May 13, 2025 | Edited by Nick Pfost
At IGR’s 23rd annual Award Ceremony and Graduation Celebration, graduates each had the opportunity to address their peers. One by one, newly minted alumnx took the podium. Many expressed gratitude to their classmates, families, and mentors; spoke about meaningful experiences; and shared how they plan to take what they've learned and apply it as new roads open up before them. Read excerpts from selected remarks below.
“This program didn't just reframe my experience; it rewrote it entirely. IGR has changed my mind, yes, but more than that, it has opened my heart. It gave me purpose and made me feel known, seen, valued, and loved… I think everyone in this room is all too familiar with the challenges being engaged in this work right now, but in the past few months, I have found I am more proud than ever to say that I'm a part of this community. I know I am not walking this path alone. Dialogue lit the torch, and all of you have taught me how to carry it.” - Sophie Phillips, BA in political science and French
“I've grown dramatically by hearing the perspectives and encouraging the sharing of others as well as their life experiences. I found peace in what sort of person I want to become. I intend to nurture this by challenging myself to think beyond the systems we inhabit when looking to create equitable social policies.” - Elsa Hall, BA in political science
“IGR has been the best part of my college experience. It taught me community, gave me hope for humanity, and even changed my career path. I went from premed to health policy. So thank you so much. I can't wait to advocate for human rights and improve the quality of hospitals around America.” - Haniyah Johnson, BA in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience
“I wrote about intergroup dialogue in my "Why Michigan" essay in high school, and started freshman year of college, and it continues to be a "Why Michigan" for me. It's been one of my favorite things I've done throughout these past four years. I think it's such a special place on campus, and it has changed how I approach every conversation in life.” - Hope Cordes, BA in public policy
“[IGR] was something I just stumbled into from seeking more opportunities to care for incoming students, especially within marginalized communities. I was able to get to know my students, share relevant resources and tools, and advocate for ways that the class could be better accommodating to various identities.” - Tyae Grant, BA in sociology and social work
“Being in a community where I feel valued, and where my social identities are respected, has been a big part of my experience at Michigan. I've learned so much from being a facilitator, from being a participant, and just from this wide community and the people that I've met… I'm going to take the skills I've learned here as [I become] a doctor, and I'm hoping to fight against racial health disparities and deliver culturally competent care that means a lot to me.” - Laike Leatherwood, BS in biology, health, and society
“I've been on an incredible journey as an IGR minor, a facilitator, and a person for the past couple of years. I've learned more about myself and the social identities I embody in dialogue spaces than anywhere else on campus. I think some of us are facing one of the most uncertain or confusing times in our lives while words and phrases that represent our core values and have been fundamental to our education for over four years are now being ridiculed and banned from the spaces we love and care about. Now more than ever, I believe that we as IGR alum need to carry forward those same values and teachings of this program and bring them into a world of anxiety to help foster understanding and community. The friends I've made, the lessons I've learned, and the ability to think critically are a few small aspects of this program that will follow me wherever I go.” - Andrew Reno, BA in communication and media studies
“This experience in IGR has been the most life-changing of my college experience… It was an experience where I was able to put into practice and words [my] thoughts and feelings about how I want to be in community with the world around me in such a tactile way… My philosophy has always been as long as I know why you are the way you are, I can love and understand you, and I don't think I found that full definition until I got to IGR.” - Xavier Perry, Bachelor of Music
“I transferred here three years ago from Henry Ford Community College, and… I'm very glad that I was able to do IGR, be a facilitator, all within my senior year… IGR has been very validating, very uplifting for me, and I will most definitely use these skills to enhance my career in sociology as an educator.” - Alanna Schwarz, BA in sociology
“IGR has been a safe haven for me during my undergraduate experience. It's provided me with the history, perspectives, tools, and support necessary to navigate a very unstable political and social world. Whenever I have felt like the world was too broken or I was too scared, I've had the most driven, passionate, loving, intelligent humans surrounding me who, without fail, remind me that community is the answer, we are all together in the fight for liberation, and there is hope…. I intend to continue on in my education and obtain my social work masters and build off of the knowledge and skills my time in IGR has instilled in me to fight for equitable access to services and treatment quality for individuals seeking recovery from addiction, and to bring these tools to every other area of my life as well.” - Lillie Birnie, BA in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience
“My involvement in IGR has been one of the most transformative parts of my journey here at Michigan. It has taught me that communication is more than just a conversation; it's an active, intentional practice rooted in empathy, accountability, and a willingness to sit in discomfort. Through IGR, I've come to understand the importance of recognizing my own social identities and how they shape the way I move in the world and how others do too. IGR has pushed me to listen deeply, speak honestly, lead with compassion. It's given me the language to talk about power, privilege, and systems, but more importantly, it's given me the tools to do something about them. As I move forward, I'm committed to nurturing what I've gained by continuing to create spaces that center dialogue, growth, and knowledge. Whether that's in my community, my workplace, or anywhere in between, I'll carry this Michigan experience with me knowing that leaders and the best aren't just the loudest voices in the room, but the ones that are willing to listen, reflect, and show up for others.” - Zahrria Smith, BA in sociology
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