Each year Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) collaborates with a DSF Scholar or Alumni to highlight their artistic talents in a piece made to represent their DSF Journey. In 2025, DSF collaborated with DSF Alum Artist Ellen Kaufman @edelivaartwho graduated from DSST Montview High School and the University of Denver (DU). As a full-time software engineer during the day and a painter all other times, she learned to merge her love of art and math by practicing both.
Ellen that here you graduation
As a first-generation college student, Ellen took on more than just her own education. She became her family’s translator, advocate, and guide when navigating how to get to college and during her college journey. When deciding her career path, Ellen double-majored in Art and Computer Science and minored in Spanish, Math and Leadership. Coming from a family-oriented background, moving into the dorms and adapting to an unfamiliar campus environment came as a shock, but she quickly learned to navigate both academic and cultural adjustments.
From left to right, Ellen, Nate Cadena, DSF Chief Impact Officer and former DSF Director of College Success Michelle Camacho Liu at a DSF Event
Her DSF connection became a powerful anchor and source of connection and support. She met other DSF Scholars with similar backgrounds who became part of her support system. Through the DSF programming, she participated in an internship opportunity through the Learning Institute at Girls Inc. and continued to be involved at other DSF events where she found opportunities to network and grow her skills. Her DSF involvement has continued to grow as her two sisters are now also DSF Scholars and Alumni, creating a family pathway of education and perseverance.
Ellen and her two sisters
As Ellen mentioned, “College is an incredible experience, which helps you get the credentials you need and even helps you explore who you are”. Ellen studied abroad in Spain and Italy, expanding her worldview and further developing her personal brand.
Her openness to try new opportunities also led her to attend a job fair at DU—an event that changed her career. “I got my first job because of that fair,” Ellen says. Today, she works as a senior software engineer for a major automotive tech company. Her position allows her to solve meaningful problems and maintain a strong work-life balance.
Ellen at a DSF and DU Networking Event
Outside of her engineering career, Ellen continues to nourish her passion for art. Her work is deeply personal, with a strong focus on nature as a key influence. Ellen’s paintings reflect her identities as a child of immigrants, navigating between cultures and generations, a theme she revisits often in her art to honor her heritage.
Ellen standing to the left of her painting designed to DSF called “Our Roots”
“I was inspired to create this work from the request of DSF for me to describe myself and my journey in this piece. This work merges two of my favorite subjects to illustrate: aspens and women. It also incorporates very important subjects that are part of my educational and, therefore, my DSF journey. The aspen tree is a symbol of being a child of immigrants for me. Growing up in Colorado, my family and I always saw aspen trees when we visited the mountains, and my mother would always comment on how it reminded her of home. She was referring to the birch trees of Belarus, which, while resembling the aspen tree, are an altogether different tree. For this reason, the aspen trees have been a powerful reminder for me of where I came from and where I am, and the enduring connection between the two places for me and my family, ” Ellen explained.
Ellen with her family
“However, just painting an aspen did not feel like enough for me; part of my story and education journey was missing. For this reason, I felt compelled to also paint female faces peeking out and bleeding into the aspen tree. The women in my life, both ancestral and current, have played a huge role in who I am and how I got here. Not including them in this piece would not let my message be whole,” Ellen continued. “Without the strong communities that have encouraged and supported me, I would not be me. To emphasize that point I have made the title “Our Roots” as a commentary on the human connection and binding between all of us. Aspens are “superorganisms” that actually all share one root in a grove, and I think my community, including DSF, is connected to that root”.
“Our Roots” by Ellen Kaufman
Today, Ellen stands as a powerful example of resilience, growth, and gratitude. Now financially independent, she recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of taking her mother on a trip to Europe. Her advice to other fellow DSF Scholars is “Say yes to different things, embrace new experiences, and make the most of what’s available to you”. Ellen’s story is a testament to the power of determination and the beauty of pursuing multiple pathways and passions by using her canvas and paintbrush, and her keyboard. Check out her work on Instagram @edelivaart.
