STORIES OF IMPACT

When visa application centers closed worldwide earlier this year in response to COVID-19, many international students were left wondering if they would receive...

Imagine a pill you could take that would increase your happiness, longevity, and quality of sleep. And on top of that, it would decrease your susceptibility to COVID-19, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and depression. The side effects? More friends and better sex… you’d start taking it immediately, right? According to Vic Strecher, this medicine exists—but it’s not a pill. And it’s also not something your doctor can prescribe. The medicine is living a more purposeful life. And philanthropy, as it turns out, is one way you can become more purposeful.

Neal Hautz grew up in rural Boyne City, Michigan. From a young age, he learned the importance of service and community.

Thirty years ago, U-M faculty member Buzz Alexander founded PCAP to bring those impacted by the justice system and the University of Michigan community into artistic and educational collaboration. In partnership with U-M students, faculty, staff, and community volunteers, PCAP fosters the creation of original works in theater, writing, music, visual art, and photography. The year-round programming reaches 26 adult Michigan correctional facilities, a federal correctional facility, several youth facilities, the Center for Forensic Psychiatry, and a public housing community.

Interning at Nike has been a dream opportunity for Michigan Engineering's Kori Maxie to merge her love of sports and science. It’s an experience she’s unquestionably earned, but one that couldn’t have been made a reality without scholarship support.

Brandi Hudson (AB ’01) was one of Michigan's great track and field athletes. Now she is a mother, wife, vice president, philanthropist, and among the university’s most engaged alumni. Earlier this year, Leaders & Best had the opportunity to sit down (virtually) with Hudson for a special conversation. We talked about breaking Big Ten records, navigating medical sales during a global pandemic, changing the landscape of Michigan fundraising, and more.

Carmelita Perrien Naccarato grew up listening to her mother tell stories. As a correctional clinical psychologist, many of her mother’s tales described the myriad of physical and mental health challenges her clients faced navigating America’s prison system. From a young age, Carmelita grappled with questions of justice and well-being.

In “What It Meant to Me,” Leaders & Best invites some of U-M’s most revered alumni to tell their Michigan stories. Chris Armstrong is a graduate of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). Here, he reflects on his maize and blue heritage, the controversy surrounding his student body presidency, and the enduring impact of U-M’s Spectrum Center.

For some people, these checks arrived swiftly and required zero paperwork. But for others, receiving stimulus money was a more complicated process. Consequently, as March turned to April, many still had not received their checks. That’s when U-M’s Poverty Solutions stepped in.

Raised in a military family, United States Marine Corps veteran Paul Tabisz imagined a career in the armed services from an early age.