Each year, The University Record profiles prospective graduates who highlight the range of experiences enjoyed by students attending the University of Michigan.
Click the headlines to read their full stories.
From research to entrepreneurship, LSA pre-med senior pursued range of interests
As a child in Southfield, Michigan, Diala Ajaero aspired to become a robotics engineer. He was drawn early to math and science, and in high school excelled in computer science and landed an internship with Toyota. But he was also intrigued by the idea of medicine.
Taubman senior learned how to experience, not just see, new spaces
Growing up, Lilijana Gregov spent hours building houses in the video game “The Sims.” When she showed her grandmother what she’d created, her grandmother responded: ‘You know, this is a job people actually do in life.” That was when Gregov began to think architecture might make for an interesting career.
For Stamps senior, art provided an outlet for grief and a path forward
When her mother died during Margherita Hill’s freshman year of high school, art became an outlet for her grief. “For me, painting and drawing were the way out,” she said. “It was something that I started doing just for myself.” Later, in an early college program, she found art professors who helped Hill imagine a future as an artist.
NAME senior turned a love of the ocean into career path
Asher Kone grew up in Honolulu, Alaska, Washington and Greece — and spent his summers in high school working on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska. These experiences helped to clarify something about himself: He wanted to spend his life on the water.
‘Raised on maize and blue,’ nursing senior finds her calling in critical care
Sophia Lupton arrived at U-M from New York City with the goal of becoming a nurse. Her interest in nursing took shape during high school, when the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the depth of need in health care. Now, she’s preparing to graduate from the School of Nursing with honors and begin a career in critical care.
Diane Vanasupa
Love the article… just FYI…. That first photo of Diala Ajaero does not have his name captioned on it -while all the others do. Maybe that can be corrected.
The University Record
Diala’s name has been added to his photo. Thank you.
Heather Pennell
Great articles! I am sure Margherita would appreciate her name being spelled correctly in the photo captions and on the LinkedIn post, though! It is missing an ‘r’.
The University Record
Margherita’s name is updated.