Founder/Executive Director

Shawn is a Denver native who is ready to give back to his community. He was born and raised in Park Hill by parents that work in youth ministry. With this background, Shawn grew up in a very diverse environment and saw a great example of how to give back and support Denver’s youth. He now wishes to do so in his own way; through the gift of international education. Shawn has been very blessed in the way his adult life has unfolded. He is one of the few in his group of close childhood friends that has had the opportunity to continue in secondary education and travel the world.

During Shawn’s time in college at Colorado State University he received a Certificate of Entrepreneurship in addition to a Bachelor of Science in Organization and Innovation Management. He was the President of the CSU chapter of the fraternity Beta Gamma Nu, Inc. He was also an intern in the College of Business Development office and served as a College of Business Mentor. All of these helped form him into who he has become. However, the most life changing experience he had was studying abroad in New Zealand in 2014 and beginning his global travels.

Since graduating college Shawn have been blessed with a life abroad. He has traveled in over 25 countries, worked and lived in three. Through his teaching and travels, Shawn has been able to learn about and experience so many different cultures and ways of life. Travel is a beautiful thing. It gives you a global education and leaves you thirsting for more. Yet, it’s something he never even thought about while growing up in Denver. He does not want that to be the case for children in future generations. Shawn is here with World art Hand to create global opportunities and life changing experiences for our local youth.

Board Chair

Kevin is a Denver native who graduated from Manual High School in 1993. He has been working in the Denver Public Schools district for 22 years. Kevin also coached high school girls basketball for 13 years. He is a husband and a father of four daughters; three on earth and one in heaven. Kevin’s introduction to traveling internationally was to support his oldest daughter in the 2003 Special Olympic World Games in Dublin, Ireland. It was the most amazing experience for a kid from Northeast Denver who never thought he would ever travel outside of the States. This opened up a whole new world for him. Kevin looks forward to working and collaborating with the World at Hand team to provide cultural life changing experiences for our youth.

Board Secretary

Christina graduated from Colorado State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies and a minor in Ethnic Studies. During her time at CSU she was involved in many extracurricular activities. She studied abroad in Summer 2014 in Costa Rica and studied at Veritas University. Currently, she works for the City and County of Denver and recently completed a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership at the University of Denver. She’s traveled to 15 countries thus far, and her goal is to visit as many countries as she can, especially if there’s a good deal out there!

Christina chose to be a part of World at Hand because she is passionate about educating youth/young adults about the importance of travel. As a child of immigrants, travel has been instilled in her life since she was born. Travel is one of the best teachers in life, and it can only be appreciated and understood if you actually do it. In the future, she’d love to open a youth center in her family’s home country of Ethiopia in Tigray.

Board Treasurer

Dóra was born and raised in a small town called Tata, Hungary. In 2016 she graduated with a Bachelor’s in International Business Economics. During her studies, Dóra spent a semester in Portugal and was able to experience an internship in Spain. She also had the chance to participate in a language course in France. Therefore, Dóra is very familiar with international education. You can learn so much about yourself when you are leaving your comfort zone behind and letting all the new experiences in! When Dóra returned home to Hungary she started working in the finance department of a multinational company where she excelled working in a diverse team environment. Dora hopes to bring an international perspective to World at Hand as well as utilize skills gained from working in the financial sector at multinational organizations to help both the organization and the students we impact succeed.

Board Member

Segen was taught to be a bridge between cultures from a very young age by her immigrant parents. She realized the importance of learning from others and their different experiences, while being open to connecting from the similarities we inevitably share. Segen left her hometown of Denver to pursue a degree at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina. There she was president of the African and Caribbean Students Association and founded the annual AFRICASA Cultural Night. Sharing the stories and cultures from the various backgrounds students grew up in was an awesome way to encourage cross-cultural appreciation. Segen studied abroad in Ghana while in college, and that jump started her life-long love of international travel.

After graduating, Segen wanted the experience of living abroad long term. She had the opportunity to teach English in Spain and nanny in Italy for a collective 18 months. During this time Segen traveled to many countries throughout Europe very affordably. It was the experience of a lifetime and empowered her to pursue a life of freedom-- having the ability to live a nomadic life through financial independence or remote work. She is still chasing that dream and hopes to one day fully realize it. Segen is very passionate about advocating for youth to travel outside of their comfort zones, create connections with people from different cultures, and learning to be a bridge for humanity. Segen believes that World at Hand is an awesome opportunity for those who take advantage and she is grateful to be on board and bring change to her home community.

Board Member

Salt has been working with nonprofits serving urban youth, young adults, and many living at the poverty level in the Denver Metro Area for over 30 years. The teens he works with have so much potential and so many challenges to overcome! Very few have had life changing opportunities to travel abroad, and World at Hand wants to change that!

Board Member

Ike was raised in Denver between Park Hill and the “East-Side” neighborhood, and that became his bubble as a child and into young adulthood. He didn’t know much outside of those two neighborhoods, let alone outside of Colorado. Ike didn’t get on his first plane until he was 18 and didn’t travel outside of the country until late in his twenties. Understanding that many underrepresented youth have the similar experience of not knowing much outside of their neighborhood is why Ike thinks World at Hand is necessary. Being able to travel and witness new cultures and experiences not only opens the mind to new possibilities but also opens the heart. Ike is excited for the impact World at Hand will have on our communities in the future.