time out in nature.
If you could provide a new college student only one piece of advice, what would it be? Don't be afraid to branch out and try something new; like a club or an event on campus. You never know who you will meet, what connections
you'll make, or what new hobbies and interests you may find.
What was my undergraduate major? Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, with a minor in English.
What is my favorite quote? "Success
is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." ~ Winston Churchill.
Terri Winston, Success Advisor
What inspires me? Music really inspires me. Music can make me feel a wide range of moods, I.E happiness, sadness, inspiration, and motivation.
If I could provide a new college student only one piece of advice, what would it be? Check your school email frequently!
What was my undergraduate major? Bachelor of Arts in History with a Minor in Economics
What is my favorite quote? “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou
Karlene Perez, Program Operations Specialist
What inspires me? The fact that every day is a new beginning, you never know what’s going to happen, who you’re going to meet, or what you’re going to accomplish!
If I could provide a new college student only one piece of advice, what would it be? Pursue your interests, keep your mind open and creative, and connect with as many people as you can. Always remember that you are capable of whatever you put your mind to.
What was my undergraduate major? Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, a minor in Communication, a minor in Women & Gender Studies, and a Certificate in Criminology
What is my favorite quote? “Sometimes we have to do the work even though we don’t yet see a glimmer on the horizon that it’s actually going to be possible.” – Angela Y. Davis
Our Mission
Our primary purpose is to assist students, through a system of shared responsibility between student and advisor, in the development of meaningful educational plans that will be compatible with career aspirations and contribute to the process of preparing for a life of change, challenge, and individual fulfillment.