College Access & Success Ambassadors (CASA)

Amy Berduo-Perez

Freshmen | Detroit, MI

Area of Study

Biology, Health, & Society

What is your Outreach Why? 

My participation in the center of educational outreach aligns with my goals that involve responsibility, community, engagement, and to instill motivation for the next generations to attend college. I’ve learned that education offers a unique opportunity for personal growth, intellectual development, and skills that profoundly shape one’s future. I believe in giving back to my community and in supporting education which is frequently regarded as a pathway to future prosperity. This is why I discovered that the center of educational outreach has profoundly impacted me and has become a meaningful activity.

Breonna Boyd

Sophomore | Nashville, TN

Area of Study

Business Administration (BBA)

What is your Outreach Why? 

Going to college was always really daunting! It scared me to go into higher education and leave home behind. However, I learned that college is whatever you make it out to be and finding a community of individuals you connect with can really strengthen your experience. I hope to be a guide to those who have similar hesitation that I did. Higher education is more than just school, it is about gaining an experience of a life-time, and I hope to spread that to students!

Bethany Carter

Sophomore | Redford, MI

Area of Study

Film, Television, and Media major (screenwriting sub-major) with a minor in creative writing

What is your Outreach Why? 

My outreach stems from knowing that education is one of the most powerful tools and assets one can have in this world. It is something that cannot be taken away from you and helps you in any field. Due to the fact that I identify as a Black woman in America, there has not always been a time where people that looked like me and identify like me had a chance to get a good education. This is what makes it more important to me that I use my platform wisely. I want to help other students get the higher education of their dreams (if that is part of their dreams) and let them know that it is possible for anyone to achieve no matter your background.

Photo of Maria Fields

Maria Fields

Senior | Detroit, MI

Area of Study

Industrial and Operations Engineering, double minor in Computer Science and CASC (Community Action and Social Change)

What is your Outreach Why?

I want to pass it forward. Many people have offered me their time, advice, and thoughts which have been invaluable to my development and success – both personally and academically – and I want to continue to pass the knowledge along. There are moments when I wish I had someone like my future self to help my past self, so I am eager to encourage people in any way that I can. I believe in Nelson Mandela’s words: “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

Marisa Jordan Galarza

Sophomore | Ann Arbor, MI

Area of Study

Double Major in English and Creative Writing

What is your Outreach Why?

I love learning, and I always have. Oftentimes, school offered me a sanctuary when things were rough with my home life, and it helped me work towards a distant future in which I would be able to build the life I wanted, instead of getting caught up in the tougher times. This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest strengths education offers – it contributes to permanent progress forward, helps develop and hone interests and curiosity, and can be crucial to achieving the life you want to cultivate. I am dedicated to educational outreach because I want to be part of the effort that made the education that saved me as accessible and attainable as possible. I hope to be a resource to all students, and aim to share my experiences as a student, a woman, a Latina, etc. to better guide others into choosing the best path for them.

Jeimy Lopez Garcia

Senior | Detroit, MI

Area of Study

Organizational Studies, minor in Education for Empowerment

What is your Outreach Why?

The motivation behind my involvement in educational outreach is the appreciation I have for the organizations that filled a gap in my trajectory to higher education that my advisors and family couldn’t. Furthermore, it is the recognition that the work plays a pivotal role in the nurturing of future generations of leaders in arts, academics, and life.

Kailah Hawkins

Sophomore | Detroit, MI

Area of Study

Public health and French minor

Robbie Hudzinski

Junior | Taylor, MI

Area of Study

Business Administration/Film, Televisión, & Media

What is your Outreach Why?

As a first generation college student, post secondary education was a giant question mark for my family and I. As I was applying to colleges, I did not realize how much about the admissions process I was never taught about. So now, I hope to help bridge any gaps of knowledge for high school students while supporting and guiding them in any way possible.

Kamika Kaur

Junior | Livonia, MI

Area of Study

Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, and Asian Studies (MCDB) and Asian Studies Double Major, Art and Design Minor on a Pre-Med Track

What is your Outreach Why? 

Outreach is such a powerful tool to encourage and empower students to pursue higher education. Coming from an immigrant household, there were many gaps in my journey to college that I had to work to fill in through external resources. This process was, at times, very draining. Sometimes there was too much information and sometimes simply not enough. I am eternally grateful for everyone who supported me through this process and I want to be able to play such a role in other students’ lives. I want to help ameliorate the barriers that many students face in exploring higher education and alleviate, to some extent, the frustrations associated with the process. This is my “Outreach Why”.

Devin Maples

Junior | Southfield, MI

Area of Study

Materials Science & Engineering

What is your Outreach Why? 

I grew up in a household where obtaining higher education was expected of me but was never taught about alternative options or how to finance the experience outside of merit scholarships. I was under the impression that everyone with good grades received a full ride scholarship but that definitely was not my reality. Aside from finances, attending college has allowed me experience personal development that I don’t believe I could have achieved elsewhere. This aspect of college is something I value and believe needs to be spoken about more. If I can share just a fraction of the knowledge I gained through struggles to help others avoid the same problems, my outreach efforts will have been worth it.

