CEW+ News: Fall 2022

Fall 2022

University of Michigan

FROM THE DIRECTOR

CEW+

is an extraordinary community of advocates and change agents, and as I reflect on this season at the Center, I keep thinking about something that CEW+ scholar alumna Benita Robinson said: “you can’t do advocacy alone.” That understanding has always guided CEW+. To me, one of the most impressive stories about CEW+ remains how we started: the U-M Alumnae Council, mostly faculty wives, recognized a need to give a boost to women to pursue their education—and they came up with $15,000 in funding for it, which the University matched. That 50/50 funding structure continues today and gives CEW+ the unique ability to partner with Ann Arbor community members, potential returning students, donors, and Visiting Social Activists, as well as other U-M units, students, faculty, and staff.

Advocacy works when we work together—even when the partnerships we forge are unexpected, and even when that means changing course personally or collectively.

The remarkable stories of the advocates and CEW+ community members featured in this issue are a reminder of just that, from CEW+ Leadership Council member Susan Gutow’s experiences reaching across the aisle in Nashville (page 5) to CEW+ scholar alumna Benita Robinson’s shift from STEM to women’s studies on her way to work to eradicate sexual violence (page 16) to Thasunda Brown Duckett’s journey as CEO of TIAA (page 14).

Several of the scholars, fellows, and visiting activists included here have experienced shifts in their work as a result of the changing national and global landscape of reproductive rights. That includes CEW+ Scholar Kristie Wilcox (page 6), founder of the nonprofit She’s Got Grit, CEW+ Fellow

Charles Katulamu (page 8), whose research investigates women’s experiences seeking abortions in Uganda, and CEW+ Christobel Kotelawela Weerasinghe Lecturer

Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi (page 3), a lawyer and activist who has helped develop guidelines for safe termination of pregnancy.

I continue to be amazed by the wealth of knowledge in our CEW+ community and how much we have to learn from one another.

I hope that, like me, you will find the stories in these pages both inspiring and instructive. It’s worth repeating that you can’t do advocacy alone. As part of our CEW+ community, you

work leading

and I am grateful for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Marra CEW+ Director

Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi: Trailblazing for Women’s Rights

This year, CEW+ welcomes Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, a Nigerian lawyer and

NOTE: the electronic version of this newsletter is interactive! Please feel free to click on underlined and bolded words, images, graphics and ads to read and learn more.

activist, to give the Christobel Kotelawela Weerasinghe Lecture at our Advocacy Symposium and spend some time in residency at

the university. The Weerasinghe Lecture was founded by Emerita Leadership Council Member Menakka Bailey in honor of her mother, Christobel Kotelawela Weerasinghe, who advocated for women’s rights and cross-cultural dialogue throughout her life. The

lectureship brings speakers on international subjects to CEW+ in collaboration with other units. CEW+ Director Dr. Tiffany Marra says, “What I appreciate most about the ability to bring in leaders from other places is that campus really grows from the experience. Abiola will get to meet with potential partners, and the campus will get to learn from her expertise as a civil rights lawyer in a country that’s very different from the US, but that has overlapping challenges.”

As a scholar, an advocate, and an attorney, Akiyode-Afolabi has been advancing women’s rights for many years. She studied law at the Obafemi Awolowo University, earned a master’s in law from the Notre Dame School of Law, and received a PhD from the University of London, where she studied in women’s peace and security studies. In 2000, she established the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), a nonprofit that promotes gender equity and social justice in Nigeria, with a special focus on maternal and reproductive health advocacy and genderbased violence. She is also on the board of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund. Throughout her work, Akiyode-

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Afolabi focuses on building political power in order to improve outcomes for women.

Recently, Akiyode-Afolabi has been involved in efforts to amend Nigeria’s constitution to address issues related to gender equality. She has also advocated for the Lagos State Government to expand access to abortion. Although therapeutic abortion is legal in Lagos State, in practice it is difficult to access, partly because the guidelines around what constitutes a therapeutic abortion are unclear. With WARDC, Akiyode-Afolabi has helped develop guidelines for safe termination of pregnancy.

Dr. Paula Lantz will moderate a roundtable between AkiyodeAfolabi and students at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy this fall. Lantz says, “As the United States is undergoing a re-examination of abortion laws and even access to birth control, our students will benefit from hearing Dr. Abiola’s insights into how Nigeria approaches the issues, and comparing the types of challenges she faces with those we have here.” Daniel Rivkin, Senior Media & Outreach Strategist at the Ford School, says, “I have been fortunate to work in international family planning in African countries and to see the amazing and sometimes difficult work that people like Dr. Abiola undertake. She links human rights and the rule of law to reproductive justice issues, putting them at the center of the discussion about women’s autonomy and advancement. I

think the Ford School students will be inspired by her work.”

Akiyode-Afolabi is also a tireless advocate against gender-based violence. As Director of WARDC, she has provided pro bono legal services for women who are victims of violence and abuse. Since its inception, WARDC has prosecuted more than 450 cases of gender-based violence. During her visit, Akiyode-Afolabi will connect with U-M’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG), meeting with the Global Feminims Project and a working group on gender-based violence and sexual harassment. Dr. Abigail Stewart, who directs the Global Feminisms Project, says, “The entire Global Feminisms Project team is very excited finally to be able to meet Abiola in person! We feel like we know her from working on getting her interview ready for the archive, but of course, it is very different to be able to talk and learn from her during her visit.” Stewart adds, “She has so much to share, given her extensive and rich experience as a scholar and an activist. We will all have a chance to spend time with her over a meal, soon after her lecture, and after that, we hope smaller conversations will emerge. It’s wonderful that she’ll be here long enough for all that to happen, and we’re very grateful to CEW+ for that.”

Faculty are also excited for students to speak with AkiyodeAfolabi, who will visit classes in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies and the

Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS). Dr. Abby Dumes, a professor of women’s and gender studies, says, “We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi to ‘Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies’ on October 5th. Students will watch an excerpt from her interview with U-M’s Global Feminisms Project before her visit, and we’re all looking forward to learning from her.”

Dr. Omolade Adunbi, a professor of Afroamerican and African studies, says, “Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi is one of the leading voices against the gross violations of the rights of women and children in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. She is someone whose career I have followed closely for more than two decades. She is a phenomenal advocate for human rights, especially women’s rights, and a leader in the struggle for the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria. My students are looking forward to learning from her experience as an attorney and an advocate for the rights of the vulnerable in society.”

