DCERP Summer Fellows

Hi, my name is David (he/him) and I am a senior at the University of Michigan majoring in Biopsychology, and I’m a fellow with DCERP this summer. I am working with Brilliant Detroit, an organization that creates kid-success neighborhoods with, for, and by community members. A large part of our work helps toddlers prepare for kindergarten and supports kids through third grade in reaching grade-level reading. Brilliant Detroit operates 24 hubs across the city—formerly abandoned townhouses renovated into community spaces. These hubs empower children through education, offer breastfeeding resources for mothers, and integrate their neighborhoods into all of this work. In my role as a programming fellow, I design short mental health programs for our summer camp. Facilitators use these toolkits to help children reset and feel grounded between learning sessions. I also help lead nutrition and health workshops across six sites and prepare the camp curriculum for our summer nutrition programs. I hope to work in children’s mental health and believe deeply in the power of early emotional support. I feel incredibly grateful to learn with and from all of our Brilliant Detroit community members. As someone originally from Mexico, I take great pride in contributing to programming in my native language, especially in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods where cultural and linguistic connection matters. This work feels larger than life to me, and I approach the exploration of children’s emotional worlds alongside them, with a deep sense of care and responsibility.

My name is Hunter Dreisbach (he/him) and I am a U-M DCERP fellow that is majoring in nursing at the U-M School of Nursing where I expect to graduate in 2027! I am privileged to be able to work with Dream of Detroit, an organization that is focusing on developing Detroit’s west-side back into a strong economic center while revitalizing homes that have been around for generations. DREAM strives to accomplish their goals through involving and collaborating with residents of the neighborhood surrounding Woodrow Wilson St., including the perspectives of everyone involved, building upon already-existing strengths of the community, inclusivity, accountability, and a spiritual context with faith-inspired partnerships and principles. The neighborhood is a majority African American and Muslim community that helps inform the organization’s goal of racial and economic justice through utilizing the neighborhood’s already-existing powerful social capital with support from the Muslim Center, the HUDA Clinic, and the Detroit Repertory Theater. DREAM strives to rebuild an already-existing and resilient community in ways that promote homeownership and economic cooperation in a sustainable way that does not leave current residents behind. I am excited to assist in organizing and participating in the salon series “Wellness Workshops” and housing symposium during the course of my internship as a DCERP fellow. Working with DREAM as a DCERP fellow will assist me in being able to further train and address social determinants of health that significantly affect healthcare outcomes, allowing me to develop myself both clinically, and as an advocate for my future patients in my future nursing practice.

Hi! My name is Maggie Fleury (she/her), and I’m a senior majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Law, Justice, and Social Change. I’m also a Detroit Community Engaged Research Program Fellow! I’m working with DREAM of Detroit, a faith-led organization that serves the surrounding Black and Black Muslim communities through neighborhood revitalization. I’m assisting DREAM with the initiatives Project Homecoming and the Detroit Muslim Storytelling Project. Discrimination, such as a denial of Eid meal attendance or a lack of approved housing upon release, impacts Islamic practice for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Muslims. Project Homecoming addresses discrimination through reentry support, offering a transitional housing program that provides a safe space for self-determination and religious practice. I attend reentry program events and study the rights and experiences of Black Muslims who face the carceral system to understand the attitudes that shape their ability to practice Islam and reenter successfully. The Detroit Muslim Storytelling Project is an oral history initiative that engages the Black Muslim community about their personal and leadership experiences. I will be transcribing recorded interviews with DREAM to amplify the community’s voices. The historical context, outlook, and involvement of Detroit’s Black Muslim community are significant to addressing racial and economic barriers that Black Detroiters face. I hope to become more adept at policy advocacy through working with Project Homecoming, and I aspire to elevate community input through methods such as the Detroit Muslim Storytelling Project!

