2021 LEAD Senior Celebration
On April 30, the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan celebrated our 2021 LEAD seniors. Although we did not meet in person, it did not mean we couldn’t cheer on our scholars, share laughs, and reflect on years of memories. Behind every scholar are friends, family, supporters, and champions coaching them forward as they enter the next phase of their life.
2021 LEAD Senior Celebration
LEAD Scholars enjoying their graduation. Many more photos available here!
Our LEAD Scholar 2021 Graduates

Aleija Rodriguez
After graduation from Michigan, Aleija has plans to gain experience working as a lab tech for two years in the University of Michigan Dept. of Psychiatry.
Activities:
- Quiz Bowl
- Delta Lamba Phi
- Psi Chi
- Honors Program

Alexandra Owens
After graduation from Michigan, Alexandra has plans to potentially work for a talent agency or at the very least working in some form of television production or development.
Activities:
- The Michigan Daily
- 2020 College Media Pinnacle Award Winner – Best Column

Alissa Mallett
After obtaining an undergraduate degree from Michigan, Alissa will be in pursuit of potential internships and job shadowing opportunities in the chemical industry for research and development. She also has plans to officially begin applying for graduate school.
Activities:
- American Chemical Society
- UM-Flint Honors Program
- UM-Flint Chemistry Club
- UM-Flint Orchestra

Amanda Webb
After U-M, Amanda has the desire to either pursue a master’s degree from the completion of graduate school or either immediately pursue a job in industry.
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- Michigan Project Equipment Design and Demonstration

Amy Munoz
Upon completion of her undergraduate degree from Michigan, Amy has plans to gain exposure through internships along with exploring potential job opportunities before moving on to consideration of graduate school.
Activities
- [email protected] Culture Show
- The Quito Project
- Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc.

Benjamin Herrera
After graduation from Michigan, Benjamin plans on attending graduate school at the University of Kansas for Chemistry with the ultimate goal of doing research in the computational chemistry field of study along with possible teaching.
Activities:
- CRU
- UM Chemistry Club
- Graduated before 20

Blake Preston
After graduating from Michigan, Blake would like to take time for checking off all last minute Michigan bucket list moments in addition to eventually working in Chicago as a Supply Chain Analyst for W.W. Grainger.
Activities:
- U-M International Business & Humanities Program in Barcelona, Spain
- LEAD Social Chair
As a student at Huron High School, Blake was the president of the Science, Technology, and Engineering Program. He also founded Lansdowne Lawn Service.

Brianna Graham
After graduation from Michigan, Brianna would like to become a research assistant during her gap year and ultimately apply to medical school to become an obstetrician.
Activities:
- Black Undergraduate Medical Association
- Senior Honor Thesis in Psychology

Camilla-Isabella Cantu
After obtaining an undergraduate degree, Camilla has plans to pursue a career in music production or sound engineering.
- Corazones Unidos Siempre
- Chi Upsilon Sigma
- National Latin Sorority, Inc.

Chad Peterson
After graduation from Michigan, Chad has plans to work in a mechanical engineering design role and ultimately have a career in engineering management and design.
Activities:
- MSTEM
- StartUM
- Students for Clean Energy

Chase Camp
After graduation from Michigan, Chase has a desire to work for Bank of America.
Activities:
- Wolverine Support Network Director of Marketing and Outreach
- ACLU Undergrad Club
- Campus Information Center

Christopher Underwood
After graduating from Michigan, Christopher has plans to work for a few years at UnCommon Charter Schools in Newark, New Jersey as a middle school teacher with the ultimate goal of becoming a teacher of English as a Foreign Language in Korea.
Activities:
- Co-Leader of DB3 Dance team
- FunKtion Dance Team Member

Clarissa Kitching
After graduation from Michigan, Clarissa has the desire to apply to medical school and eventually become a child psychiatrist.
Activities:
- Ambiance Dance Team
- Black Undergraduate Medical Association

Dayo Davis
After graduation from Michigan, Dayo has plans to begin studying for and taking the NCLEX exam in order to ultimately receive a nursing license. Dayo then plans on working as a nurse at a local hospital.

Dominique Roitman
Dominique hope to land a Technology/Digital Consulting Position after graduation, ultimately leading to become a Chief Technology Officer or Chief information Officer
Activities:
- Multidisciplinary Design Program
- Reach Technology Consulting Club
- LEAD!

Donnell Williams
After obtaining his undergrad from Michigan, Donnell will take a gap year after graduation prior to attending medical school. He plans to become a surgeon.
- Publishing a paper this semester about the stochastic expression
- Data that has been generated for publishing in other papers as well.
- Currently has 16 A+’s on transcript.