CEW+ knows Akiyode-Afolabi’s visit will be mutually beneficial, promoting introspection and dialogue across cultures. Marra says, “For students, it’s a great chance to develop global understanding. It’s a chance to understand a different context, where gender advocacy is absolutely necessary, but different, and to see how activism plays out across the world.”

SUSAN

for change through collaboration, reaching across the aisle, and partnership-making—even unexpected partnerships. She made it a point to find and build on common ground with other leaders and organizations and share the idea that everyone has a responsibility to their community.

to a lot of people,” Gutow adds, “but if you get a few lawmakers who are strong enough, they can persuade their colleagues, too.”

Susan Gutow has always believed that wherever you live, you need to know what the community needs, then work for it. Gutow grew up on Long Island and recalls passing out brochures with her mother for an upcoming election at just nine years old. When she moved to Flint, Michigan in 1964, she joined the League of Women Voters (LWV) there, and she served in the Ann Arbor LWV and Nashville LWV when she called those places home.

In Nashville, Gutow also served as President of both the Nashville LWV and Tennessee State LWV.

During her 12 years as the LWV Tennessee volunteer lobbyist at the state legislature, Gutow worked

“On the things that we all agreed on, we all worked for them,” Gutow explains. “It really made a difference because different people have different relationships with individual lawmakers.”

To Gutow, the question has always been: what does the particular community I’m in need? When she was chair of the Shepard Center, Gutow learned that Nashville was delivering Meals on Wheels—but not to seniors in the West End area. So the board set up its own delivery system, where people who needed meals could pay the city and the Center would deliver them.

Get involved in whatever you feel is the important issue. Learn as much about it as you can. Then, go out and try to persuade other people. ”

At one point, there was an effort in Tennessee’s state legislature to mandate that women of childbearing age who received welfare get a long-acting contraceptive. Gutow and a fellow friend and lobbyist went to talk to a conservative legislator about this and make clear that it was a bad idea. They brought a third woman with them: someone well-known on the Hill, who was strongly antiabortion but didn’t want to see this potential law enacted. The legislator believed this woman in particular, and he decided to vote the way Gutow and the League wanted. “You learn to do things that you wouldn’t have thought of doing, but sometimes it works,” Gutow says. They were also able to get a bill passed that increased welfare payments to mothers. “We had to go talk

In Ann Arbor, Gutow helped establish the docent program at UMMA in 1975 and, following her return to the city in 2005, joined the CEW+ Leadership Council. “CEW+ gives more support than just funding—it gives people the ability to break things down that seem like mountains that really aren’t mountains,” Gutow reflects. “It’s a very important job they do for the community. And so that’s why I’m still there.”

Reflecting on a remarkable career of service, Gutow is most proud of her three sons and seven grandchildren, each of whom carries on the legacy of supporting one’s community in their own way. For those who want to lead collaborative change where they live, Gutow’s best advice is this: “Get involved in whatever you feel is the important issue. Learn as much about it as you can. Then, go out and try to persuade other people.”

CEW+ SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT: KRISTIE WILCOX

Kristie Wilcox has always been enthusiastic about supporting women. A first-generation student, a nonprofit founder, and the proud mom of a daughter, Wilcox is the 2022 recipient of the Robert Bruce Dunlap Memorial Scholarship. Like the late Robert and Connie Dunlap, Wilcox is dedicated to helping young people succeed.

When Wilcox learned that she had been named a CEW+ Scholar, she says, “I felt relieved. I was going to be getting some help. And I was also excited, because I know there’s an amazing network through CEW+, and being able to tap into that and work with other Scholars was exciting.” Wilcox says the Dunlap Scholarship will help her afford her commute to campus and handle unexpected expenses that arise during the year. She says, “I’m able to work part-time this semester, and CEW+ is helping me with my car payments so that I can save money to anticipate upcoming expenses, like an oil change.”

Wilcox is studying gender and health, an interest that developed from her experiences as a mother. She had planned to study communications, but she took a job at Michigan Medicine to support her daughter. That job ignited

her passion. Wilcox says, “I loved being pregnant. I’m very maternal. And I’ve always been a feminist… so once I started looking into patient care careers and women’s health and OB-GYN, my heart just exploded.” Wilcox is applying to nursing school and plans to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife. She says, “If I have a scared young mom come into my office, I want to be the person who can say, ‘I was there. Your future is fine. I made it through.’”

Wilcox became a mom at age 17, and her journey inspires her to help other women. She says, “My high school was extremely supportive of me wanting to be a mom, and still wanting to graduate high school. They were flexible and accommodating. I didn’t realize how rare that was until I got to U-M and took my women’s studies classes.” After taking a course on nonprofit management, Wilcox decided to address this problem by founding her own nonprofit, She’s Got Grit, which supports young mothers during high school. They are currently in the process of awarding their first ever scholarship.

If I have a scared young mom come into my office, I want to be the person who can say, ‘I was there. Your future is fine.

I made it through.

REMEMBERING CONNIE

”

She’s Got Grit advocates for reproductive justice, a framework proposed by activist Loretta Ross. Wilcox explains, “Reproductive justice means the right to not have children, the right to have children, and the right to raise your children with dignity. Often, young people don’t have reproductive justice because of how they are viewed. Adolescents are viewed as immature and not able to take on that responsibility. I want to challenge that narrative.” She adds, “Having my daughter was

a blessing. She changed my life for the better. I want other people to see that even though someone might have had their child at a nontraditional age, they still deserve dignity and respect.” With Roe v. Wade overturned, Wilcox expects that organizations like She’s Got Grit will face even higher demand. She says, “If abortion access is restricted in Michigan, the populations that don’t have the resources to go to Chicago or New York are going to be raising children that they did not foresee and did not prepare for. So resources like She’s Got Grit will be needed more than ever.”

Although activism can be challenging, Wilcox encourages other advocates to “just get started.” She says, “Get over the scary feeling. It’s really scary when you start something you care about, and that’s the feeling you have to look for. That’s your sign to go for it.”

