“People talked about the Michigan Difference. Part of that is U-M’s worldwide network of alums. I didn’t understand that until after I graduated.”
~ Khalilah Burt Gaston
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June 6, 2022
Q&A: Yvette Rock connects children to the possibilities of a life in art
“And I got to Detroit and I immediately knew it. I was a student, but I knew I needed to be here. It resonated with who I am as a person.”
~ Yvette Rock -
May 18, 2022
From industrial wasteland to urban lure, Detroit’s Riverwalk sees 3 million visitors a year
The conservancy was started in 2003 with the leadership of U-M alums Faye Alexander Nelson, former president and CEO of the conservancy, and Matt Cullen, the current chairman of the board.
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May 9, 2022
Q&A: Brian Perrone, Slows Bar BQ co-founder on early days and coming out of COVID
University of Michigan alum and Slows Bar BQ Co-Founder and Executive Chef Brian Perrone has been serving up his award-winning mac ‘n cheese, baby back ribs, brisket, pulled pork and the Yardbird — dubbed a “Best Sandwich in America” — for over 15 years.
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April 26, 2022
Soccer in Motown: ‘Passion for our city, passion for the game’
The team originally played at the Cass Tech High School football field, where more than a thousand spectators came to the first match. By the third season, game attendance exceeded 3,000 people, creating a need for a larger set up. Team owners found it at Keyworth Stadium in 2015, and coordinated a pledge drive of 527 investors who gave $741,250 to renovate the site.
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April 25, 2022
U-M grad Ravi Smith challenges students to apply human-centered design principles to spaces at the School at [Marygrove
Although the curriculum is quite different from the mathematics and physics classes that Ravi Smith has previously taught, it positions him to do some of the same problem solving that his students are doing.
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April 25, 2022
Birth Detroit co-founder says opening during pandemic accelerated her “heart’s work”
“Throughout my time at Michigan, I developed a unique tool box of technical and cultural skills, and grew a diverse network of relationships that undoubtedly prepared me for the work I am called to today.”
~ Leseliey Welch, MBA ’12 -
February 2, 2022
Alum Jackie Victor bakes bread into a socially responsible business in Detroit
Today, in developing Avalon’s footprint across Detroit and Ann Arbor, Jackie Victor says she has always wanted a community-minded place where people meet, eat and organize a better world. That may be why you never know who you’ll run into at Avalon from CEOs to small-business owners to everyday working people who are drawn to her energy and optimism.
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October 14, 2021
Matt Cullen: U-M alum’s journey from Mosher-Jordan Hall to defining Detroit’s riverfront
Through the Riverfront, Matt Cullen saw a way around the regionalism that had plagued Detroit, Wayne County and its neighbors. Born and raised in Detroit, Cullen knew how to unite people for a common cause: the city’s revitalization.
