A path to success

By Madeline Swanson | Photos by Kaley Joy, Isabel Lopez

Along the coral reefs of Turks and Caicos Islands, Mikel Vaughan-Coston and a team of U‑M researchers from the School for Field Studies study abroad program spent last summer working to preserve the islands’ ecosystems and immersing themselves in the South Caicos community. 

Meanwhile, back in Southwest Detroit, Isabel Lopez (BS ’24) was conducting data analysis for Congress of Communities, a Detroit-based nonprofit located in her neighborhood that focuses on youth-led projects and activism.

So what do these two Detroit natives have in common? Vaughan-Coston (College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Class of 2025) and Lopez are first-generation college students and graduates of the Wolverine Pathways program, which offers free college preparatory enrichment and guidance for seventh- through 12th-grade students who live in Detroit or within the boundaries of the Southfield Public and Ypsilanti Community school districts, or who attend one of the program’s partner schools in Grand Rapids.

Wolverine Pathways scholars who complete the program and are admitted to the Ann Arbor or Dearborn campuses receive a full, four-year tuition scholarship. Since its inception in 2015, numerous graduates of the program have matriculated at the University of Michigan and other higher education institutions. 

This support proved to be a “lifeline” for Vaughan-Coston.

“I was extremely academically motivated, and I knew that I wanted to pursue higher education,” he said. “It's just a beautiful opportunity for people like me who didn't really have that support or someone to guide them and say, ‘This is what further education will be like. This is what you need to prepare for.’”

Wolverine Pathways’ mission is to provide a platform for motivated high school students from underrepresented populations to access top-tier educational resources and mentorship, and to help create a more diverse pipeline of students who are well-prepared for the rigors of college.

A former student council president, golf caddy, activist, and a top academic performer in her high school class, Lopez always had her sights set on higher education. But when she was introduced to Wolverine Pathways as a high school sophomore, those plans began to take definite shape. 

“One of my favorite memories was Wolverine Pathways Day, where we went onto campus and were able to visit and stay in the dorms. They really wanted us to be able to envision ourselves there,” Lopez said. “Wolverine Pathways really gave me confidence to believe that attending Michigan was possible.”

In fact, Lopez credits her studies at U‑M’s School of Information (SI) and career in data analytics to an internship she obtained through Wolverine Pathways. Her experience at the Institute for Social Research during her junior year of high school showed her that her commitment to activism could intersect with her future career. 

“They were using data to help explain people, which I was really interested in,” Lopez said. “I felt like that's the role that I was looking for, and I found a place that best fit me.”

At Michigan, Lopez found community on the board of the student organization La Casa, as a building manager at the William M. Trotter Multicultural Center, and as a member of Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority. Now working on her master’s degree in big data analytics at SI, Lopez credits Wolverine Pathways for giving her the confidence to pursue her passions.

Students admitted to the program spend Saturdays engaged in a rigorous curriculum that spans STEM, humanities, social sciences, and more. With guidance from U‑M faculty and staff, as well as customized tutoring, workshops, and ACT/SAT prep, Wolverine Pathways scholars become well-versed in subjects that are foundational for college success.

For Vaughan-Coston, Wolverine Pathways provided the opportunity to thoroughly explore his interests ahead of college and develop a strong network of friends.

“It gave me more of an opportunity to question myself, what I really wanted to go into as a college student, what I really wanted my career to be,” he said. “Oftentimes in school, we are learning things that we aren't necessarily interested in—it's to fit a curriculum. The fact that going to college would allow me to be immersed in what I truly wanted to learn was a huge motivator for me to complete the program.”

The U‑M senior said those many years of spending Saturdays at Wolverine Pathways are “definitely paying off.”

“I'm literally living my dreams, which is kind of scary,” he admitted. “I never thought this would be actually attainable. I'm currently doing research in an environment I love, and I am here at the end of the day because of the Wolverine Pathways program.”