Since 2018, I have been a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House in Ann Arbor, the home away from home that accommodates families with hospitalized children at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. In addition to being a front-of-house volunteer, I also support the Red Shoe Affair, the annual fundraising event that generates around half a million dollars and directly supports house operations. Click here to learn more about the Ann Arbor house and click here to volunteer at the Ann Arbor house. Click here to read a volunteer spotlight on me in the Ronald McDonald House's newsletter, Heart Strings, on page four.

I am a commissioner on the Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues that was formed in 1969 to promote and advocate for equity within the city of Ann Arbor and its municipal government. My recent commission activity has included working with the Clerk's office to conduct polling place accessibility audits. Monthly commission meetings are broadcast on Ann Arbor's Community Television Network (CTN). Click here to learn more about the Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues.

Since 2021, I have been a DJ at WCBN-FM, Ann Arbor's historic freeform radio station. WCBN began as a carrier current station for University buildings in 1952, graduating to full FCC licensing and transmission in 1972. Click here to read more about WCBN's history. My current radio show, Video Life, airs Tuesdays at 10 am. Tune in to 88.3 or click here to listen live. Click here to listen to past editions of Video Life and click here to view a spreadsheet of past setlists. There’s something beautiful about curated music and the arts more generally—I’m grateful to be in a long line of DJs spinning Yellow Magic Orchestra.

I was elected to the School of Information’s Doctoral Executive Committee (DEC), a group of PhD students advocating for the interests of doctoral students and fostering community. In this role, I helped organize department elections, social events, and town hall meetings; supported new student orientation and visiting days; and managed various digital administrative tasks. I was also elected Doctoral Committee Student Representative, serving as the sole student member of the Doctoral Committee, which “monitor[s] the quality of the program by periodically reviewing and evaluating its goals and guidelines.” I also served as the DEI Committee Student Representative, working to advance the School’s mission of fostering inclusivity and equity by helping to build a stronger, department-wide community in which members felt seen, heard, and valued.

For two years, I worked as a facilitator for the English Language Institute's conversation circle program. Conversation circles were designed by the institute to support English-as-additional-language learners, providing a weekly casual environment to meet other international students and practice English. Click here to learn more or to volunteer as a facilitator. Additionally, click here for valuable information on grading multilingual students and click here for the video "What Multilingual Students Wish Their Professors Knew."

During the 2023-2024 school year, I was a member of the Transfer Bridges to the Humanities program, the Mellon-funded program that supports the transition of community college students to the University of Michigan. In this capacity, I was a tutor in the Learning Center at Schoolcraft College, a public community college in Livonia, Michigan. Click here to learn more about the program and click here to read a news article about the program's recent work.

I was one of two student coordinators for the STeMS (Science, Technology, Medicine and Society) speaker series, affiliated with the Science, Technology & Society program at the University of Michigan. This series brings STS scholars to the University to discuss their current research alongside theoretical and methodological debates in their given fields. Past speakers include Lorraine Daston, Mara Mills, and Edward Jones-Imhotep. Click here to learn more about the series and to see upcoming speakers. Additionally, I was the student coordination for the Science, Technology & Society program’s 25th anniversary conference that featured speakers such as Gabrielle Hecht, Paul Edwards, and Rachel Rothschild. Click here for the full schedule of speakers.

From 2015-2019, I was a programmer and coordinator for the Cinetopia Film Festival. This work included events coordination in Detroit and Ann Arbor, film introductions at locations like the historic Michigan Theater, trips to neighboring film festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival, and the selection of films for the festival. Some of his favorite films from Cinetopia include The Wailing, RatFilm, Tribal Justice, Window Horses, and I Dream in Another Language. Click here to see more information about the Cinetopia Film Festival and upcoming festival programming. Click here for a map of independent theaters in North America—find your local theater and go to it as often as possible!

For the 2024 nomination period, I was one of the James T. Neubacher Award committee members. The James T. Neubacher Award is presented to an affiliate of the University who has empowered people with disabilities, advocated for or advanced disability rights, or otherwise promoted disability inclusion. This award is given in honor of James T. Neubacher, the University of Michigan graduate and Free Press journalist who wrote the column "Disabled in Detroit." Click here to read archives of Jim's column (requires a ProQuest log-in). Click here to learn more about the award and click here to see past recipients.