Jose Silva, a senior at DU and a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, is scheduled to receive the Latin American Education Foundations prestigious award for outstanding leadership.
Last year’s recipient of the award was Edward James Olmos.
Silva has been a recipient of the scholarship program for the past three years. Since 1949, the foundation has given out over five million dollars in scholarships.
Last year alone LAEF distributed $300,000 to over 300 kids in Denver.
“I believe that the National Selection Committee chose to honor me for the continued effort I have put toward helping underprivileged children achieve their dreams,” Silva said.
Silva, 24, also received the Channel 7 Everyday Hero award in March 2003, and ran in the November elections for the school board governing Denver Public Schools. Though he lost, Silva still managed to receive 11,000 votes.
Silva grew up in the Lincoln Park projects near Colfax Avenue and I-25 in a neighborhood overrun with gangs and drugs.
Instead of becoming a gang member, Silva joined the local youth council. Although there were no positions available for him, he helped create the media relations position.
In 1993, at the age of 14, Silva and other teenagers joined forces with State Rep. Tony Hernandez to write House Bill 1085, a proposition which forbids drugs within 1,000 feet of any Denver housing authority prefect.
The first offense is punishable by five years in jail and a $16,000 fine. The second, 10 years in jail and $24, 000 in fines.
In 1994, Silva’s 12-year-old best friend was shot, an innocent bystander in a feud between the kid’s older brother and members of a rampant gang.
“He passed away in my arms while his sister tried to revive him. I was in eighth grade at Richel Middle School and I decided to dedicate my life to helping underprivileged kids.”
He added, “I’ve lost so many friends but I feel like I’ve saved so many more. I’ve been to 72 funerals but I for every funeral I know that there are at least ten kids out there trying to live out their dreams. My father was murdered when I was six and my cousin was shot and killed over a jacket.”
“It’s been a rough ride but I knew I had to get an education to make a difference. I am no good to anyone if first I do not take care of my own business and life,” Silva said.
“I’ve been blessed with an incredible mentor, Bill Frye, who became like a father to me and with his support and the support of many other people/organization I lifted myself up from the trenches to get to where I am now.”
In 1995, at the age of 16, Silva started Mile High Youth Production, an organization which exposes young people to the fine arts, dance and civic leadership.
Silva said he started MHYP because his ambition is to be the first Latino president of the United States and he needed a platform to start with.
Silva was a student at the Metropolitan State College and a friend dared him to apply to DU.
He missed the deadline by three days, but at College Summit he found himself sitting next to the director of DU admissions.
Since Silva’s application was just sitting in his car, Silva asked the director if he could turn in the application and was accepted
In addition to acting as the president of MHYP and serving on the boards of such other groups such as Save Our Youth, Silva is also an active part of the Greek community at DU
“Phi Kappa Sigma was the only house that extended a warm welcome and accepted me for who I was,” Silva said.
“In life you can’t be fake or phony and the brothers of PKS are neither. I went from an immense dislike of Greeks to the Beta (vice-president) position of the fraternity.”
Silva works 40 hours a week at the Arapahoe/Douglas Work Force Center while taking 15 credit hours at DU in addition to helping his ailing mother.
He will graduate at the end of fall quarter.
One of his immediate goals is to have the opportunity to attend the College of Law at the University of Denver. Silva plans to stay in Denver after law school and pursue his political career.
If you would like to get involved, and volunteers are always welcome, please contact Jose Silva at jsilva@du.edu
