![Blake Ballard](https://embed.widencdn.net/img/du/kpjk1wngxz/590x477px/blake-ballard-590.jpg)
Blake Ballard (BA ’19) came to DU to study computer science, but he quickly realized he needed to make a change. He switched to art, a major he “didn’t realize was feasible.” Since then, he’s come to appreciate the possibilities of being an artistic scholar and creator at DU.
![Donor Steve Johnson and his wife, Suzanne](/sites/default/files/article-thumbnail/donor-steve-johnson-thumbnail.jpg)
When Steve Johnson (BSME '67) chose the University of Denver for his undergraduate education, two factors mattered most: He wanted a good program in mechanical engineering and, as a first-generation college student from a low-income family in Portland, Oregon, he needed significant financial aid. He also had an interest in music.