CEW+ remembers and honors the late Connie R. Dunlap, a dear friend of the Center who passed away this April at age 97. Connie was dedicated to service and believed deeply in the importance of education, a cause she supported throughout her life. CEW+ Emerita Council Member Molly H. Dobson, a longtime friend of Connie’s, says, “That was just part of her. She believed in giving back.” Friend and fellow volunteer Sue Iott says, “She was especially committed to helping kids and young people. She was interested in the work a community organization can do.”

Over the years, Connie established multiple scholarships with CEW+. In 2006 she established the Robert Bruce Dunlap Memorial Scholarship in honor of her late husband, a longtime U-M employee at the University Hospital and the School of Dentistry. Robert was the love of Connie’s life, and she established the scholarship to honor his belief in education. Because Robert was an employee and patient at the University Hospital, the scholarship prioritizes students in healthrelated fields. This year’s Robert Bruce Dunlap Scholar, Kristie Wilcox, carries on Robert’s legacy by committing herself to the study of maternal health. She plans to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife. Read more about Wilcox’s story on page 6.

In 2013, Connie collaborated with Molly Dobson to endow a second CEW+ scholarship in honor of their mutual friend Beth Halloran, who was Development Director at CEW+ from 2005-2008.

The Beth Halloran scholarship honors Halloran’s work supporting underserved students at U-M and assists students whose academic careers have been interrupted, and/or who are caring for minor dependents. This year’s Beth Halloran Scholar, Ellese Blackmon, is earning her master’s in dental hygiene while supporting her daughter and younger siblings. She plans to become a dental hygiene educator and expand access to oral healthcare for communities throughout Michigan.

In addition to her work with CEW+, Connie was an active volunteer with the Ann Arbor Community Foundation and a strong supporter of 826 Michigan. Prior to her retirement, she had a fulfilling career as a university librarian, working as the Deputy Associate Director of the University of Michigan Library and later as

the University Librarian at Duke University. Her friends remember her as an avid reader and precise thinker who loved to take walks every day. Although Connie did not seek out attention for herself, she worked behind the scenes to support the causes that were close to her heart. Sue Iott speaks for all of us at CEW+ when she says, “Connie was an interesting, incredibly independent woman. She was a good friend to so many people.”

Through her generous donations and support, Connie transformed many lives and built a lasting legacy. CEW+ is grateful for Connie’s philanthropic spirit and commitment to improving her community.

From left to right: Molly Dobson, 2016 CEW+ Scholar Tremell Goins Jr., and Connie Dunlap

CEW+

Charles Katulamu has been interested in reproductive healthcare since he was an undergraduate student in Uganda. After graduating from high school, he volunteered with an NGO that worked to empower young people who had dropped out of school. As part of that work, he met several young women who were single mothers. These women came from large, rural families and didn’t have access to comprehensive reproductive services. He says, “I was moved by their feedback after going through this program, and by their stories.” Katulamu had previously planned to study civil engineering, but he changed his dream and instead decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in population studies so that he could directly impact the health and lives of people like those women, something he did not believe would be possible through civil engineering. Now earning his PhD in sociology, Katulamu remains

SPOTLIGHT: CHARLES KATULAMU

dedicated to improving healthcare for women. His current research investigates women’s experiences seeking abortions in Uganda.

Under Ugandan law, access to abortion is extremely restricted. Even women who qualify for legal abortions are often unable to access them because of stigma. As a result, many women die from unsafe, clandestine abortions. Katulamu’s research focuses on the decisions women make when terminating pregnancies and seeking abortions. He explains, “The focus of my research is how these abortions are happening. I want to start by asking, how does this woman or girl become pregnant? What power does she have to say, ‘Yes, I want to become pregnant,’ or ‘No, I don’t want to become pregnant’? And if her personal situation leads her to decide to seek an abortion, how does she come to that decision, and where does she think she can access those services?”

resources, and they understand what women go through, then they will be able to come on board.”

Funding from CEW+’s Gutsy Broad Fellowship is supporting Katulamu as he begins the initial stages of his project. As part of this work, he is partnering with NGOs and governmental groups in Uganda that aim to reduce maternal mortality. One of the challenges this coalition faces is that abortion remains taboo, making it difficult to open a discussion.

However, Katulamu hopes to start a conversation based on facts and data. He says, “There are unsafe abortions that are killing our girls and women. And we need to accept that reality so that we can find solutions for it.”

Savanna Smirnow grew up teaching her sister and friends about their bodies, fascinated by everything she learned about reproductive health and birth. Now as a healthcare provider, she’s still teaching. “It’s so empowering for women and people to know more about their bodies,” Smirnow says. “I think it’s getting better, but there’s a lot of misinformation out there, and especially now in the climate of reproductive health in the US, it’s important that people have a very sound understanding of their bodies.”

Katulamu is also passionate about including men in research about reproductive health. When men are not included, he says, it encourages people to view reproductive justice as only a women’s issue. He explains, “Men should understand the problems that women go through. If men have the potential, the authority, the power, the

Katulamu believes his role as a researcher is to offer evidence that can drive social change. Although research is not the same as advocacy, he says, research can promote dialogue and provide data that helps stakeholders solve problems. He explains, “I hope that this project raises evidence that can be used by policymakers to redesign sexual and reproductive health guidelines and ensure that mothers, girls and women, are getting the care they need. That will save a lot of people who right now are forced to make decisions about pregnancy termination in a secretive way that puts their lives at risk.” Abortion is a controversial subject, and that makes research about it especially difficult, but Katulamu is committed to this work in spite of the challenges. He says, “We live through those challenges, and we make sure we can do public scholarship with an impact that will change people’s lives.”

Smirnow grew especially passionate about health education and equitable care as a postpartum nurse at Hutzel Women’s Hospital in Detroit. One of her most formative experiences as a nurse happened when a patient thanked her for going above and beyond and teaching her—care that was, in Smirnow’s mind, standard. In that moment, Smirnow felt angry, knowing that so many people cannot take positive healthcare experiences, or health education, for granted.

“Not everyone gets the care that you give them,” Savanna reflects. “And people remember how they were treated in the hospital. I think providers can take for granted how much power they have in those settings.”

