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• UDM partners with Kaplan to offer students free test prep for graduate-level admissions and licensing exams

  Monday May 06, 2024
  

  

  University of Detroit Mercy announced today that a new partnership with global educational services provider Kaplan is now providing all of its students with free test prep courses for graduate-level admissions exams, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT and DAT, and free test prep for professional licensing exams including the bar exam, INBDE, NCLEX-RN exam, and Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. Additionally, students can prepare for a number of business and financial-focused products for free.

  The new partnership aims to improve matriculation to graduate and professional schools, improve professional licensing passage rates, and improve employability for UDM graduates.

  By investing in Kaplan’s All Access License, colleges and universities can help their students prepare for a variety of high-stakes admissions and licensing exams that they need to score well on to reach their ultimate professional goals — with zero out-of-pocket costs for students. Kaplan has prepared students for standardized tests for more than 85 years, and UDM is Kaplan’s latest All Access partner.

  “This partnership supports UDM’s Jesuit and Mercy mission by providing another transformative, student-centered opportunity to prepare for these challenging examinations without the worry of cost for these services,” said Pamela Zarkowski, UDM provost and vice president for academic affairs.“As a result, University of Detroit Mercy students are one step closer to becoming competent, compassionate leaders ready to serve in a vulnerable world.”  

  “Kaplan’s All Access comprehensive course offerings are going to deliver a career path-changing experience to University of Detroit Mercy students and we’re proud to work with the school’s administration to make this a reality,” said Kim Canning, vice president of university partnerships, Kaplan.“By becoming an All Access partner, UDM is demonstrating that they are committed to their students’ long-term success and see in them the leaders of tomorrow in a wide variety of industries, from business to law to medicine, and beyond.

  “Kaplan’s All Access License breaks down barriers and instead creates pathways for students striving to excel on crucial exams. We can’t wait to have UDM students in our classrooms soon to help them jump start the next phases of their life journeys.”

  UDM students who are interested in enrolling in a Kaplan course should contact their academic advisor.

• Class of ’24: Far from home, Architecture student looks to tomorrow

  Monday May 06, 2024
  

  

  

  Each year, University of Detroit Mercy’s Marketing & Communications department profiles members of the graduating classes. Students chosen were nominated by staff and faculty for their contributions to the life of the University. Click here for more information about 2024 commencement exercises.

  “Starting life anew in a foreign country is not an easy task,” said Iryna Olkhovetska. The native of Lviv in western Ukraine will graduate from University of Detroit Mercy May 11 with a master’s degree in Architecture.

  Olkhovetska is a first-generation college student, who made the difficult decision with her family to leave their home in Ukraine and move to the United States in search of a brighter future six years ago. Today, she is proud to be an American citizen. More importantly, she embraces her identity as both a Ukrainian and American and strives to honor her roots while building a future in the land of opportunity.

  Upon arriving in the U.S. and joining her parents, Olkhovetska enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to learn a language she had little experience with.

  Though apprehensive by what seemed like daunting steps to apply to any university, she chose UDM because of the tight-knit, community-type atmosphere. Before leaving Ukraine, she had completed her bachelor’s degree in Architecture in Ukraine and found that the one year the MCD program required was a great selling point over other universities with traditional two- or three-year master’s degree programs.

  “What makes UDM special is the architecture student’s explosion into the field,” she said.  “Students hit the ground running from the outset. On day one of class, students are required to introduce and then defend their thesis/idea on a small, paper-sized poster before an audience of classmates and professors.”

  Olkhovetska recalls being terrified at this task of presenting her ideas to people who were basically strangers. She remarks on how astonishing it felt nine months later when she not only presented an elaborate thesis but defended it with poise and confidence.

  She is passionate about her thesis, “Paradigm Shift: Rethinking the Notion of Detroit’s Suburban Neighborhoods by Exploring European-Inspired Design Strategies.”

  “This topic is very close to my heart as an immigrant who moved to the Detroit suburbs and was struck by the stark differences from the more vibrant, community-oriented neighborhoods I was used to back home,” she said.

  She notes that her thesis is “a heartfelt plea for a more human-centric approach to urban planning, one that recognizes the deep impact our built environment has on our quality of life. I want to use my skills and passion to create a better world, one neighborhood at a time.”

  In her experience relocating from Ukraine to a Detroit suburb, Olkhovetska said, “I was amazed by the car-centric design, lack of walkability and absence of lively public spaces compared to the mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly communities I grew up with.”

