Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role models; CMM) at CU Denver is a support/scholarship program that addresses the crucial need for greater diversity in Colorado’s classrooms. Participants in CMM, called MISTERs, receive tuition and fee support plus a monthly stipend and engage in academic, social, and community events and leadership development as a cohort.
CMM was founded in 2000 in South Carolina, but CMM at CU Denver is only in their 2nd year after starting in Fall 2024 with one MISTER. Program Director Dr. Geneva Sarcedo attended a CMM leadership institute in South Caroline in July 2024 before any students had been accepted into the program. By Summer 2025, CMM at CU Denver had grown to four MISTERs.
All four MISTERs along with Dr. Sarcedo were slated to attend the 25th anniversary celebration of CMM in Greenville, South Carolina on Saturday, October 25, 2025. Dr. Sarcedo was excited for the trip, noting, “I was in South Carolina last summer with zero students in the program, so I’m looking forward to rolling in with 4 MISTERs as a new program.” Mother Nature, however, had a different idea for the group when heavy rain, severe wind, power outages, and the potential for tornadoes and flooding grounded their connecting flight in Dallas, Texas the day before the event and the group was unable to complete their trip.
As a group, they decided to spend the night in Dallas and return to Denver the following day, missing a day in South Carolina of professional development seminars, networking with MISTERs from other programs, a celebration luncheon, and the investiture ceremony where graduating MISTERs are presented with an official CMM blazer. This change in plans left them scrambling to rebook flights, cancel hotel reservations, and make new arrangements during a massive storm. One MISTER was even left without his checked luggage, which miraculously made its way to South Carolina even though the group was stranded in Dallas.
Undeterred by these strokes of bad luck, the MISTERs and Dr. Sarcedo turned a series of high-stress situations into a positive experience of cohort bonding moments. They enjoyed group meals together, explored the Dallas Farmers Market and surrounding downtown, and overall made the impromptu “side quest” into the “best worst trip ever,” as the MISTERs deemed the misadventure.
Photo: CU Denver MISTERs and their Program Director at the Dallas Farmers Market after being unable to attend an event in South Caroline due to severe weather. Left to right, back row: Tramane Hudson, Kori Curtis, Diego Lucero; front row: Dr. Geneva Sarcedo, Vincent Vuong.
The MISTERs’ ability to create positive memories despite the upheaval shows the sense of brotherhood fostered by CMM. They walked away from the experience in Dallas with new inside jokes, fond memories, stronger bonds, and a fortified sense of belonging to CMM. Dr. Sarcedo said, “This wasn’t the trip we planned, but I’m glad we had this experience together. It really was the ‘best worst trip ever’.” Their experience exemplifies the soul of CMM as a teacher leadership initiative grounded in stewardship, ambassadorship, and personal growth.