Best of Colorado Award - Rising Star...Natalie Alsum!

Nominated March 10, 2026

Natalie is an absolute rising star in the OST field. She has been a part of our OST organization for several years, starting as a tutor, growing as a Program Activities Coordinator and then settling in as a manager at the same site for almost three years. The school site she manages has grown from a daily average attendance of 11 when she took over to 46 (with many days at 50+ kids attending). Her dedication to her students and staff, her love of middle school students, her belief in providing a safe and structured program and her general upbeat and caring demeanor makes her stand out among a group of outstanding middle school leaders.  She is the person that other leaders turn to for help with their own programs as well as the person students seek out for help with academic as well as social emotional needs. Her kindness, empathy and organization draws all stakeholders. Her future goals are to continue to work with youth by leading summer and other OST camps and programs. 

One accomplishment is how Natalie has grown the program from the smallest to the largest (with the highest retention rate) of our middle school programs in a relatively short time. In the first few years of managing the site, she used a combination of active recruiting strategies to encourage students to try the program, but it is her ability to balance kindness and structure that keeps students coming back.  Visiting her program has been compared to being in the middle of a "warm hug" by our executive director--and it's easy to agree with this comparison. Kids light up when they see her--they show up because she and the staff she has trained and fostered provide a fun but safe environment. Furthermore, she has done this in the school site that has the reputation for having the most challenging population of students and families (for a variety of reasons). She is never deterred by the challenges she and her students face and constantly brainstorms and works towards ways of helping them become better citizens. 

Natalie does not give up on students. This is exemplified by her work with some of her more challenging students and the way that she fosters a relationship with their caregivers to create a true partnership. There are a myriad of examples of how she works with families, but one that stands out involves one of her eighth-grade students who has been with her OST program since he was a sixth grader. This student often gets in trouble at school (suspensions, detentions, etc.) and has also been suspended from the program occasionally. Following rules at program is often difficult for this student, but Natalie has continually looked for ways to help him succeed. She is in constant contact with his caregiver, often contacting her daily, and works hard to look for ways to celebrate this student so that he receives positive feedback. We often discuss the ways this student continues to grow and how he currently has more good days than bad. I can directly attribute this to her care and her optimism when it comes to her students’ (and all students') social-emotional growth. She doesn't give up on him, so he doesn't give up either.  One day, he will realize the gift she has given him. 

• Cari Diehl