  It piqued her curiosity and motivated her to explore European design strategies such as prioritizing walkability with well-connected street grids, neighborhoods centered around lively public squares, parks that foster social interaction and investment in robust public transit networks to reduce car dependency, all of which could potentially transform the quality of life and sustainability of Detroit’s suburban neighborhoods.

  “My goal was to show how even auto-centric suburbs could evolve into more inclusive, sustainable, and inspiring places through strategic urban design interventions,” she said.

  “If the opportunity presents itself I would love to apply some of these concepts to my work at Fishbeck,” she added.

  Fishbeck is a Michigan-based architecture and engineering firm, where she will intern on the healthcare team working on design strategies for hospitals and labs. She landed this opportunity after a mock interview in a professional environment preparation class as part of her curriculum at UDM.  “I’m optimistic that we’re at a paradigm-shifting moment for Detroit-area suburbs, and I am eager to contribute through research and practice.”

  Outside of her classwork, Olkhovetska is also an artist who uses her talent to support her war-torn homeland. A group of women from the Ukrainian community in the Detroit area created a nonprofit organization called Ukrainian Girls Help Together, and she has played an active role in the organization.

  The group comprises a talented cast skilled in beading, T-shirt printing, and jewelry making as well as communication and networking. Olkhovetska initially added her paintings to the handmade products of group members who sell at various Ukrainian exhibitions and events. Her participation in this group has evolved into teaching art classes and donating her earnings to the group. Girls Help Together supports not only Ukraine’s military but also its orphanages, homes for the elderly, and even animal shelters.

  “I am incredibly proud of these girls because, despite our busy lives, we remain committed to our common goal and continue working tirelessly toward it,” she said.

  At an early age, Olkhovetska knew her future would involve creativity, and in high school, she developed a clear interest in the exact sciences.

  “I believe that my creative soul and precise mind are perfectly suited for a career in architecture, where I can combine my passion for design with my analytical skills,” she said. “Architecture is so fascinating. If it’s new, it’s not boring because I’m learning. I’m exploring something new.”

  Her next steps include obtaining her architecture license. She is grateful for the help of her professors who aided her on this journey. She also appreciates the dedication of her adviser, Wladek Fuchs, and program director Claudia Bernasconi, under whose guidance she was able to blend her “creative and technical instincts.”

  To prospective UDM students, Olkhovetska offers some advice: “Don’t be afraid to seek help; just ask for it. Part of the distinctiveness of UDM community is not only its professors, but also the students, where everybody helps each other. Communication is key,” she says. “There is nothing you can’t solve together.”

  — By Julie A. Erwin. Follow Detroit Mercy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Have a story idea? Let us know by submitting your idea.

• Class of ’24: Law grad continues family legacy after leaving HR role

  Monday May 06, 2024
  

  

  

  Each year, University of Detroit Mercy’s Marketing & Communications department profiles members of the graduating classes. Students chosen were nominated by staff and faculty for their contributions to the life of the University. Click here for more information about 2024 commencement exercises.

  Being a lawyer is in Kevin Lynch’s blood.

  His father, mother, a pair of uncles, an aunt and grandfather have all worked as attorneys.

  “There actually was sort of this built-in path of going to law school,” Lynch said. “I knew that I had a lot of family members who had done well at it. But I never wanted to choose it just for that reason.”

  “If I was going to do it, I wanted to have my own reason to do it.”

  That reason was Lynch’s favorite part of his previous career: working with attorneys.

  He spent nearly a decade in human resources and worked with outside counsel in his role.

  “I always thought that was neat,” Lynch said. “They were leading the show, and I was more in an assisting role in HR. I liked their job and I thought, ‘I want to do that job.’

  “So, I ultimately made the decision to go to law school on that basis.”

  Three years later, Lynch will graduate from University of Detroit Mercy’s School of Law on May 10. He is set to join Butzel Long in September as an associate in the firm’s labor and employment group.

  Lynch chose Detroit Mercy Law for a variety of reasons. He wanted to work in the Detroit area and remain in southeast Michigan, where his family is located. His father, Terrance Lynch ’83, is a Detroit Mercy Law graduate, and he enjoyed the friendly atmosphere from the campus community during a tour.

  Having lots of family connections to law was helpful when Lynch made the leap to attend law school.

  “I think it gave me confidence that this was a good decision, sort of a tried-and-true one for my family,” he said. “They just had all kinds of advice. I think that’s part of what led me to Detroit Mercy, because I knew my dad had a great career, and he did it through going to Detroit Mercy. I wouldn’t have known that reputation but for him.”