Dustin Stabinski
After graduation from Michigan, Dustin has plans to ultimately work as a software developer.
Activity:
- MFlicks

Fatoumata Soumaoro
After graduating from Michigan, Fatoumata has a desire to seek out internship opportunities and begin working full-time.
- Undergraduate Student National Dental Association (USNDA)
- Arab Student Association (ASA)

Grace Tenbusch
After graduation from Michigan, Grace has plans to attend law school this fall and ultimately pursue a legal career in international human rights.
Activities:
- President of the International Samaritan Club

Hunter Phelps
After graduation from Michigan, Hunter will be moving to Chicago to work for Walgreens in marketing and merchandising.
Activities:
- Optimize
- StartUM
- Marcel Gani Self-Hosted Intern
- Zell Lurie Institute
- Black Business Undergraduate Society
- TechArb Student Venture Accelerator
- Personal Business – Terry Lu Naturals, a natural hair and skin care line for women and men.

Ihunanya Muruako
After graduation from Michigan, Ihunanya has plans to pursue graduate studies specifically in Healthcare Administration.
Activities:
- African Students’ Association
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
- Health Sciences Scholars Program

Jason Figueroa
After graduation from Michigan, Jason has plans to potentially travel more this summer and ultimately move to the east coast for the pursuit of a full-time engineering position.
Activities:
- University Honors List every semester
- University Dean’s List every semester

Jocelyn Ortiz
After graduation from Michigan, Jocelyn will participate in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute Summer Scholars Program this summer before applying to medical school.
Activities:
- President of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
- Event Planning Coordinator of Global Surgery Student Alliance

Jordan George-Nwogu
After graduating Jordan has the desire to pursue professional baseball endeavors and play for the Chicago Cubs.
Activities:
- Varsity Baseball (playing for national championship)

Jose Miguel Aviles-Elrod
After graduation from Michigan, Jose Miguel has plans to move to LA or NYC to start a career as an actor with an ultimate goal of using a particular platform as an actor to do social activism.
Activities:
- We The PROUD Polycultural Productions
- University Productions
- Black Student Union (BSU)
- CSU

Juan Marquez
After graduation from Michigan, Juan has plans to move out to NYC to start a professional creative career. Ultimately Juan would like to become a creative director for a global fashion brand.
Activities:
- Filmic Productions
- SHEI Magazine
- Michigan Marching Band
- Latinidad Magazine

Juan Orozco
After graduation from Michigan, Juan has plans to take a gap year in order to gain research experience as a lab technician. Ultimately Juan has the desire to obtain a phD degree then to become a researcher or professor in plant physiology/botany.
- ResStaff (Markley RA)
- Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP)
- Museum of Natural History Student Staff
- Days for Girls

Julliana Ramirez-Matias
After graduating from Michigan, Julliana desires to take a gap year engaging in research before ultimately pursuing her doctorate degree.
- Health Sciences Scholars Program
- Michigan Movement
- Campus Orchestra

Jumanah Colvin
After graduation from Michigan, Jumanah has the desire to seek full-time employment opportunities in addition to traveling more.
Activities:
- Diversity Equity and Inclusion Student Advisory Board Member (DEI SAB)
- NSBE Member (National Society of Black Engineers)
- MEECS Member (Minorities in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)

Kori Maxie
After graduation from Michigan, Kori has plans to work as a footwear technical developer at Nike.
Activities:
- National Society of Black Engineers
- Michigan Materials Society
- Intramural Co-Ed Basketball

Leslie “Lee” Alexander II
After graduation from Michigan, Leslie would like to continue auditioning for local and national film opportunities along with performing in the Ensemble of the Sweeney Todd at THE MUNY in August.
- Support for Incoming Black Students (SIBS)
- Black Student Union (BSU)

Lindsay Llende
After graduation from Michigan, Lindsay will be moving to Washington D.C. in August to start as an entry-level project engineer at Clark Construction. She is excited to work on large-scale commercial projects that benefit the DMV area, as well as pioneer new construction technologies and methods.
- The Sopranos a Cappella Group – Music Director
- LEAD Advisory Board
- Society of Women in Engineering
- American Society of Civil Engineers

Marc Ybarra
After graduation from Michigan,Marc has the desire to pursue a professional career in soccer. Then eventually he has the long-term goal of working in marketing, sales strategies, or management.
Activities:
- U-M Varsity Men’s Soccer

Maria LoCicero
After graduation from Michigan, Maria plans to enjoy her summer in Ann Arbor. Ultimately she has the desire to work with City Year Chicago, but she is also interested in other job applications.
- RC Players Member
- Performer of Full-Length Plays
- Completing Honors Thesis in History