Smirnow firmly believes that no matter where a person comes from, “everyone deserves to walk into a hospital and feel like they are an equal partner in their care.” That commitment to equitable, as well as traumainformed, reproductive health care has shaped her ongoing education as a nurse, and now, a midwife and Doctor of Nursing candidate at U-M. Through the program, Smirnow recently had the opportunity to travel to the United Arab Emirates and work with midwives in a hospital there; she caught eight babies and also got to visit with women in their homes. The experience gave her new insight into the Muslim religion—shared by many of her patients at Hutzel—as well as greater perspective on the best way to treat patients. “The midwives and doctors were very, very respectful of the women at the hospital, especially in respecting their wishes with how they wanted their care to be done,” Smirnow explains.

Smirnow’s research for her Doctor of Nursing also focuses on equity and respect in maternal health care.

Currently, she is working with the OB Initiative to evaluate surveys from postpartum women, inquiring about the degree of respectful care and shared decision-making in their healthcare and birthing experiences. This will allow the team to see how hospitals and providers are doing and offer resources to both providers and women who share they weren’t treated well. It’s one step in an effort to change culture in hospitals and solve the maternal mortality crisis in the United States—so much of which

is the result of inequitable care.

This year, Smirnow was awarded a CEW+ fellowship in support of her work and vision for women’s care.

“Now, I can do more education for myself about birth equity and reproductive rights that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise,” Smirnow reflects. A lifelong learner and teacher, Smirnow is also earning her nursing education certificate this fall and hopes to teach the future generation of nurses about respectful maternity care.

CEW+ is proud to have funded Smirnow’s continuing education through the Simson Family Graduate Student Fellowship. To join other CEW+ donors who support the work of outstanding women and their allies, contact Alicia Marting via email at amarting@umich.edu or call 734-764-7258.

There are unsafe abortions that are killing our girls and women. And we need to accept that reality so that we can find solutions for it.

”

everyone deserves to walk into a hospital and feel like they are an equal partner in their care.

“ ”

Th is year, CEW+ celebrated the addition of three new scholarships established by U-M alum and members of the CEW+ community: the Amy Mecozzi Cho and Lawrence Cho Family Scholarship, the Caroline M. Lee Scholarship, and the Janice F. Stephens Memorial Scholarship. “Donors in our community want to see the next generation have an easier path,” CEW+ Director Tiffany Marra reflects. “The Center’s legacy is about supporting those with the greatest need and making sure they have the support they need to be successful. That legacy carries forward through the generosity of our donors and through the work of our scholars.”

The Amy Mecozzi Cho and Lawrence Cho Family Scholarship was established by 2003 Sarah Newman Scholar Amy Mecozzi Cho, a practicing community emergency medicine physician, and her husband Lawrence, a healthcare executive. Mecozzi Cho is passionate about scholarship funding and shares, “It’s tempting to delay your charitable giving until you feel more financially secure, but if you invest now rather than later, your gift makes a difference immediately and the benefits can compound over time, just like your investments for retirement.”

The Cho Family Scholarship especially supports student caregivers and those who are the first generation in their family to enroll in undergraduate, medical or graduate degree programs.

Mina Hernandez Garcia received the inaugural scholarship this year; born in Serbia, she is a first-generation U.S. citizen and the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree. Hernandez Garcia is a PhD candidate in educational studies and researches “translanguaging” in education, teachers’ and students’ use of multiple languages as an integrated communication system to make meaning in the classroom. She is devoted to supporting multilingual students and their teachers,

leading work that will affect generations to come. Read more about Hernandez Garcia on page 13.

Like Amy Mecozzi Cho, Caroline Lee has a long history with CEW+. Now a member of the CEW+ Leadership Council, Lee was once a student parent at U-M and participated in a former CEW+ internship program that led her to a degree from the School of Public Health and a career in biostatistics. Similarly, she hopes that the Caroline M. Lee Scholarship will allow nontraditional students “to move their education and career forward, make it a little easier, and have a meaningful career – wherever it takes them.” The Lee Scholarship supports graduate students from the U-M Ann Arbor campus who are pursuing a degree in public health, engineering, or subjects related to Southeast Asia—three areas that are close to Lee’s heart. Lee wanted to give back to the School of Public Health and foster interest in the Philippines, where she’s from. She’s also connected to engineering at U-M through her husband, fatherin-law, son, and daughter-in-law. As she puts it, “It’s a family affair.”

Tiffany Staal, a master’s student in health services administration and health management and policy at U-M’s School of Public Health, was awarded the first Caroline M. Lee Scholarship. Lee’s advice to all of the CEW+ scholarship recipients is to be persistent. “Not everything is going to go your way, but if you just keep at it, even just a bit at a time, eventually it will,” Lee says. “That’s what happened with me, because it took me so long to finish my degree. If you have a goal in mind, just keep pursuing it and there will be some reward.”

The Janice F. Stephens Memorial Scholarship was also awarded for the first time this year. The scholarship was established by Jan Stephens’ loving family and celebrates her devotion to promoting learning: Stephens was a special education teacher in Ann Arbor and a longtime volunteer with CEW+, as well as Women on the Way and AAUW. She also attended U-M when the Michigan Union was for men only and worked to change those rules. Stephens knew the value of access to education for all, and now, the scholarship in her name supports students who have experienced a gap in their education or transferred from community college. Nathalie O’Hernandez, who is earning her bachelor’s degree in biomolecular science, received the inaugural scholarship.

Reflecting on the addition of these scholarships, Marra says, “The preferences areas of the three donors are very diverse. I think that demonstrates how CEW+ serves intersectional

identity groups. With our basic criteria for scholarships—a gap in education, caregiver responsibility, or underrepresentation in a STEM field—we know we will serve students with many other intersectional identities. Community college transfers, students interested in Southeast Asian studies, first-generation students: they’ll all be included in our ongoing program.”

Above all, Marra is grateful for the opportunity to celebrate these trailblazers in the CEW+ community and partner to give more deserving students access to education at U-M. “It’s powerful to see how these donors and scholars are carrying forward the legacy of the work

of everybody at CEW+ since the 1960s,” she reflects. “Watching the scholarships grow over time has been really rewarding.”

This year, CEW+ is thrilled to award $635,700 to 94 recipients, but the need for additional funding is clear when 36% of applicants could not receive awards, based solely on the limit of available funds. CEW+ is also invested in growing existing scholarships, to better meet the needs of qualified applicants. Interested in growing or creating a scholarship with CEW+ and our scholar community? Contact Alicia Marting via email at amarting@umich.edu or call 734-764-7258 to learn more.

Donors in our community want to see the next generation have an easier path.