  Lynch dedicated his Detroit Mercy Law experience to Law Review, where he served as editor-in-chief the past academic year. He oversaw Law Review’s annual symposium and had an article published in its winter 2024 issue. The article, Beyond Right-to-Work’s Repeal: Examining Other Reforms to Michigan Labor Law, had ties to his days in human resources.

  “Law Review was my life for the last couple years, and that was deliberate,” Lynch said. “I didn’t take on anything additional outside of that, just because it’s a huge commitment. It’s humbling how much work is involved with it and you really need to give it your full dedication, I think, to do it right.”

  Lynch’s career in human resources consistently intertwined with law.

  His first job in the field was at a small employment law firm that did human resources consulting with companies. In that role, he investigated employment disputes.

  From there, Lynch took a job in the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation’s (SMART) human resources department as a labor and employment specialist, where he worked with attorneys.

  Those interactions piqued his interest, and around two years before starting law school, Lynch said he started thinking about making a move: Go all-in on human resources or study law?

  “I ended up taking a transfer within the company to another area of HR, recruiting, and I didn’t like it,” he said. “The idea in taking the role was to explore another area of HR, and it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t meaty enough for me.

  “It’s really important getting good people in your company, but after a while, it became pretty routine for me. I like big, complex puzzles, I don’t want to just keep repeating the same thing week in and week out.”

  Going to law school after already being established in a career was crucial for his success, he said.

  “I needed it. I did not have the discipline coming out of undergrad to be successful in law school,” Lynch said. “It’s tough. Going to law school is the hardest thing I ever did.”

  Lynch worked for Butzel Long as a summer associate last year and is happy to be returning to start his career. Working in the firm’s labor and employment group is a full circle moment, he said, after so many years in human resources.

  “I actually worked with one of the guys at Butzel when I was in SMART,” he said. “I used to be his client; now, I’m his coworker.”

  Lynch feels properly equipped for his next journey as a lawyer. He appreciates the breadth of his law education and enjoys the direct experience he gained at Detroit Mercy Law.

  “My favorite moments at Detroit Mercy have been hands-on and clinics,” he said. “We got to do mock trials and try out doing different oral arguments. I was in the Federal Pro Se Clinic, so I got to work with real clients, actually doing some employment law stuff. It wasn’t just that I got to work with clients, but it’s also in the field I’m going into. I got some really good opportunities to do some lawyering.

  “Beyond that, the reason I came here is also turning out to be true: It’s set me up for success in Detroit and in Michigan.”

  For Lynch, his Detroit Mercy Law experience and all that has come from it has been beyond his wildest dreams.

  “I didn’t see it coming,” Lynch said. “I knew I was going to try my hardest to get as much as I could out of this. I’m just so grateful for how it turned out. Really, I just feel lucky.”

  — By Ricky Lindsay. Follow Detroit Mercy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Have a story idea? Let us know by submitting your idea.

• Summer volunteering opportunities are available with TENN

  Monday May 06, 2024
  

  

  Looking for volunteer hours over the summer, while also making a different in our community?

  Join Detroit Mercy’s Titan Equity Nourish Network in delivering produce to our neighbors and in our garden. Produce deliveries are Monday and Friday, while garden days are throughout the summer.

  Sign-up for Monday’s deliveries, which are every other week 12-2 p.m.

  Sign-up for Friday’s deliveries, which are every other week 10 a.m. to noon.

  Sign-up to help in the garden.

  With any questions, please contact Chelsea Manning by email at mannincp@udmercy.edu.

  

• Job opportunity: Work in Office of Admissions this summer

  Monday May 06, 2024
  

  

  Detroit Mercy’s Office of Admissions has two positions available for the summer: Tour Guides and Welcome Desk Associates.

  For more information or to apply, please email Darrius Hicks at hicksdm5@udmercy.edu.

  

• Earn $40 through Detroit Mercy’s mental health study

  Friday May 03, 2024
  

  Detroit Mercy students, staff and faculty can earn $40 through a mental health study at the University. The Department of Psychology is looking for participants for the study.

  To qualify, you must be 18 or older, have experienced a traumatic event and have the ability to complete questionnaires and interview about current mental health symptoms in English. Each in-person appointment will take approximately 60-90 minutes.

