Faculty/Staff Spotlights
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March 10, 2025
“The sanctuary has given me space to play with my professional goals and ambitions, and I think I’ve brought some organization and expertise.”
— Liz Swaynie, the stewardship officer for UM-Dearborn who is on the board of Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary, where she serves as fundraising chair
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February 24, 2025
“Even when I’m busy and think, ‘I can’t fit in a game,’ as soon as I get to the rink, we’re just laughing and having fun.”
— Deb Demski, a clinical research coordinator at the School of Kinesiology who plays forward for Swarm, a senior women’s hockey team
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February 17, 2025
“As I move toward retirement, I see life opening up. It might be the perfect time to start performing and singing regularly again.”
— Christina Fields, an administrative assistant at Michigan Medicine who envisions becoming a lounge singer in retirement and also dabbles in beading and jewelry making
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February 10, 2025
“As competitive as I am, I was really happy that all three of us solved puzzles during the show, and we all won a nice amount of money.”
— Jennifer Hawkins, division administrator for Infectious Diseases at Michigan Medicine who recently competed on “Wheel of Fortune” and won nearly $24,000 in cash and prizes
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February 3, 2025
“Being at Stamps helped me affirm the fact that I am a maker and an artist because I never would have described myself as an artist before.”
— Sandra Wiley, director of international study programs at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design who has been knitting since she was a child and makes her own clothes
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January 27, 2025
“Give me an hour and, no matter what body type or level of strength, I’ll make you the life of the party, wedding or bar mitzvah.”
— Elliot Ratzman, a research fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and a lecturer in LSA who has been breakdancing since junior high school
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January 20, 2025
“Now that I have that stability, I can take some time for my art. I can just make it, enjoy the process and put it out there.”
— Kathryn Lavender, a data project manager at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research who turned her watercolor paintings of cats into calendars
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January 13, 2025
“It’s really hard to just get out there and train when you haven’t got a goal, which is why I keep competing if I can.”
— Sandra Hunter, the Francie Kraker Goodridge Collegiate Professor of Kinesiology and professor of kinesiology in the School of Kinesiology who competes in aquathlon
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December 9, 2024
“I like that it’s accessible to children, but it also brings a childlike experience for me that I just get to play and see what happens.”
— Haley Perkins, public programs and engagement officer at the Stamps Gallery who has been a lifelong artist and enjoys elevating the method of gel-plate printing beyond crafting
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November 25, 2024
“There was a lot of contemplation over what they’re viewing and the messages that are there for them to interpret.”
— Linda Garcia, executive assistant in LSA’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology who uses her creativity with quilting and dioramas to celebrate scientists in EEB
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