- Tiffany Marra, CEW+ Director ” “

Caroline Lee, pictured with her husband David

Janice F. Stephens, pictured with her husband Bob Donofrio

Amy Mecozzi Cho and Lawrence Cho and family

DUAL

Through career and education counseling, funding, workshops, events, and a diverse, welcoming community, we exist to empower. We are CEW+, and we’re here to help you reach your potential.

Transitioning into the workforce, academia, or a new community presents numerous unforeseen obstacles, especially for those with nontraditional backgrounds. As a partner of a U-M student or U-M faculty and staff member, you are a member of the CEW+ community, and we offer a non-judgmental space where you will be individually advised before or after you arrive in Ann Arbor.

“I just recently moved with my wife and kids back to the USA after 16 years living overseas, so even though I am an alumni of U of M and used to live in Ann Arbor, I feel a little disconnected with the city, people, working environment, and opportunities. I feel this counseling session reassured me of my connections and gave me some useful tips to articulate my plan to re-enter the work market.”

“My husband’s colleague had recommended utilizing your resources when we first moved to the area 3 years ago. I didn’t think I would need the help but after having little success in finding a full-time position, I decided to book an appointment. Being in a transitional phase of my life, for the first time, I felt I didn’t have the decision-making tools to identify which path to follow. The counselor helped me vent my frustrations, adding gentle direction to my thought process, to generate a short-list of next steps that I can put into action.”

“I had never felt like a ‘dual career partner’ before we moved to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, but suddenly it was very evident. I felt adrift and like an inconvenient puzzle piece. The career move I had expected to come easily did not and I didn’t know anyone other than my partner. Finally, my dual career services contact recommended your services. CEW+ was the first place I felt truly welcomed since moving. My counselor listened carefully and connected me with contacts who had stories and interests similar to my own. I am forever grateful to CEW+ as the place I credit for helping me start to build a home here.”

Earning a PhD has always been part of Mina Hernandez Garcia’s plan. When she was a teenager, she says, “I drew a tree and labeled it ‘life possibilities’,” outlining the steps she’d take toward her degree. She says, “I never even thought I wouldn’t do it.” There were bumps along the way, however, especially after she immigrated to the United States from Serbia. “There are hurdles when you’re an immigrant. I couldn’t just immigrate and enter school. I didn’t have money to pay for my studies.” Now a PhD candidate in Educational Studies, Hernandez Garcia studies “translanguaging,” teachers’ and students’ use of multiple languages to make meaning in subjectmatter classrooms. As a scholar and a teacher, she is dedicated to ensuring that multilingual students get socially just and equitable education in US classrooms.

Hernandez Garcia’s interest in translanguaging stems in part from her own experiences as a multilingual student. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Belgrade, where she witnessed rising political violence during the wars in former

Yugoslavia. She taught English as a foreign language for eight years after graduating but felt stifled by a political climate that emphasized nationalism and ethnocentrism. In 2006, she immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City, where she taught adolescent and adult English learners and earned a Master of Science in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. In 2012, she began mentoring new teachers through the New York City Teaching Fellows program and realized that many teachers had gaps in their knowledge of how to support emergent bilingual and multilingual learners in their classrooms. Her PhD research is part of an effort to address those gaps and improve instruction.

Hernandez Garcia is an enthusiastic teacher, and her care for her students is evident when she speaks. “When I teach,” she says, “I try to make sure that each student is engaged and receives appropriate feedback about their work. I really never get tired. It energizes me more. Any time I finish a day working with students in the classroom, I have extra energy, and it makes me happy.”

Describing what she loves about teaching, she says, “There are these shining moments.” When students master a skill they’ve been struggling with, Hernandez Garcia says, “I know they have a sense and feeling of accomplishment, and I have the same feeling.”

This year, CEW+ recognized Hernandez Garcia’s important work and named her the first ever Amy Mecozzi Cho and Lawrence Cho Family Scholar. The Cho Family

Scholarship especially supports students who are caregivers and who are first-generation undergraduate, graduate, or medical students. Hernandez Garcia is both. She says, “I’m really grateful that I’ve been awarded this scholarship. It’s been an invaluable resource to help me complete my dissertation.” Funds from the Cho Family Scholarship will support Hernandez Garcia as she works on data analysis and writes her dissertation, paying for childcare that gives her “time and space to write and finish.”

In her work with students, Hernandez Garcia is a changemaker and an advocate. She says, “I think that when we are dedicated to our work, and we care for the people we work with, we make change every day.” She envisions a world where everyone values multilingualism and hopes the students she teaches will be the teachers of tomorrow. She says, “I am really excited to continue this work. And once I’m done with writing my dissertation, I’m hoping to continue doing research in classrooms. There is so much more to learn.”

I think that when we are dedicated to our work, and we care for the people we work with, we make change every day. ”

“

A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH TIAA CEO THASUNDA BROWN DUCKETT

in his 401k plan, Duckett shared, not because he didn’t want to, “but because nobody really connected with the man in a way that Otis Brown would say, ‘I can do this.’ If someone had told him that by participating in this benefit, your children won’t have this burden of trying to figure out how to take care of you when they’re trying to start their life, he would have found a way.” Duckett strongly encouraged attendees to talk with a financial advisor and start investing in retirement now, emphasizing, “a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow. The goal is to get started, no matter how small.”

CEW+welcomed Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, for her first visit to the University of Michigan. She joined CEW+ Director Tiffany Marra for a fireside chat at the Michigan Union and shared her remarkable story: a “first-generation full-integration” woman from modest beginnings, Duckett’s parents always encouraged her to think big and reach for opportunities. Now, she is one of just 44 women to lead in the Fortune 500. “I am very much attuned to the fact that I am on the shoulders of giants—that it was not a given that I would attend the universities I attended ... and continue to have a phenomenal career in financial services,” Duckett shared at the event. “I like to say it was the cooks and the janitors and the secretaries that introduced my melanin and my gender to corporate America, that over time allowed me and enabled me to have the position to say that I’m a CEO. That really drives my passion.”

For CEW+ Scholar Keirra Scott, hearing Duckett’s story and attending the event with her 14-year-old daughter was especially important. “The reason why I went back to school in the first place was because my daughter asked me why a woman had never been president, and I didn’t have a simple answer. I wanted to be an example for her that women could lead,” Scott says.