  Participants will be asked to fill out a few self-report questionnaires relating to traumatic experiences, relationships, emotions and coping. They’ll also be asked to participate in a confidential videotaped clinical interview regarding traumatic experiences.

  The study will use the information to help clinicians diagnose trauma-related conditions and design better programs for people who have experienced traumatic events.

  Please call 313-993-1486 or email Katelyn Lowe at loweke@udmercy.edu with any questions or to see if you may quality for the study.

• Class of ’24: Helping create a healthier community is her goal

  Thursday May 02, 2024
  

  

  Each year, University of Detroit Mercy’s Marketing & Communications department profiles members of the graduating classes. Students chosen were nominated by staff and faculty for their contributions to the life of the University. Click here for more information about 2024 commencement exercises.

  Afsana Uddin has been attending classes at University of Detroit Mercy since 2012.

  “I’ve grown up here,” she joked.

  This year, she will graduate with a doctorate in Nursing Practice, after having earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and a graduate degree in Family Nurse Practitioner.

  Uddin’s parents emigrated to the United States from Bangladesh and didn’t have a high school education. She is the third of their three children to receive an advanced degree and their first to receive a doctorate. She followed her two sisters to Detroit Mercy, where her nephews are also students.

  “There were so many factors as to why I chose Detroit Mercy,” said the native of northwest Detroit. “I liked the closeness, I loved that we’re embedded in the city of Detroit, I like the small campus because we have access to professors and other resources to help us.”

  But it was the service learning programs that truly inspired her. Her participation in the Fresh Incentive program helped her see that good health starts long before a person needs a doctor.

  “When you work in the community, you get to see and be exposed to things you didn’t know about and that can affect a person’s health,” Uddin said. “And it meant a lot that we were working right in the Fitzgerald neighborhood.”

  Fresh Incentives began at Eastern Market and delivered fresh fruits and vegetables to people in Detroit neighborhoods who don’t have ready access to healthy foods. Funding through the Ford Community Corps Foundation paid to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables expand the program to the Fitzgerald neighborhood.

  Access to food and education on taking care of your health are the two largest barriers to eating well.

  “Going into this, we thought that access to food would be a major deterrent,” Uddin said for a story about the early days of the program. “We are learning that education is a big part of that as well.”

  She expanded the work for her doctoral studies, introducing physical activity modules to get people moving. It was the first project where students entered the homes of the people they serve and it was eye-opening to her.

  The results were very positive. People lost weight, which led to benefits like lower blood pressure and the ability to exercise more. Working in homes led to connections and students, led by Uddin, expanded goals to decreasing intake of soda and salty snacks. They created a map of the many farmers markets nearby so people knew where to go to get fresh food.

  “There were positive outcomes on so many different levels,” she said. “It is a really important program.”

  Uddin hopes to introduce the model to the home care company she has worked at for two years.

  When not in class as a student, Uddin serves as an adjunct professor in the College of Health Professions.

  Her passion for spreading the word about healthy eating to populations that don’t have that history has been a very welcome surprise.

  “I originally had no plans about doing something like this,” she said. “But I’m so glad it found me.”

  — By Ron Bernas. Follow Detroit Mercy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Have a story idea? Let us know by submitting your idea.

• Class of ’24: Dental grad says faith, ‘random angels’ led her way

  Thursday May 02, 2024
  

  

  

  Each year, University of Detroit Mercy’s Marketing & Communications department profiles members of the graduating classes. Students chosen were nominated by staff and faculty for their contributions to the life of the University. Click here for more information about 2024 commencement exercises.

  Maria Latorre Sanchez came to Detroit to follow her dream of becoming a dentist. In addition, she found a close-knit community that supported her during the hardest time of her life and helped her to dream bigger.

  Latorre Sanchez earned an undergraduate degree in Florida before applying to dental schools. She didn’t know much about Detroit or Detroit Mercy’s School of Dentistry, but the word from friends was positive and a visit here in which current dental students meet potential students helped her make Detroit Mercy her top choice.

  She threw herself into her studies and all the extracurriculars that come with Detroit Mercy Dental. She was a member of the Student-Alumni Leadership Council, attended symposia and volunteered with community service. A native of Colombia, Latorre Sanchez has been president of the Hispanic Dental Student Association since 2021 and she directed her outreach through the Ford Community Corps and Student Leadership program on helping the local Hispanic population. She was an ambassador with La Casa Guadalupana, working to reduce language barriers to dental patients.

  In her third year, which is when students begin working with patients in the clinic, Latorre Sanchez brought her father from Colombia to the school.

