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Campos’ support for Lattice Program driven by his background and values

Marco Campos (CivEngr’98) is driven by student success and opening doors for future engineers. 

Campos, chief executive and founder of Campos Companies, was a key donor for the first cohort of the Lattice Scholars Program.  

“This is a chance to level the playing field for these students,” Campos said. “To graduate debt-free is something to me that is just beautiful.” 

Nearly 30 years ago, Campos — a first-generation college student himself — participated in a summer bridge program to kick off his CU Engineering journey. 

“I was able to meet my first roommate, friends, my professors and gained a network of support, which was empowering,” Campos said. Little did he know it would inspire him to donate to future summer programs for aspiring engineers. 

As with most engineering students, the first two years of college were a grind with calculus and physics classes. Campos said he remembers this period being particularly challenging because he wasn’t prepared academically and was working in addition to going to school. 

“What I gained was the understanding that there were people that helped me through the journey,” he said. 

This mindset set the stage for Campos’ eventual philanthropy efforts.  

“We didn’t have any money and resources growing up as a kid,” he said. “When I ultimately did incur success, I wanted to give back in meaningful ways for others.”

Shifting focus

Through the Lattice Program, Campos hopes to “give these students an opportunity to focus on studies, getting a positive college experience and opportunities like studying abroad. This will get them closer to these things.” 

He advises engineering students, regardless if they are Lattice Scholars, to expand their network and know that people are there to help in even the most difficult of times.

“You have to believe in yourself that you have got to fight. Perseverance and grind,” said

Campos. “If you have those two things, you’re going to make it.”

Campos understands the power of diversity and valuing different opinions, perspectives and ideas. Eighty percent of his C-suite at Campos Holding Co. are either women or from underrepresented backgrounds. 

That’s by design, said Campos.

“We put our money where our mouth is, and we’re successful for that.”

Philanthropy for student success

In addition to the Lattice Scholars Program, the Campos Foundation — whose mission is to elevate historically marginalized students through STEM education initiatives — has supported more than 5,000 students every year through high school summer bridge programs like CU Boulder’s EngiNearMe, as well as scholarship programs at Colorado State University and Colorado School of Mines. 

“Every dollar we provide comes directly from us to our foundation. And every dollar will directly impact a student,” Campos said. 

The foundation was essential to the renovation of the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s BOLD Center in 2020. Campos has also funded 13 smartlabs for K-12 schools across the Denver metro area to help students explore their possibilities in STEM learning.   

“With our STEM labs, students get an idea of how the world works. They get to code, see robots and drones in action, and see what a circuit looks like for the first time,” Campos said. “These types of things are simple things to get them thinking in a different way. It’s special.” 

Recently, Campos met a student at CSU’s ENvision summer program who was interested in aerospace engineering. Campos encouraged him to attend EngiNearMe and consider CU Boulder’s top-tier aerospace program. 

That student later messaged Campos letting him know that he decided to start his college journey at CU Boulder. 

“If we put good into the universe, good comes back,” Campos said.

Lattice Mentor Profile

Fishion Yohannes

• Senior majoring in biomedical engineering
• Lattice and GoldShirt Program mentor
• Member of the National Society of Black Engineers

What motivated you to be a mentor for the Lattice program? 

As a Black woman in STEM, ensuring that students who are coming into CU recognize

there is a space for them is really important. It’s already daunting enough coming into college as a first-generation student without any prior knowledge or having anyone to rely on. Giving back was something I always wanted to do, and Lattice gives students that important access to opportunities.

What does your role as a mentor look like?

We plan monthly seminars for the scholars focused on financial literacy and what it means to be financially responsible as a student. I know firsthand what it’s like getting a refund check as a student and not knowing how to spend your money wisely. Setting the students up for success early on is super important. We host academic and social events for the students throughout the month and check in with them regularly to see how we can support their journey. 

What are some things Lattice Scholars are looking forward to? 

We are planning a mountain retreat to build more community with our students! It’s important to have a community within CU Boulder. As first-generation students, it can get incredibly isolating at times, and it’s important to know you have a community rooting for you and there are people who are there to bring you up and share your successes as well. We’ve gone through similar experiences being an engineering student — we want students to know you’re not alone in this journey. 