“So it meant a lot to me for my daughter to see and meet Thasunda, for them to both have braids with blonde hair in it and for her to know, she looks like me. That matters. I was happy that she was able to experience that, because oftentimes African American kids are not exposed to these types of opportunities.”

Throughout her career, Duckett herself has made it her mission to talk to underrepresented groups, tap allies, and pursue equity, sharing, “I think there’s more chapters that have to be written on what it means to be a CEO, and I think I’m representing a new chapter.”

Recently, Duckett and TIAA launched a campaign to help women and marginalized individuals, #RetireInequality, because 40% of all Americans are projected to run out of money in retirement, and women still retire with 30% less income than men. Duckett keeps asking: how can we work together to change this at a policy level, in the private sector, and as individuals?

Duckett spoke passionately about preparing for retirement with the CEW+ community. The topic is important to Duckett on a personal level: as a young person, she had to tell her father, a man who worked more than 40 years and did his very best, that he did not have enough to retire. He had never participated

Duckett also advised participants who asked about speaking to their parents about retirement planning. “She was able to reframe it and say ‘this isn’t about your parents, this is about you.’ You need to model saving and investing for retirement for them and not be demeaning to them because their resource allocation was different,” Marra says. “Their savings may not have been their retirement, but it was the future generation. Thinking about it from that perspective is powerful: their priority wasn’t making sure that they were comfortable in old age, it was making sure that their kids were comfortable and had the education they needed to have a better life.”

Through her conversations, Duckett also sought to help people own what they’ve accomplished and look forward. “She spoke to me personally about being a nontraditional student, and ensuring that my self measurement is predicated on my personal growth

and goals,” attendee and 2021 CEW+ Scholar Reva Spikener reflects. “She reminded me that I am running this race independently, not alongside anyone. Life happens, challenges arise, and it is very important to remember that I control the narrative. Instead of applying pressure on myself to complete societal goals, focus inward and celebrate successes as they are achieved. I am excited to complete my masters degree in a few short months, on my terms, and I will celebrate with great pride.”

Ultimately, the goal is to empower people to think about and take steps toward the future they want. Actionable financial literacy is fundamental to that.

“One of the challenges is that there is so much stigma around talking about money. And it’s such an important aspect of wellness,” Marra reflects.

“CEW+ is in a unique position to fine-tune financial literacy to make it impactful for the community we serve. That’s where I feel we could really make a difference: helping people not only for the now with emergency funds, but so when they leave, they’re in a better position to have the life that they’re hoping for.”

CEW+ SCHOLAR ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT: BENITA ROBINSON

engineering student and was named an Irma M. Wyman Scholar by CEW+ in 2011. However, her interests changed when she discovered women’s studies. She explains, “I took one class and thought, ‘Oh, I have to pursue this.’” She decided to switch majors to focus on women’s studies and sociology, and reached out to Wyman for advice.

When I was brought into the fold of CEW+, I thought, ‘Oh my God, there are people who can relate to me. ”

CEW+ SCHOLAR ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT: ANGIE PERONE

Angie Perone is used to wearing many hats. As a civil rights attorney, community-based social worker, and interdisciplinary scholar, the CEW+ Scholar alumna has worked for years toward the goal of equitable aging. She says, “I don’t believe you can solve a problem with just one lens, because most problems are too complex.”

As an advocate for survivors of sexual violence, Benita Robinson is committed to equal rights for women and marginalized communities.

Robinson is the Director of Crisis Services and Education at Avalon Healing Center, a Detroit-based nonprofit that offers care for survivors of sexual assault, and she recently completed a master’s in social work from Wayne State University. Because her work can be demanding, Robinson is a strong believer in self-care and collaboration. She says, “As advocates, we are often very ambitious and can have very large goals, and that’s okay. But one thing that I’ve learned is you can’t do advocacy alone. My ambitious goal is to eradicate sexual violence, but I recognize I cannot tackle it alone. I need to work with others to make that a reality.”

Robinson earned her undergraduate degree at UMDearborn. She began college as an

Robinson says, “I was a little bit nervous, because I thought, I won this award for a STEM field, and I was thinking about switching out of that. And Irma was so amazing. She said, ‘Well, that doesn’t matter! As long as you’re doing something to uplift other women, that’s what matters.’”

Receiving a CEW+ scholarship gave Robinson much-needed financial support that helped her finish her degree. She explains, “I was a nontraditional college student with financial challenges. I was carrying my education with student loans.”

Being named a Wyman Scholar took some pressure away so that Robinson could focus on her studies. She says, “It allowed me to have more space financially to take care of my other obligations, and be a little less stressed about how I was going to fund school, and about my student loan debt.”

Robinson also discovered that the support of the CEW+ community was transformative. She was especially excited to meet other students who shared her life experiences. Robinson says, “When I was brought into the fold of

CEW+, I thought, ‘Oh my God, there are people who can relate to me, who have similar experiences as me, like having to work jobs, or having responsibilities around family.’” She adds, “None of our pathways were a straightforward, linear path ... Sometimes when you’re a nontraditional student—I didn’t go straight to college after high school—you do feel out of place, because you’re with folks straight out of high school who just haven’t had as much experience with life that you have.” At CEW+, Robinson found her place.

In her current work as an advocate, Robinson is passionate about education and community building. She encourages young advocates to lean into challenging dialogues, and says, “The way we can learn and grow, and help other people learn and grow, is to have difficult conversations.” When she thinks about her goals, Robinson reflects on Wyman’s advice to her about the importance of uplifting others, and says, “Make sure that you’re opening doors for other people. No matter what area of advocacy you’re in, that should always be a priority and a focus. Because you don’t want to be the only one.”

Perone began her career as a civil rights attorney and ultimately landed at her “dream job” at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. After eight years as a civil rights attorney, she found herself increasingly using social science research in the cases she litigated and wanting to learn how to do it herself. Perone “really wanted to better understand how to use that tool to affect social change in conjunction with the law,” so she began studies at U-M to add a PhD in Social Work and Sociology to her toolbox, all while serving as the executive director at SAGE Metro Detroit, which focuses on services and advocacy for LGBTQ+ older adults.