Mariana Escobar-Ruiz
After graduation from Michigan, Mariana is currently unsure of her short/long term plans.
Activities:
- Delta Delta Delta
- Personal Script is being developed into a short film for the Traverse City Film Festival

Maya Lyght
After graduation from Michigan, Maya would like to attend law school in Fall 2021, in order to ultimately work towards the goal of being a future US Attorney General.
- President of the National Council of Negro Women Ann Arbor section
- Dean of Students Advisory Board
- VS PINK Campus Ambassador

Nicholas Faulkner
After graduation from Michigan, Nicholas has the desire to enroll in the Ross One Year Master of Management program in order to ultimately pursue a career in healthcare management.
- LEAD
- Depression Center Advisory Board

Olivia Dotson
After graduation from Michigan, Olivia has plans to pursue a PhD in Bioengineering.
Activities:
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE)

Olivia Prado
After graduating from Michigan, Olivia has plans to spend a year making and using art to connect with the surrounding community. Then, ultimately Olivia hopes to be accepted into a MFA writing program.
- Stamps in Color – opportunity to collaborate with visiting artists.
- Received an award from the Stamps Annual Juried Exhibition.
- Final Group Exhibition for Senior Thesis.

Oscar Martinez
After graduation from Michigan, Oscar has plans to go back to Chicago and potentially work again as an intern with his employer from last year, GREC Architects. Ultimately Oscar has the desire to go back to grad school for his Masters in Architecture and work towards becoming a licensed architect.
- La Casa Historian
- Alpha Rho Chi Outreach Chair
- Alpha Rho Chi Marketing Chair
- Latinidad Managing Editor

Paris Richey
After graduation from Michigan, Paris has plans to consider moving to a new state in the pursuit of a desired graduate program for public health.
Activities:
- Ambiance Dance Team
- Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP)
- Wolverine Wellness

Peggy Randon
After graduation from Michigan, Peggy would like to conduct public health research at the University of West Indies, Mona, while applying to medical/graduate school.
Activities:
- The Michigan Daily
- Michigan Branch Telluride Association
- ThirdSpace: Hospital Creative Arts Program
- Dean of Students Advisory Board
- Prison Creative Arts Project
- Global Surgery Student Alliance.
- Conducted cancer biology research in Dr. David Alan Fox’s laboratory for the past three years

Ricardo Hansknecht
After obtaining an undergraduate degree from Michigan, Ricardo has plans to become a full-time program manager with an ultimate goal of becoming a solutions engineer/architect.
Activities:
- Wolverine Media Network Co-founder
- WUMD College Radio Manager
- Intervarsity Christian Fellowship

Robert Vowels III
After graduation from Michigan, Robert will be working full-time at Nike as a Procurement Analyst at their headquarters in Beaverton, OR.
Activities:
- National Society of Black Engineers
- MPowered Entrepreneurship
- M-STEM
- Science Learning Center

Robin Ryce
After graduation from Michigan, Robin has the desire to immediately begin working in industry as an electrical engineer.
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- Michigan Hackers

Ronnie Alvarez
After graduation from Michigan, Ronnie has plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health and ultimately have a career centered around research/faculty in public health.
Activities:
- La Casa
- Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Inc.
- MSTEM

Samantha Rauch
After graduating from Michigan, Samantha has plans to attend either pharmacy or medical school to ultimately become a doctor of radiology or pharmacy.
Activities:
- U-M Varsity Cheerleading

Spencer Lee
After graduating from Michigan, Spencer plans to take time for rest and relaxation. Eventually Spencer’s long term goals are to become involved in business management.
- College Democrats
- Graduating above a 3.0 GPA

Steven Liriano
After graduation from Michigan, Steven has plans to work at Deloitte as a Solutions Engineering Analyst.
- Multidisciplinary Design Program
- Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers (SHPE)

Taylor Adams
After graduating, Taylor has plans to spend time working in Ann Arbor while spending time with friends and family before ultimately moving to Florida to obtain a graduate degree at Florida State University.
Activities:
- DJs A Cappella
- Short fiction publication in the Michigan Quarterly Review

Thomas Vance
After graduation from Michigan, Thomas plans to apply for and attend law school with the ultimate goal of becoming involved in public office.
- Michigan Debate
- Black Student Union

Zoe Evans
After graduation from Michigan, After graduating Zoe has plans to work in Marketing for American Express in NYC. Also long term plans include obtaining graduate degree(s), starting an entrepreneurial venture, or moving into academia.
Activities:
- LEAD Scholars LAB
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
- NPHC E-Board
- Dean of Students Advisory Board
- Ross IDO Program
- Ross School of Business Career Center Peer Coach
- MCSP