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Student Spotlights

Student Spotlight: Yasmin Cole-Lewis

Attending a conference can be a transformative experience for graduate students. That is the case for Yasmin Cole-Lewis, on many levels. While a conference she attended last year provided great research and networking opportunities, it was a casual conversation with...

Student Spotlight: Brandon Govindarajoo

Since he was a high school student, Brandon has continued to be involved in organizations that support first generation and minority students in science. Now, he’s working with students in the same capacity and focusing on retention, tutoring, and mentoring. “I would...

Student Spotlight: Marc Henry de Frahan

“My research focuses on creating very tiny stars,” says Marc. Tiny stars might sound like a Disney World ride, but the complex science behind the mass production of inertial confinement fusion is nothing but groundbreaking. Falling under the category of fusion energy,...

Student Spotlight: Matthew Stone

We should be opening Matthew’s story with a joke. A fan of stand-up comedy, he’s in the midst of writing some bits for an open mike night at a local comedy club. “I’m working on some jokes, but they’re not funny yet.” Hopefully he’s having more success in the lab as a...

Student Spotlight: Rebecca Christensen

It is prestigious to be a part of one of the best graduate programs in your field, and there’s a lot of privilege that comes with the ability to attend a university like ours. Becky Christensen has a more holistic view on the privilege we have, and during her time at...

Student Spotlight: Christopher Parsons

Chris is a local kid. That doesn’t mean he always knew his way around campus, however. He’s figured it out by now, after a few years of grad school under his belt, but he was a student in a new town just like most new graduate students, regardless of the fact that his...

Student Spotlight: Brandon Pitts

“I found what I love and I’m running with that. When you find something you love, it will chase you; you don’t have to chase it. Opportunities come to people who put themselves in the position to receive them.” Brandon has perspective that has been hard earned during...

Student Spotlight: Veronica Rabelo

“I have absolutely fallen in love with teaching.” And she’s good at it, too. One of ten Outstanding Graduate Student Instructors in 2015, Veronica excels at engaging students in the classroom. She credits her undergraduate women’s studies class with pulling her into...

Student Spotlight: Patricia Chen

“I’ve always been interested in psychology. Since I was young I had self-help and pop psychology books all over my house.” From Singapore, Patricia came to U-M for her undergraduate degree and continued for graduate school. She says, “My decision to come here was to...

Student Spotlight: Ishita Das

“All the grad students seemed normal, like they enjoyed being in grad school.” That was Ishita’s first impression when she interviewed at U-M with PIBS (the Program in Biomedical Sciences). She explains, “The Michigan environment was so welcoming. It stood out a lot...