  “I wanted to work on my father,” she said. “My family didn’t have a lot of dental care and he had lost most of his teeth. I wanted to be the one to fit him with dentures.”

  While visiting Detroit to start the treatment, he told his daughter he was not feeling himself. He was dealing with depression that was brought on and exacerbated by early stages of dementia. She turned to faculty members for advice. Eventually she had to ask her brother to move in with their father, which he willingly did.

  “He was the best dad, and my brother was the best son and brother,” she said.

  One day, she received a call from her mother, who lived in Florida. She was worried because she hadn’t heard from Latorre Sanchez’s father or brother and could not reach them by phone.

  Agonizing hours trying to reach them ended with her aunt breaking into his house in Colombia and finding both dead.

  “I left school immediately,” she remembered. “It was terrible, terrible.”

  When Latorre Sanchez returned to school two weeks later, she said she was greeted with “the biggest support system ever.”

  Faculty and staff would collect her when they found her alone, sobbing, and take her to their offices where they would let her cry or talk or just sit there. They helped her understand the disease of depression. One emailed her a prayer every day.

  “My classmates did not leave me for a minute. They guided me through this time, took me to Mass, helped me with the work I missed,” she said. “This went on for a long time.”

  And God was watching out for her, she says. “God took my father and brother at this time and only God knows why. But there were random angels all around who helped me out.”

  Slowly, through her faith, studies and Detroit Mercy Dental support system, the grief became less raw. She found that she felt great joy helping patients in clinic by fitting them with dentures.

  “When you tell a patient they are going to lose all their teeth, it’s like grief,” she said. “They feel they are losing something of themselves. But when you fit them with dentures, they have this smile that is so rewarding. I was never able to provide the dentures for my dad, but I am able to help others.”

  Detroit Mercy provided Latorre Sanchez an opportunity to help the local Hispanic community even more when a faculty member asked her if she would help create a dental clinic at the St. Francis Cabrini Clinic. She jumped at the chance to help the mostly Hispanic patients who would come to the clinic for other healthcare needs.

  “They knew that is what I love, so I said yes,” she said.

  The logistics of starting a clinic from scratch are daunting, but with help from faculty and lots of volunteers, it opened in 2022. They offered cleanings, extractions and fillings one Saturday a month. Bigger issues would be referred to the Dental Clinic. It has expanded its hours since.

  She created a pamphlet so English-speaking dental students learned enough words to conduct a thorough exam with a Spanish-only speaking patient.

  “It’s important that both the patients and the clinicians feel comfortable,” she said.

  The new graduate is not done with Detroit Mercy Dental yet, though. She is thrilled to have received a three-year periodontal residency. She jokes: “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  That Latorre Sanchez is able to laugh after such a tragedy she credits to her faith. She shares her story because she hopes other people draw strength from her.

  “I see people who get very upset that they didn’t pass a test or something like that and I hope that if telling my story helps others understand that they can get through bad times,” Latorre Sanchez said. “It’s not about what happens to you, it’s about how fast you get up.”

  — By Ron Bernas. Follow Detroit Mercy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Have a story idea? Let us know by submitting your idea.

• Summer hours for URec, Student Fitness Center begins April 29

  Friday April 26, 2024
  

  

  Summer hours for University Recreation and the Student Fitness Center starts Monday, April 29.

  The center will be open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. through 8 p.m. each day and will be closed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

  For more information and updates, please follow @DetroitMercyRec on Instagram or contact the front desk at 313-993-1783.

• CCPD boot camp helps seniors transition to their new careers, April 29

  Thursday April 25, 2024
  

  

  Center for Career & Professional Development invites all graduating seniors to attend the Senior Job Search Boot Camp from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, April 29 inside the Student Union, Room 208.

  Once finals are over on the McNichols Campus, soon-to-be graduates are encouraged to take the time to fine tune their job search plans. The CCPD wants to help graduates transition from the classroom to their new careers. Lunch will be served after the event.

  Graduating seniors will:

  • Gain valuable advice from recruiters
  • Learn how to develop their personal brand
  • Explore the competencies that will make them career ready
  • Create an effective LinkedIn profile
  • Create a job search action plan
  • Get a free professional photo taken (Must pre-register)

  This event is designed to imitate the fast-pace of a boot camp, sessions will last 20 minutes each. Participants will have the opportunity to network with professionals from the Detroit Regional Partnership, Superior Industries and Plastipak.

  Pre-registration through Handshake.