MBA Program
MSU Denver provides students with a valuable, high-quality, and experience-based MBA program through excellence in teaching, individual attention and hands-on experience at an exceptional value.
After transitioning from active duty U.S. Navy to Reserve Duty in 2011, Leon Attended MSU Denver where he graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s in criminology and a minor in entrepreneurship. Shortly after graduation, Leon founded his first company, U.S. Veterans Landscape Design, followed by HoneyCutz which is a post-workout recovery supplement which uses local sources of honey and plant-based amino acid and is manufactured here in Denver.
He is currently working on his third company InspiredbyLeon where he engages and mentors individuals to live a more fulfilling life style.
Outside of his companies he is a mentor for the Denver Scholarship Foundation and is going on his 13th year in the United States Navy (active/reserve).
Meet Leon Duran
Explore Campus With Leon
Leon is engaged with MSU Denver in many ways. Click below to learn more about his Roadrunner connections.
Veteran and Military Student Services
Veteran and Military Student Services is appreciative of your service to our country and is happy to assist you with your transition and continuous stay at MSU Denver. MSU Denver has consistently been recognized as being Best for Vets by Military Times and Military Friendly by VIQTORY Media.
Alumni Association
The Alumni Association’s philosophy is simple: create opportunities for impact. In recent years, we have shifted our focused to six high-impact areas: student engagement, alumni engagement, scholarships and awards, diversity, equity and inclusion, legislative advocacy and high school recruitment.
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology offers an amalgam of courses that detail the ins and outs of the justice system and will prepare you for a demanding career.
Center for Entrepreneurship
MSU Denver's Center for Entrepreneurship is the culmination of years of work educating and helping entrepreneurs—with our graduates creating businesses in fields from food trucks and unmanned aircraft to home healthcare and chocolate.
Community and Civic Engagement
Community and Civic Engagement (CCE) is about bringing students and organizations together to make a positive, significant, and lasting difference in the world. Through volunteering, voting, internships, and community organizing students can learn beyond the classroom and campus.
Follow Leon on Instagram
FOLLOWStaying Engaged
As a Roadrunner alumnus, Leon reminds us of the value of staying engaged
“My personal definition I share with people is, ‘Living life on your terms while adding value, resources, and opportunity to others.’ My criteria I look out for is when a person is living a life of being intentional. When a person lives life with a purpose and intent then they tend to be more genuine.”
The Real ROI
The True Value of the College Experience
Leon Duran shares this message with the students he mentors: Going to college is about more than earning a degree.
After graduating from John F. Kennedy High School in Denver in 2006, Duran looked for a college that would accept him despite his low ACT score. “No university in the country wanted me except Metropolitan State University of Denver,” he said.
When Duran learned he needed to take remedial classes that wouldn’t count toward a degree, he enlisted in the Navy instead. In 2011, after being deployed on active duty for four years, he transitioned to the Reserve and returned to MSU Denver, using the Post-9/11 GI Bill to pay for his education.