Princess-J’Maria Mboup

Junior | Kalamazoo, MI

Area of Study

Biology: Pre-vet

What is your Outreach Why? 

I believe higher education in some capacity is the most important thing a person can attain in their adult life. I think many people don’t understand what is gained from higher education, but more specifically, attending a college or university campus. As my mom told my siblings and I, college is like being an adult with a safety net. I believe that seeing the vision for how impactful attending a college can be is especially difficult for African-American children, especially young boys. My Outreach is primarily to allow young Black Americans to see that college is attainable for them and show them that they can thrive without going straight into the workforce, immediately under the hardships of adulthood or self-sustenance. By highlighting the personal benefits to college more so than the academic or professional benefits (for students who may dislike college because it’s “more school” and can’t even imagine themselves in a career), I’ve witnessed attitudes change towards higher education. I believe that college may not be for everyone, but everyone should believe that it’s an option and worth serious consideration.

Ismael Angel Medina

Junior | Chicago, IL

Area of Study

Computer Science Engineering (CSE)

What is your Outreach Why? 

As an out-of-state first-generation minority transfer student, the expectation of myself and many others from my underrepresented community is to strive for anything except for higher education. This was the absolute number one priority since pursuing higher education would lead to a lifetime of crippling college debt. My outreach is particularly to students who are minority low-income transfer students who pursued through their ambitions to go to the top affordable university that they got into. My responsibility is to strive to serve as an influential figure to students who deem that higher education is not possible. If I made it so can you.

Kasandra Negrete

Sophomore | Lincoln Park, MI

Area of Study

Political Science, Latina/o Studies, and Spanish

Peter Parlagreco

Sophomore | Mays Landing, NJ

Area of Study

Business

What is your Outreach Why? 

Coming from a lower income minority family, I was lucky that my parents and teachers took an interest in seeing me succeed. They encouraged me to think bigger, to have goals and passions, and to explore more than what’s immediately around me. They empowered in me a sense of self motivation and a belief in self determination that I can achieve that which I set my mind to. I’m passionate about educational outreach and DEI because I strive to be someone that my parents and teachers were to me; a role model who genuinely cares.

Karis Rivers

Junior | Detroit, MI

Area of Study

Political Science

What is your Outreach Why? 

To me, education is one of the most important tools in our modern society. While there are many flaws in the education system in the US that need to be rectified, my goal is to ensure that students understand the options available to them. Too often, students have no idea how to get to the places they want to be. Educational Outreach is so important to me because we bridge the gap at hand for students of color in low income communities. Giving them the opportunity to understand what education is, why it can be useful and how to think about their future is important because they often don’t get that. I view outreach as trying to help level the playing field for the communities that need it the most. 

Cayla Seay

Junior | Detroit, MI

Area of Study

Psychology and Creative Writing

What is your Outreach Why? 

I grew up being introduced to many things; a multitude of instruments, art lessons, dance classes and afterschool programs. My parents encouraged exploration within academic and artistic spaces that helped me to solidify my interests. Though I had these opportunities for exploration when I moved towards application time, I was unaware of the finances and such behind going to university, and even just applying. No one had ever really told me of my options and I remember attending programs similar to this one and finally feeling some relief after hearing about different scholarships, grants, waivers, etc. Having been in a position of lacking important information, I want to make sure that I am a resource for others and help build one’s confidence in their future despite some of the hardships and confusion that can come with it.

Mikel Vaughan-Coston

Junior | Detroit, MI

Area of Study

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB)

What is your Outreach Why? 

Ambition and guidance are not commodities where I’m from. Understanding that there is an unfair balance of opportunity present in our nation has greatly fueled my desire to ensure that no one goes through the paths and pitfalls of an impoverished mind. Education can greatly assist in helping build one’s ambition, however without the guidance it is easy to learn how to hate learning. I hope to help those who were in similar positions as I was in order to further bring equality. Additionally, I feel responsible and it is only right to give back to the communities that helped to raise me.

Photo of Leslie Washington

Leslie Washington

Junior | Southfield, MI

Area of Study

Business, minors in Real Estate and African American Studies

What is your Outreach Why? 

I absolutely love mentoring and giving back to my community. Seeing young people become successful is a wonderful thing and I will help them get there by any means necessary. Whether it’s college or trade school, it is essential that students find the best fit for them. I want to share my experiences with others to help them find their fit and support their dreams and goals.

Julia Wicker

2nd Year Graduate Student | Canton, MI

Area of Study

Social Work

What is your Outreach Why? 

I want to help those who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity. I live by this quote “stand or the broken, speak for the silent” – Mike Smith

Natasha Zake

Master’s Graduate | Simi Valley, CA

Area of Study

Master of Arts in Educational Studies Concentration: Educational Equity, Justice, and Social Transformation

What is your Outreach Why? 

I grew up in the US Public Education system, but I was unaware of the various tools that I would need to succeed as my parents and I tried to navigate the extensive system. Entering outreach is a way for me to demystify the barriers that higher education institutions tend to wield. I am also able to provide clarity and confidence for those who are navigating familiar paths and lead them to a place where they have the tools to succeed in higher education.

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