Behind the Sneakers
Discover the Difference with
Zak Mbereko (BSBA '24, MS '25)
Inspired by entrepreneurs in his family, Zak Mbereko (BSBA '24, MS '25) came to DU with a dream of being an entrepreneur. At DU, he found a community that championed his entrepreneurship dreams and scholarships that laid the groundwork for his success.
Zak combined his passions for shoes and art into a thriving custom painted apparel business, This is Art? He paints shoes and apparel for individuals and organizations, allowing his customers to express themselves fully in their apparel. Zak has customized sneakers for the DU gymnastics team, the Colorado College hockey team, and the University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders and family.
Zak's DU journey is the 4D Experience: where academics, well-being and character development feed into career preparation and post-graduation success.
With the launch of The Denver Difference campaign, we were excited to work with Zak to create custom sneakers for DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner. The project was a showcase of Zak’s 4D Experience and his entrepreneurial excellence—and a celebration of DU’s future made possible by the campaign.
At the University of Denver, we’re thinking differently to achieve the extraordinary. Zak’s story is just one of many ways that members of the DU community are challenging ourselves to be better today than we were yesterday.
We invite you to learn more about The Denver Difference – DU’s $1B campaign to achieve the extraordinary in higher education, transforming lives on campus, in our communities and around the world.
Join us! Learn more or make your gift to The Denver Difference Campaign today.
The Power of Scholarships
Zak is also a Taylor Scholar, receiving scholarship support through the generosity of Andy and Barbara Taylor.
Scholarships to DU are life-changing, bridging the gap between ambition, merit and equitable access. Learn more about how your support of students like Zak is one of The Denver Difference Campaign’s most significant priorities.
"Zak is an incredibly talented student with a visionary direction for his future. His entrepreneurship and excellence demonstrate the best of DU."
- Andy Taylor -
Entrepreneurship@DU
Entrepreneurship@DU gives students the freedom and the space to explore their interests, passions and purpose. We provide the support to think big, disrupt, solve problems and make an impact. With microgrants, speaker events, boot camp, the entrepreneurship minor and other opportunities, students at DU have the resources and support to create their entrepreneurial future.
The Garage is where entrepreneurship happens at DU. A 500-square-foot co-working space on the DU campus, it gives creators and entrepreneurs the physical space – along with support and collaboration – to bring their dreams into reality. The Garage also contains a Makerspace where DU students, faculty, staff and alumni can learn to use the tools at the heart of that process.
The entrepreneurship minor focuses on action, decision-making, experimentation and hypothesis testing in the face of an uncertain future within a business context. Students who complete the minor will understand how to shape business, economic, political and social context along with the creation of their products or services.
Read more about Zak’s entrepreneurship journey in the DU Newsroom.
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