She was working at SAGE Metro Detroit in March 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perone explains, “LGBTQ+ older adults are less likely to have biological caregiving networks and are often more reliant on same-age peers for caregiving,”

whether that takes the form of physical care or social/emotional care. That creates challenges to support networks that can experience the stressors of aging simultaneously. One support that SAGE Metro Detroit facilitated at the time was a phone buddy system that had begun prior to the pandemic and kept people in contact with others. But Perone also recalls the challenge of advocating for the aging LGBTQ+ population during that time, “I would be in these spaces at the beginning of the pandemic that were primarily LGBTQ+ organizations and then I’d be in separate spaces focused on aging services….Often the LGBTQ+ spaces were focused on youth when it was the older adults who were dying, and in the older adult spaces there was virtually no attention of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Perone believes that ultimately the way to address inequitable aging is to work for a widespread culture shift and a reimagining of what caregiving spaces can look like. Steps along the way include advocating for both the protection of older adults and the workers who serve them, such as nurses and home health aides. As always, Perone wears multiple hats in her advocacy. Last year she served as the Congressional Health Policy Fellow in Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office through the Robert Wood

Johnson Foundation and the National Academy of Medicine. In July 2022 she began working as a tenure-track assistant professor at the University of California Berkeley School of Social Welfare, where she is also the director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services. The center’s work focuses on improving services for older adults through research, community collaboration, and education. Perone explains that the mission is a “broad approach that’s going to help on the ground and through the education of our students as well.”

Reflecting on her time at U-M, Perone advises current CEW+ Scholars to take advantage of the resources available both on campus and through the alumni network saying, saying “CEW+ itself is such a great network of support and tapping into that is really helpful and…can help us navigate known and unknown resources at U-M.” She encourages the scholars to remember and honor what motivates them, and then advocate using as many tools as possible.

I don’t believe you can solve a problem with just one lens, because most problems are too complex. ” “

FREY VISITING SOCIAL ACTIVISTS

CEW+welcomes two inspiring advocates as our Twink Frey Visiting Social Activists (TFVSAs) for the 2022-2023 academic year: Hyeladzira James Mshelia, who promotes gender equity around the world, and Dr. Autumn R. Green, who advocates for student parents and caregivers. The TFVSA program was founded in 2005 by U-M alumna and philanthropist Twink Frey and supports social justice activists whose work addresses issues related to gender equity.

As TFVSA, Hyeladzira James Mshelia will develop a

participatory advocacy toolkit that will support her work for gender equality in Africa. She plans to build a collaborative virtual platform that will support women in several African countries. Mshelia is a Programs Associate at Connected Development (CODE), where she designs and implements projects for gender equality and climate justice. She was inspired to get involved with advocacy work in 2010, after Boko Haram began terrorizing women in Borno State, Nigeria. She says, “I came to understand advocacy as the process of working on behalf of people whose voices have been historically silenced.”

Mshelia’s toolkit will be used to train new gender advocates, who will organize for policies that promote gender inclusion and equality. Through the toolkit, gender advocates will learn to collaborate with each other, educate their peers, and engage with issues affecting them by using a coherent framework and platform. She looks forward to collaborating with professors, researchers, and students on this project. Although her toolkit will focus on advocacy in Nigeria, she plans to adapt it for other countries around the world.

In her work as TFVSA, Dr. Autumn R. Green will be supporting CEW+’s advocacy for student caregivers. Green leads research and impact projects as a fellow at the Urban Institute, and teaches an intergenerational learning seminar at College Unbound. Green’s research interests stem from her own experiences as a student parent, and from her longstanding commitment to fighting injustice. She says, “I have been doing anti-poverty and anti-socioeconomic oppression work my entire life.”

Green’s TFVSA project is titled “SPARK Change for Student Caregivers!: Kindling the Flames of a Grassroots Multi-Level Movement for Educational,

National Selection Committee for the Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist

Economic, and Intersectional Equity, Justice, and Civil Rights.” It includes a series of workshops that invite student caregivers to learn from each other, engaging in creative writing and collaborative autoethnography. Green says, “One of the core pieces of my work as a Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist will be to explore, with intentionality, the legacy of intergenerational feminist mentoring. How do

we rebuild this as a legacy that is offered across generations of marginalized student parent scholars and activists? How do we bring that back?”

Both Green and Mshelia hope their work will inspire others to be advocates. Speaking to young advocates, Mshelia says, “You might not think of yourself as an advocate, but in many ways you already are. Every time you speak up for yourself or others, you are an advocate.”

She adds, “Advocating is rewarding and truly satisfying. I wish everyone could build a career out of it.” Green encourages new advocates to focus on giving back, asking, “How can I give my knowledge, my wisdom, my experience to the next generation as tools?”

CEW+ is proud to celebrate the work of Twink Frey, our visiting social activists, and all advocates who work for systemic change.

Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO National Women’s Law Center

Anne Magro, Co-Executive Director Business for a Better World Center, George Mason University School of Business

Portia Polk, Director of Learning and Advocacy Generation Hope; Adjunct Professor- University of the District of Columbia

Julie Ridenour, Immediate Past President Steelcase Foundation

Kenyatta Stephens, CEO Black Family Development, Inc.

Laurita Thomas, President American Research Universities Human Resources Institute Twink Frey Philanthropist

Hyeladzira James Mshelia

Dr. Autumn R. Green and family

PROMOTING CHANGE FOR PARENTING STUDENTS

For the past year, Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist (TFVSA) Dr. Theresa Anderson has been researching the experiences of parenting students at U-M’s three campuses. Anderson is a Principal Research Associate at the Urban Institute, and she has been studying issues related to family well-being and education pathways for more than ten years. As a TFVSA, Anderson interviewed stakeholders to identify policy changes that would better support student caregivers in Michigan. As she finishes her fellowship year, she is developing recommendations that she hopes will create a roadmap for change.

One takeaway from Anderson’s research is that caregiving is an intersectional issue. Many parenting students also have other marginalized identities that create barriers to success in college. For example, Anderson explains, caregiving is a racial justice issue: “Nationally, Black

women are the group most likely to be parenting while in school.”

Therefore, “Creating supports for student caregivers and student parents is going to allow for more pathways to higher education for Black women and other diverse groups.” Importantly, Anderson notes that improving support for parenting students can also help U-M recruit a more diverse student body. “The issue is broader than just thinking about student parents who are already on campus. Supporting student caregivers is also about making the university, and college more generally, accessible for diverse students across the state,

who have the potential to contribute to the University of Michigan’s excellence, and also to contribute to the state economy.” She adds, “It’s not just about who has already gotten through the door, it’s about how we can make this door accessible to folks more broadly.”

