Voices of Victors

Alumni Association President and CEO Corie Pauling, ’93, and former President and CEO Steve Grafton discuss the evolution of the organization, celebrating its 125th anniversary and finding new ways to connect with alums.

What makes the ongoing fight for environmental and climate justice a civil rights issue? In this episode, we explore environmental burdens and their disproportionate impacts on indigenous communities through conversations with United Tribes of Michigan leader Frank Ettawageshik, ’70, and climate justice advocate Juan Jhon Chung, MS’20, MUP’22.

Why are there higher rates of mental health concerns among people in the LGBTQ+ community? We discuss access to mental health support for LGBTQ+ students and recent grads with U-M professor Dr. Gary Harper, U-M assistant professor Dr. Craig Rodriguez-Seijas and recent U-M grad Ini-Abasi Ubong MPH '21.

What is it like to host several Afghan refugees? We explore refugee resettlement efforts through an inside look into the hosting experience with the first-hand story of Afghan refugee host Jules Pieri, ’82, and expert insight from Dr. Odessa Gonzalez Benson, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work.

How does vaccine misinformation negatively impact public health, and how can we find reliable information on this topic? We speak with three experts: U-M professor Scott Campbell, Elisabeth Michel SPH ’17, and Abram Wagner MPH ’12, PhD ’15.

What is authentic allyship? We discuss performative allyship, the white-savior complex, and ways we can think more creatively about deconstructing systemic racism and building community with Professor Angela Dillard, '92, PHD '95, and Dr. Deborah Willis, ’93, PHD ’07.

The Voices of Victors podcast is back for Season 2. New host, James McRae, '97, discusses a lack of paid parental leave in the United States and the disparity this causes women, particularly women of color, with Tiffany Marra, MS'98, PHD'06, (Executive Director at the Center for the Education of Women+ at the University of Michigan), Andrea Robb, '96, (HR expert with experience at Airbnb, Lucasfilm, and Autodesk, among others), and Lori Pierce (Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs at the University of Michigan).

U-M experts across multiple disciplines are devoting their careers to tackling the challenges of climate change. In observance of Earth Day, we share some of their insights.

Father-son duo Braylon, ’17, and Stan Edwards, ’81, reflect on their years as U-M students and football players as well as the ways they continue to connect to the University.