Why is diversity, equity and inclusion important in higher education? 

In order to represent all students on college campuses, it’s important that all voices are heard. It’s one thing to ensure you have different perspectives and backgrounds, but access and representation have to be equitable. 

Diversity and equity create a space of inclusion. Without that, not only are you hindering the spaces for students, but also you’re not effectively giving all students the same access and equal opportunity for everyone. 

I hope people are able to see the importance of programs like Lattice and are able to implement it nationwide. These programs create spaces for change and inclusion.

How has your CU Engineering experience been like so far? 

I’ve loved every minute of it. Of course, there are challenges when it comes to academics. There are moments where an exam was just incredibly difficult or the assignments kept piling up and you feel like there’s nothing you can do. You just have to persevere. 

I appreciate all the people I’ve met. They have different stories and backgrounds and come from different walks of life. Being a mentor, I get to witness that, but we all have the same hunger and drive to be an engineer. It’s so fulfilling to see the passion that people have for engineering.

What does the future hold?

I envision going into the biomedical industry and working toward having medicines be more effective and equitable. But I want to also pursue my PhD and be a professor — perhaps here at CU Boulder!

Is there anyone you would like to give a shout-out to? 

My parents and sister have definitely been one of my greatest support systems. They’re always rooting for me, and they’re always saying, “You’re the one who can do it. You can do it!” 

I would like to add a thank-you to my community. Without my friends and mentors I work with or my bosses, I wouldn’t have the privilege to be a part of such a beautiful program. Without a community in engineering, it’s impossible to push forward, and I really want to emphasize the importance of a community that is almost like a family!

Lattice Scholar Profile

Angelica Arambula-Olivas

• First-year student
• Mechanical engineering
• Lattice Scholar

What does being part of the Lattice Scholars program mean to you? 

It gives me a chance to go to and finish college. My parents didn’t go to college, so there’s this relatability between Lattice students of being the first one in their family to accomplish this. There’s a lot of unforeseen challenges that you just wouldn’t expect. The impostor syndrome of not feeling like you belong there. I know some people give up halfway through their degree because the debt is too much and it’s difficult to stay motivated. 

Lattice is a great opportunity to get that support that we need and be able to relate to others. Most parents of students I’ve met at Boulder have finished college and get help from family members. It’s really helped me stay motivated and see the positive side despite facing challenges at times. Lattice provides a community of students who might be feeling the same obstacle and are able to help you through that.

What are aspects of Lattice that have helped so far? 

The seminars on stress management and managing your finances have been most interesting. We had a whole activity where we wrote down what we spent, how we deal with our money and where our money habits come from — things we don’t really learn in high school. I love hearing from our mentors and their life experiences since they’re relatable and listening to others who have dealt with similar challenges. Our mentors are always great. They’re always willing to talk, help and be vulnerable with our Lattice group. 

Why mechanical engineering? 

I met one of the Engineering Ambassadors who graduated last year and who studied mechanical engineering, and I got interested in her work in sustainability. Mechanical engineering gives me an opportunity to explore what I want to focus on — everything from sustainability to biomedicine.  

What are you looking forward to accomplishing during your CU Engineering journey? 

I’m excited about applying to internships through career events. I’m really looking forward to my future classes like statics and dynamics of solids and pursuing a biomedical engineering minor. I’ve talked to some of my fellow Engineering Ambassadors, and hearing about the research projects they’ve done has encouraged me to explore research down the road.

What does this mean to you being a first-generation Latina woman pursuing engineering?

This is really huge for me because I have a baby sister, and I want her to know she doesn’t have to limit herself to anything as she grows up. Finishing this degree is a way of proving to myself and others that it’s possible and you’re able to do anything you set your mind to. There’s increasingly more women in engineering, but the amount of Latina women I know of, I can count on maybe two hands, and that’s being a little generous. It’s important to encourage more students like me who are first-generation Latina women to pursue fields like engineering. Just because you don’t see people like you doing something doesn’t mean that you can’t. It just means that you need to be one of the first people to push others to do so!