Hello! My name is Lily Grantham and I am going to be a sophomore in the Honors Program at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. I am majoring in Psychology and Sociology, but I am still unsure of what I want to do with it. I play volleyball at HFC and coach a recreational softball team. I am also the Editor in Chief of the Mirror News (HFC’s newspaper). This summer, Ray Ugaz and I will be working with 826michigan. 826michigan is a nonprofit, K-12 tutoring and writing center based in Detroit, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor.
My community is the place I live in. It’s the people I’m surrounded by. It’s the connections we’ve formed, both visible and invisible. My community is something that I’m always a part of. Everyone has their own community. I remain involved in my community through volunteering and other leadership opportunities. Through my engagement, I realized how much my work impacted those around me. Everyone I came in contact with was so appreciative of my service. It made me feel really good to lend a hand to those who needed it. This is what attracted me to doing community work in Detroit. Although the city is “up-and-coming”, it still needs all the help it can get. I want to help the historically marginalized Detroit citizens and lift up the city.
I actually worked with 826michigan last semester, so my previous experience with them will help me. It is to my understanding that I will be working a lot with students over the course of the summer. My experience in coaching and tutoring has made me very comfortable with working with kids. I am very excited to be working with the students. Something that I would like to work on over the summer would be my time management. Especially during online school, I have been putting off assignments and exams to the very last minute. I want to start getting jumps on my work early so I don’t have to stress about deadlines. I would also like to get re-used to working with a team. I have been working pretty independently lately and I want to start working collaboratively again. I would be especially proud if, at the end of DCERP, I made a positive impact on at least on student at 826. I want my students to be able to enjoy working with me and my company.
Hi Lily! I appreciate your desire to help historically marginalized people in Detroit. What kind of subjects are you teaching the kids? Are you teaching a group of kids? Maybe we can FaceTime one day — I’d love to learn more about the work you’re doing with these students! Helping students is really important to me, because I believe education opens doors and unlocks new levels of opportunities in the world. Good luck this summer!
Hey Lily! That’s amazing that you are able to reach people so well, and I have no doubt you will make a lasting impact on the students at 826! Can’t wait to hear all about your project!