Hello! I’m Eve Goddard (she/her), a rising junior at the University of Michigan majoring in Community and Global Public Health with minors in Biology and Middle East Studies. This summer, I’m a DCERP fellow with Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV), a nonprofit that works to improve the environment of Southwest Detroit by addressing industrial pollution, blight, and incompatible land use. Most of my work at SDEV relates to air quality, seeing as Detroit’s air quality ranks among the worst in Michigan, partly due to freight traffic that cuts through neighborhoods already burdened by disinvestment and industrial activity. I support a citywide truck route study to monitor the relationship between freight traffic and poor air quality and attend community meetings to hear directly from residents about how trucking and zoning decisions affect their health and daily lives. I’m learning that far from being only a matter of science or data, environmental justice is about agency, resilience, and how generations of people shape their surroundings. By supporting efforts led by and for the community, I hope to help ensure that residents’ voices drive the policies that impact their neighborhoods and well-being.

Hi, I'm Ruta Hailu(she/her), a rising second-year in LSA, double majoring in sociology and environmental studies through PitE. This summer, I have the privilege of interning with Dream of Detroit, a community development organization focused on housing, economic development, and community organization on the west side of Detroit. I was particularly drawn to this project as I will be working on an ethnographic archival project documenting the experience of Black Muslims in Detroit. After graduation, I plan to keep organizing around the structural oppression of working-class Black and Brown communities. I'm especially interested in movement law and political anthropology—whether that takes shape through organizing or conducting ethnographic work in my home country, Eritrea. Whatever path I take, my work will always be accountable to those most impacted and rooted in the vision for collective liberation.

Hello, my name is Yei-Na Han (she/her) and I am in my sophomore year of college, majoring in public health. I got connected with my non-profit through the DCERP program at the University of Michigan. I am working with The L.I.V.E. Outreach non-profit, with the founder, Malika Williams. L.I.V.E. works to serve adolescents within the Detroit area, specifically those within the foster care system. We are currently building a mobile hub for adolescents, providing different services, workshops, and basic necessities that can be easily accessible. This project is valuable to me because it exposes me to the needs of the community, particularly the insecurities that adolescents face. I hope that learning beside Malika brings me new perspectives and ideas, and I am blessed to be working with her.

Hi, my name is Clara Kanclerz (she/her) and I am in the Program in the Environment at U-M and the Detroit Community Engaged Research Program. This summer I am excited to be working with Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV). SDEV works in a partnership with residents, schools, municipalities, and other community organizations and institutions to help improve the quality of life and to eliminate pollution-related health impacts that the Southwest Detroit community and the nearby region faces. The neighborhood of Southwest Detroit has been disproportionately affected by environmental hazards, such as air pollution, while having a predominantly immigrant and minority community.  The project that I am working on is their Summer Youth Employment Program, which focuses on engaging local youth in the Southwest Detroit Chargeway Project —a collection of parks that aims to increase walkability, connectivity and beautify the neighborhood. In other words they intend the Charge Way to create resilience hubs within the community.  Within the Summer Youth Employment Program I will be collecting the ideas of the participants as well other community members in order to determine what the park system will consist of as we develop them. In addition to this, I will be learning how to support the program through grant writing and advocacy opportunities. One thing that I appreciate about SDEV is that they work alongside the community members and truly value and listen to their ideas, concerns, and inputs. This idea of connectivity and collaboration is something that I hope to take with me beyond my time here.

