Puebloan Mitchell Mauro wins Colorado Governor's Citizenship Medal
Mitchell Mauro, a 2022 graduate of Pueblo Central High School, is the youngest of six recipients of this year's Colorado Governor's Citizenship Medal.
Fashioned after the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Governor's Citizenship Medal has been awarded by the governor of Colorado and CiviCO, a statewide community leadership development organization, since 2015 as the "highest honor recognizing significant contributions to communities across Colorado," according to a news release from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Mauro received his medal in the "Emerging Community Leader" category, which is awarded to youth who positively impact their communities.
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"All of the hard work that I put into the community really made an impact and it was worthwhile," Mauro said. "You could do something that means something to you, but you might not think it means something to a lot of people ... if I could just help one person, that means a lot to me."
Now a freshman at the University of Colorado-Denver, Mauro, 19, served on the Pueblo Mayor's Youth Council and the Pueblo Health Department Youth Advisory Board. He was president of Central's Branch Out Mental Health Club and its National Honor Society, was his student council's class treasurer and is an active volunteer with Holy Family Catholic Parish.
"Mitchell is an incredibly deserving young man and we particularly like to raise up stories of young people across the state," said Jennifer Landers, executive director of CiviCO. "Mitchell's engagement in his community, his engagement with the Mayor's Youth Council and through his work inside and outside of school made him just an excellent honoree this year for this award."
Mauro began working on the Pueblo Mayor's Youth Council in 2020 with the desire to give youth a voice in city government, he said. In his time with the council, he advocated for the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to be used to for youth programming. He also helped fill backpacks with supplies and gift cards for high schoolers experiencing homelessness.
With the Pueblo Health Department Youth Advisory Board, Mauro helped develop the Southern Colorado Youth Go program, which encourages and incentivizes youth ages 13 to 18 to visit educational and pro-social locations throughout Pueblo. Youth are rewarded for participation in mentoring programs, extracurricular activities and volunteer work through the program.
Mauro also is a recipient of the four-year Hurliman scholarship open to students in Pueblo, Custer and Fremont counties. At CU Denver, he is studying finance and looks to earn a Certified Public Accountant license. Laura Solano, the mayor's chief of staff, is one of his inspirations for pursuing a CPA, he said.
"Hopefully I could follow her path ... I'd love to make a difference and come back to Pueblo, support the community that kind of built me up," he said.
As a recipient of the Governor's Citizenship Medal, Mauro also will be part of "What's Your Story?" — a permanent exhibit in the History Colorado Center in Denver.
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"It's really exciting to be able to say that Mitchell's legacy will live beyond this award," Landers said. "It will also be something that inspires young people as they read his story alongside other incredible movers and shakers in our state from past and present."
Other recipients of the 2022 Governor's Citizenship Medal include former Denver Mayor Federico Pena, entrepreneurs Amy Schwartz and Kelly Leid, congressman Ed Perlmutter, Ball Corp. and late LGBTQ+ activist Clela Rorex.
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Puebloan Mitchell Mauro awarded Colorado Governor's Citizenship Medal
