We are sharing the stories of several of University of Detroit Mercy’s newest alumni to mark the graduation of the Class of 2021. As a child, Nurzahan Rahman dreamed of being her school’s valedictorian. Through her hard work in the classroom, dedication to giving back and willingness …
The Detroit Mercy Theatre Company (DMTC) is drawing inspiration from the past with the presentation of Hitchcocked!: An Audio Serial, an original, five-episode adventure comedy based on the work of Alfred Hitchcock. The world premiere audio play, commissioned by the DMTC thanks to a donation from alumnus Tom Page ’71, …
The word “civility” is frequently used in discussions on how to heal the deep political and personal divisions in this country. But a new book by Detroit Mercy Assistant Professor of Political Science Alex Zamalin argues that the word has been used historically to silence people working toward a more …
Joseph Alvaro understands that it’s not life’s challenges that define someone, it’s how that person responds to them. In a span of 14 months in 2009 and 2010, Alvaro lost Frances, his wife of 25 years, his daughter, his father, a brother-in-law and an uncle by marriage with whom he …
Detroit Mercy is in John Freeman’s bones. His father, John Freeman, was a beloved English professor whose lectures examining connections between the lyrics of Tupac Shakur and themes in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet were popular with students and taught young John to think in creative ways. The father and son also …
David Tumpkin fondly remembers his childhood performances, when he would play music by banging on pots and pans and entertain relatives with puppet shows from behind the family couch. From those early at-home productions, to high school marching band and choir, music has been a constant in Tumpkin’s life. Over …
For Kath Usitalo ’76, summer vacation as a child growing up in metro Detroit meant one thing: Making the trip north to spend time with family in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where her parents were born. “We actually didn’t do a lot of touristy things,” Usitalo said. “We had picnics and beach …
University of Detroit Mercy Professor of English Nick Rombes decided to do something creative for his creative writing class this summer, inviting several alumni to audit the class to create a mix of alumni and current undergrad students. “The idea was to bring together students and alums from different age …
Sarah Hirschmann is not too disappointed that her senior year at University of Detroit Mercy was cut short by a global pandemic. She’s not even disappointed that, as valedictorian, she will not be giving the address she worked so hard on. “There are bigger problems,” she said. “COVID has taken …
We may be in the middle of a pandemic, but life goes on. Detroit Mercy’s Marketing & Communications Team is collecting stories of the many inspiring and heartwarming ways our alumni, students and other members of the University community are responding. In the series we are calling “Snapshots of a …