Hello, my name is Mackenzie (Mack) Kempton, and I use she/they pronouns. I’m a rising senior at the University of Michigan majoring in Political Science, and I am a Summer 2025 U-M DECERP fellow. This summer, I'm working with LGBT Detroit, a nonprofit organization serving Southeast Michigan. LGBT Detroit is dedicated to increasing the visibility and prominence of Detroit’s LGBT culture while building a strong, healthy, and vibrant community. Their work focuses on youth and young adult development, education and advocacy around sexual orientation and gender identity, and promoting both emotional and physical well-being. As part of my fellowship, I am contributing to efforts aimed at building a healthier and more resilient LGBTQ+ community by improving equitable access to quality healthcare and comprehensive support services. My role also involves supporting research on health disparities to better connect community members with specialized services that meet their diverse needs. I will be assisting with an event they host every year called Hotter Than July, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Too many LGBTQ+ people—especially in Black and Brown communities—go without access to adequate healthcare, mental health resources, or even safe spaces to simply be themselves. For some, it’s due to lack of insurance. For others, it’s fear of discrimination. That’s why the work LGBT Detroit does is so crucial. They aren’t just providing services—they’re creating a sense of belonging and safety that many people can’t find elsewhere. This organization shows what it looks like when care is rooted in the community. I believe that everyone deserves access to health, support, and dignity—and that;s why I care deeply about LGBT Detroit’s work.

Hello, my name is Megan Minturn (she/her). I’m a senior majoring in Psychology and currently serve as a U-M Detroit Community Engaged Research Project (DCERP) fellow.I work with an inspiring nonprofit organization called Brilliant Detroit. This organization helps prepare children aged 0–8 for kindergarten by transforming abandoned houses into vibrant community hubs. Located in the heart of neighborhoods across Detroit, these hubs offer tutoring, health education, family support, and more. With 24 neighborhood locations, Brilliant Detroit brings vital services directly to the families who need them most. As a fellow, I help design and deliver summer programming focused on literacy, STEM, nutrition, physical activity, and mindfulness. education. This work means a great deal to me. It allows me to engage directly with community members and support children's growth in meaningful, hands-on ways. I believe every child deserves a nurturing and enriching environment to thrive. Brilliant Detroit embodies this belief—empowering children and families and demonstrating that when communities come together around a shared purpose, lasting and transformative change is possible

My name is Bryce Sayles. I‘m a rising junior majoring in Political Science and a fellow of the University of Michigan's DCERP Program here in Detroit researching with Dream of Detroit. Dream is a non-profit organization based in the Dexter-Linwood area on the West side of Detroit that focuses on housing revitalization, community organizing, and economic development. My project specifically revolves around the aspects of housing and community development. Dream conducts a home repair program called Timeless Touch Ups, where they provide upgrades and maintenance to seniors within the neighborhood. We assist them with this by attending Wellness Workshops, where we immerse ourselves within the community, conducting ethnographic research on seniors within the neighborhood. A huge part of our role is immersing ourselves in the community and hearing residents’ stories to get a greater context of our impact area and the role of Dream as a whole. We then help design and discover resources that we can bring to our housing symposium. The housing symposium is to direct seniors to alternative resources outside of Dream to repair their homes and find classes to adjust their lifestyle. The resources we discover will be based on the feedback we receive from the seniors in the neighborhood. I care about the work I’m doing with Dream because it's integral to maintaining neighborhoods and communities that have been ravaged by poverty and disinvestment. With gentrification looming, Dream works to protect and legitimize the efforts of our elders and the work they provided to get us to where we are today.

Hello, my name is Kre’Shon Singleton (she, they) and I am a junior majoring in Sociology and Social Work. This summer I am participating in the Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program (DCERP) and the organization I am researching with is the Southwest Detroit Community Justice Center (SWDCJC). SWDCJC, which is the first and only community court in Michigan, offers jail-diversive/alternative sentencing through different forms of community service for people who have committed non-violent, low-level misdemeanor offenses. The center also offers social and mental health support, such as mental health and substance abuse counseling and job preparation, to those that participate in their program. Furthermore, the center works with a community of predominantly people of color and working class immigrants. I am aiding the organization in applying for grants to increase their funding so they can continue to strengthen and uplift the Southwest Detroit community. The legal system disproportionately affects POC and low-income individuals and, therefore, it is imperative that organizations like SWDCJC exist to combat the issues that are constantly faced by people targeted by the unjust system.