When you love something, you’ll do anything to keep it in your life.
Amber Mozet enjoyed her time as a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver in the early 2000s so much that she really hasn’t left. Mozet may have moved on professionally, but few alumni remain as connected. Her desire to help and support the University earned her MSU Denver’s 2022 Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award.
It all started in 2002 when Mozet found employment on-campus as a work-study student reporting to administrative assistant Laura Lempe, gaining experience in the athletics and president’s offices.
Mozet’s admiration for the school that gave her so much led to the 2006 Psychology graduate seeking her first professional position at MSU Denver. The admiration was mutual – Lempe found money in the budget to create a position for Mozet as an administrative assistant.
“It’s a transition from being a student employee to a professional staff member; I don’t know if I would have gotten the same support and guidance if I had gone somewhere else,” said Mozet. “So many alums continue to work at this institution, and it’s not because they don’t have a choice – they can go anywhere.”
While she has since moved on in her career to her current role in human resources for Boulder County, she has found countless ways to stay connected with her alma mater. Whether volunteering for on-campus events, making a gift or serving in leadership roles as the secretary of and on the executive committee of the MSU Denver Alumni Association Board of Directors and as a founding member of the Black Alumni Network, the University is always on Mozet’s mind.
“The first misconception is that to be an engaged alum, you have to give a ton of money to the institution,” she said. “I give where I can, but there are so many other ways you can give back – it could be money, or time or bringing back what you’ve learned and sharing it with our current students.”
With the multitude of ways she stays connected to MSU Denver, Mozet has one simple message for her fellow alums.
“If you’re unsure how you want to get started, reach out to the Alumni Association and talk with the staff there,” she said. “They’re all so amazing.”
“Alums choose to be connected with this institution’s mission statement and carry that on by paying it forward for the folks coming up behind you. When you see students’ progress throughout their degree, and then they become a colleague who does the same thing for other students, it’s amazing.”
For more information on how to get involved visit: https://www.msudenver.edu/alumni/volunteer/ or email [email protected]