Lillian Grantham
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
UROP Fellowship: DCERP, Henry Ford College
Research Mentor(s): Megan Gilson, Interim Program & Education Director
Research Mentor Institution/Department: 826michigan
Presentation Date: Thursday, July 29th
Session: 5:30 – 7:00pm
Breakout Room: DCERP Showcase
Abstract
Hello everyone! My name is Lily Grantham (she/her) and I am going to be a sophomore in the Honors Program at Henry Ford College this fall. I am double majoring in Psychology and Sociology.
I worked with 826michigan, a nonprofit tutoring and writing center for students in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Ypsilanti. 826michigan values writing with confidence and skill, and attempts to instill these qualities in their students.
Over these past months, I co-created a College Application Essay Writing Kit designed to help rising high school seniors write their college applications. We researched great college essays, writing tips, and other writing kits. Using our findings, we made a writing kit with advice and guidelines for writing a college application essay. Overall, this experience was very rewarding, and I am excited that I will be helping high school students through a stressful period.
I also worked with 826michigan’s writers clubs. I was involved with four: “All The Feels” with the 6-9 year olds, “Writing A New World” with the 10-14 year olds, “Wee-Bots” with 5-9 year olds, and “Theater Writers Club” with students varying in age. During these clubs, I got to work closely with students writing stories and scripts. It was so inspiring to see how creative the students could get–they came up with new universes and their own characters and plotlines! It was very fulfilling to be able to help students enjoy writing and become more confident while doing it.
Overall, my experience working with the DCERP was rewarding and fulfilling. I got to meet so many new people, both through the DCERP program and through my community placement. I was able to work doing things I love. I helped my community.
Thank you so much for coming! And thank you to all the fellows for a great summer!
