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ArcPrep graduates 33 Detroit high school students and Awards Summer Internships and Scholarships

ArcPrep graduates 33 Detroit high school students and Awards Summer Internships and Scholarships

On Monday, June 13, 2016, 33 students from Detroit Public High Schools graduated from Taubman College’s Michigan Architecture Prep program (ArcPrep).This is the third group of students now totaling 92 since the program was launched 1.5 years ago. ArcPrep introduces high school juniors from Detroit Public Schools to the multi-faceted discipline of architecture through an immersive, semester-long college preparatory course on architecture, urbanism and integrated design studio practices.

Winter 2016 Michigan Architecture Prep Certificate Ceremony

This year’s group had one more milestone to celebrate as three were awarded paid internships with Detroit-based ROSSETTI and two were awarded full tuition at a summer program at Cornell University.
ROSSETTI, an architecture and design firm based in Detroit, presented ​three ​paid internships to high-achieving graduates ​of the high school program. Summer interns will work on architecture, urban design and interior design projects at ​
ROSSETTI offices in downtown Detroit.​ The students were announced by Deena Fox, Principal and Senior Project Manager, ROSSETTI:​

  • Asia Anderson, Western International  
  • Abid Chowdhury, Cass Tech
  • Jalen Smith, Renaissance ​

The Cornell Future Architecture Award, developed through a partnership between Michigan Architecture Prep and Cornell University’s Department of Architecture, offers students who have an interest in and a talent for design and architecture, to attend the Cornell Introduction to Architecture Program (a 6-week architecture enrichment program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York) at no cost.The students will receive full tuition, room and board scholarship covering all expenses related to the program. Two ArcPrep students have been selected and were announced at the Certificate ceremony: 

  • Devin Heard, Renaissance
  • Le’Andra Gregory, Detroit School of the Arts

Speakers at this year’s certificate ceremony included Taubman College Interim Dean Robert Fishman; Milton Curry, Taubman College ​​Associate Dean ​​and Director of ArcPrep; Kedra Ishop, U​niversity​ of Michigan’​s Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management​; Laura Trudeau, Senior Advisor to the President at The Kresge Foundation; Dr. Irene Norde, Executive Director, Office of Mathematics Education, Detroit Public Schools; and this year’s Michigan Mellon Design Fellows, Missy Ablin and Paulina Reyes. Junior from Renaissance High School, Devin Heard, was selected to be the student speaker. 

Other achievements were celebrated and presented including the Academic Achievement award, presented to 5 students per semester, and this semester’s recipients were:

  • Abid Chowdhury, Cass Tech
  • Omari Crume, Cass Tech
  • Afsana Shahid, Cass Tech
  • Jalen Smith, Renaissance
  • Devin Heard, Renaissance

The Academic Improvement Award is awarded to 3 students per semester, and this semester’s recipients were:

  • Maliyyah McEntire, Henry Ford 
  • Asia Anderson, Western International 
  • Trinity Farrar, Renaissance 

To learn more about ArcPrep: taubmancollege.umich.edu/architecture/high-school-programs/michigan-architecture-prep