Help Us Build Tomorrow Growing up in Detroit, Naomi Bailey, M.U.R.P. ’25, felt a true sense of community. She rode bikes around the neighborhood with her friends, played freeze tag and cartoon tag, climbed trees, and knew most of her neighbors, including the older woman across the street, Miss Brenda. Today, Bailey, 23, feels that sense of community is being replaced by “crime and hatred” and as an aspiring urban planner, she hopes to start bringing people back together. “We need to get back to that sense of trust, where people say, ‘Hey, I’ll be out of town for a few days, will you watch my house?’” she says. “I know there are a lot of people my age who don’t have that sense of trust and community. But I want them to realize that community is very important. At some point, our parents and grandparents will pass the baton to us, and I just want my generation to be well prepared and well equipped to handle that.” Bailey earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Michigan State University. She plans to use that training with her urban planning degree to design outdoor spaces such as parks while collaborating closely with community members. Interning at the Lord Aeck Sargent design firm for the past year, Bailey has been involved in neighborhood planning projects in Cincinnati and Flint. Her long-term plan is to use her experience and skills to make a difference in her hometown. “I really want to make an impact on the city, on the neighborhoods, and the best way for me to do that is to be a resident of Detroit.” Bailey was awarded a Taubman Scholar award and also is the recipient of the Stanley and Margaret Winkelman Fund scholarship. “I’m very grateful that I have the scholarships that I have so I am not drowning in debt,” she says. Graduate school is difficult, Bailey adds, but she is passionate about succeeding and making a difference in the world. “It took some time to find my footing, but it’s important to have someone who is willing to put in the work to teach me, and I’ve really gotten that from the professors here,” she says. “I’m a growing person, and I know in 20 years I’ll still be growing, and there will still be people who are willing to teach me. And I appreciate them and I appreciate myself for not giving up.”
A gift to Taubman College supports future leaders like Naomi. taubmancollege.umich.edu/give
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