Daniela Ibarra

Daniela Ibarra-Hernandez is a Denver native, Denver South High School alum, and a current junior at the University of Colorado Denver Business School — as well as a proud Denver Scholarship Foundation Scholar. A natural creative thinker, Daniela views the world with curiosity and possibility, often turning everyday challenges into opportunities for meaningful innovation.

Her journey began with discovering her own learning style and treating college as a “sandbox” for experimentation. That spirit of play and problem-solving led her to create SALVA — the first water bottle designed to support both hydration and saliva management, thoughtfully developed to address a social stigma that often goes unseen.

SALVA has gained momentum through THE CLIMB Pitch Competition, the TECHUP Incubator, and collaborations with MSU Denver Industrial Design and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

Daniela’s story reminds students and creatives alike that our personal struggles, quirks, and lived experiences are often the very places where our most imaginative ideas are born. She inspires others to trust their curiosity, embrace the unconventional, and dare to design solutions that make the world a bit kinder — and a bit more human.