Many of the parenting students Anderson spoke to described struggling with visibility on campus. She says, “I think there’s a large barrier around belonging… Parenting students and student caregivers don’t necessarily feel that they are validated as legitimate members of the university community.” These concerns about visibility are sometimes reinforced when faculty do not provide accommodations for parenting students. Anderson says, “There’s a little bit of a sense that this is a group that doesn’t need to be accommodated. But students with disabilities are readily accommodated, veteran students are accommodated, and athletes are accommodated much more than parenting students. And that’s seen as reasonable.”

Anderson says that groups like CEW+ can help by advocating for accommodations for student caregivers, and by elevating their voices. “Some of it is about legitimizing the positionality of parenting students, and making that something to be

not only acknowledged, but supported and celebrated, too.”

Because U-M is so large and complex, it can be especially challenging for parenting students to access the services they need. Anderson recommends better communication, which would help parenting students understand the resources available to them through the university and the state. U-M’s complexity also means that support for student caregivers varies from unit to unit. Anderson says, “In that context, having visible support from central administration is important, but it also requires local buy-in, because there’s a lot of autonomy connected to different parts of the university.” That autonomy can create barriers, but it also means that individual faculty and staff can potentially make a big impact. Anderson says, “The CEW+ effort to identify faculty and staff allies is really a great strategy to promote awareness and build buy-in, and I think there will be opportunities to leverage that further.”

Anderson also sees possibility for positive change as more schools and states begin to collect data on the experiences of student caregivers. Currently, most universities don’t track student parents in their demographic data. Anderson says, “The lack of data and measurement is a huge problem because we don’t even know how many students

are parenting or caregiving at the University of Michigan. And if we don’t know who they are or how many there are, we can’t show quantitatively that they are at a disadvantage.” With her colleagues at the Urban Institute, including incoming TFVSA Dr. Autumn R. Green, Anderson is working on a Data-to-Action Campaign that will recommend best practices for tracking data about parenting students. The project will focus on Illinois and Oregon, where laws were recently passed requiring schools to collect data on student parents, and possibly other states and systems that have begun to implement data collection on

students’ parenting status.

Ultimately, Anderson hopes that U-M will build on the strengths of its existing programs to better support student caregivers. She says, “The University of Michigan is a leader within the state and can be a leader within the country in thinking specifically about these issues.”

She adds, “I’m excited to see if there’s additional action that can put U-M further on the leaderboard around supporting students for success, so that U-M can be an example for other institutions.”

The Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist Program was established in 2005 through a generous gift from U-M alumna Mary Caroline “Twink” Frey. Read more about this year’s Twink Frey Visiting Social Activists, Hyeladzira James Mshelia and Autumn R. Green, on pages 1819.

It’s not just about who has already gotten through the door, it’s about how we can make this door accessible to folks more broadly.

it is about legitimizing the positionality of parenting students, and making that something to be not only acknowledged, but supported and celebrated, too. ”

“

CEW+ Celebrates 2022 Graduates In-Person

CEW+proudly celebrated 2022 graduates at a community graduation in April, marking a return to inperson events at the Center. The annual family-friendly event is open to anyone connected to the Center, including scholars, fellows, student employees, program participants, and members of sponsored student organizations.

CEW+ Scholar and Michigan Caregivers and Student Parents (MCaSP) President Jessica Pelton remarks, “It was very exciting because it was a graduation that focused on accomplishments and identities—that honored me as a student parent and for who I was as a student.” Families were invited to walk with graduates, who received cords honoring them as a student parent. MCaSP members also received a tassel, and CEW+ Scholars were recognized with a stole and a pin.

sharing experiences with other student caregivers and speaking up for one another. “When I started at Washtenaw Community College, I was told I should not continue because they didn’t think I could manage with a child going through brain surgery at the same time. That fueled my attitude of, ‘no, I am going to do this, I’m going to prove you wrong’,” Pelton reflects. “Then to graduate with honors at such a big university and do that for my daughter—not quit because of having a daughter. I wanted to show her I can do it, and if I can do it while raising her, she can do it when her time comes.”

CEW+ Scholar Carissa Wengrovius, whose research at U-M focused on kid’s yoga, also led a mindful movement session for all ages at the ceremony. “It was very meaningful for me. I really appreciated that CEW+ put the graduation on,” Wengrovius shares. Because Wengrovius defended her dissertation later in the academic year, the CEW+ ceremony was the only one she could participate in. “It was super special for me that CEW+ said that it didn’t matter whether you were graduating in the spring or the best advice I could give is to own your identity, own your truth, and use that to create an amazing experience.

Graduates were recognized collectively and individually but also participated throughout with family and friends. “There’s both a focus on the uniqueness of each graduate, celebrating this moment of accomplishment, and an acknowledgment that we are all in this together,” CEW+ Special Programs Manager Doreen Murasky explains. The event honors the families and support systems that helped pave the way for graduates, and recognizes that graduates, too, are paving the way for others. In her remarks, graduation speaker Pelton emphasized the importance of

summer,” she shares. “It was wonderful that I was welcome, and I was actually able to go buy my regalia and have my husband and my daughter come to the ceremony. It felt like closure.”

The ceremony also included food and crafts, including the opportunity to make signs in support of graduates or share thoughts, thank yous, and tips and then post on a bulletin board as an offering to the community. For future graduates, “the best advice I could give is to own your identity, own your truth, and use that to create an amazing experience,” Pelton says. Wengrovius

adds, “My advice would be to truly take a moment to be proud, to celebrate yourself and all that you’ve accomplished. You just went through something extraordinary. Give yourself that credit.”

CEW+ looks forward to continuing this tradition in the years to come and celebrating both graduates and those who support them along their journey.

- Jessica Pelton ”

Cat Hadley, A.B. in political science at the LSA school, with her proud family members

Razi Jafri, MFA student of visual arts in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design

Krista Dunger (center), MHI Graduate, School of Information and School of Public Health with family, including 8-year-old Lily

Jamilah Willis, General Studies student of African American Studies and Visual Arts in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; and Jessica Pelton, student parent, A.B. with Honors in Psychology in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts