Presented By: LSA Opportunity Hub
Careers for the Common Good: Michigan Community Scholars Alum Panel
Celebrate 25 Years of MCSP with Inspiring Alums!
Friday September 13th marks the Michigan Community Scholars Program 25th Anniversary Celebration, just in time for Homecoming! With alums flocking back to campus, join us and MCSP for a special panel featuring some of their outstanding former participants who have transformed their passion for social justice and community service into impactful careers.
We'll hear from alums who pursued majors in Women's Studies, Political Science, Communication, Psychology, Afroamerican and African Studies, and more, sharing their journeys of turning academic interests into fulfilling careers in tech, human services, law, and beyond. This is your chance to gain valuable insights on how to leverage your education to make a real difference in the world. Whether you’re curious about pathways in tech, human services, or law—or are simply seeking inspiration for directions to take your degree in service to others after graduation—this event is for you!
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with alums who are lifting others, improving our communities, and making the world a better place. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Register today!
[If you've already registered through MCSP, there is no need to register here.]
Our panelists include:
⦿ Elizabeth Carter | Afroamerican and African Studies/Political Science, 2011 - Attorney & Managing Member, Elizabeth L. Carter Esq., LLC
⦿ Amanda Hooper | Women's Studies, 2007 - Senior Director of Grassroots Community Engagement, Feeding America
⦿ Sam Morykwas | Political Science, 2013 - Marketing Manager, Craftsman Technology Group
⦿ Aesha Mustafa | Psychology/Sociology, 2011 - Co-owner & Therapist/Assistant Professor, Integrative Empowerment Group/Eastern Michigan University
⦿ Nyah Pierson | Psychology/Theatre, 2020 - HS Academic Coordinator, Racquet Up Detroit
⦿ Trista Van Tine | Communication, 2005 - Founder, heyNunchi
[Additional Panelist Bios added when available; check back often!]
Elizabeth L. Carter - Inclusive Redeveloper, Community Planner, and Corporate Securities Attorney
Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Arts with honors from University of Michigan where she was a LSA Honors Summer Fellow, Community Service Peer Advisor for MCSP and a Community-Based Research Fellow at UROP. She received her Masters in City and Regional Planning and her Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University.
Elizabeth is the Managing Member of a redevelopment, community planning, and law firm where she drafts participatory legislation & policy; leads and counsels multi-million dollar inclusive redevelopment projects; and represents cooperatives and other businesses in a variety of industries. Elizabeth is also a founding member of a Black woman-owned holding cooperative designed to assist Black women entrepreneurs with scaling and sustaining their businesses in a nurturing and dignifying ecosystem that promotes health and wellness, business development and investment opportunities.
Amanda Hooper - Senior Director of Grassroots Community Engagement, Feeding America
Amanda Hooper is a DC-based, Michigan-raised organizer, advocate, and communicator with nearly two decades of experience building grassroots power to effect change. She currently serves as Senior Director of Grassroots Community Engagement at Feeding America, where she is helping catalyze a movement to end hunger. Throughout her career, she's worked for the U.S. Congress, in higher education, in community organizing, and in the nonprofit sector where she's created compelling, effective campaigns on issues including workplace justice, health care, education, and national service. In addition to an AB from University of Michigan in Women's Studies, Amanda holds a Master of Studies from the University of Oxford and recently graduated with her MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Sam Morykwas - Marketing Manager, Craftsman Technology Group
Sam Morykwas is a marketing professional and creative. He is currently the Marketing Manager for Craftsman Technology Group, a technology services firm that works exclusively with nonprofit clients, including The Trevor Project, The ALS Association, and Sandy Hook Promise. He previously held marketing roles at two iconic Detroit organizations, Eastern Market Partnership and the Michigan Science Center. He started his career with a year of AmeriCorps service with the Michigan Nonprofit Association in Lansing. He works to balance his full-time career roles with his passions for music as a producer and DJ. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2013 and spent two years in MCSP.
Aesha Mustafa - Clinical practitioner/Assistant Professor - Integrative Empowerment Group/Eastern Michigan University
Dr. Aesha Mustafa (she/her) is a scholar and clinical practitioner. She is an Assistant Professor in
the Leadership and Counseling Department at Eastern Michigan University. Her research focuses
on how Black tenure-track faculty at predominately White research one institutions describe and
enact their personal and professional commitments while navigating their institutions’ priorities
and reward structure. Through her research, Dr. Mustafa amplifies Black faculty’s stories of
brilliance and resistance.
She also demonstrates a deep commitment to enhancing marginalized students' academic and
social progress. Her approach to teaching is to bring her whole self and intersecting identities
into the classroom. In bringing her whole self into the classroom, she teaches about social
inequality and injustice from a place of wellness, wholeness, and joy.
Finally, Dr. Mustafa is the Resident Mental Health Expert on EMU’s “Enlighten U,” a podcast
that addresses college student mental health topics. Her expertise draws from her work as a
licensed clinical social worker and co-owner of Integrative Empowerment Group, a Ypsilanti-
based group private practice focused on serving marginalized populations.
Nyah Pierson - HS Academic Coordinator, Racquet Up Detroit
Nyah Pierson is a metro Detroit native. A graduate of Michigan, class of 2020, Nyah was an avid activist in the performing arts community on campus within SMTD & LSA. She was a MCSP resident, student leader for the community service branch, and a residential advisor within the community during her time on campus. Since graduating with her dual degrees (Theatre Performance: Acting & Psychology), she has worked in various industries within the nonprofit sector. From nonprofit theatre to youth development organizations, Nyah strives to help each team she’s participated on reach deep within their mission & purpose to expand each organization’s reach.
Trista Van Tine, Technology Startup Founder & CEO
Trista is the founder of an emerging venture-backed AI startup designed to help distributed people networks scale their services.
After leading business development and marketing teams across multiple industries in the UK, California, New York and Switzerland, she returned to Michigan in 2020, co-founded Michigan Founders Fund (MFF) and served as its Executive Director through 2023. This statewide effort to build bridges across each region of the state in service of high-growth founders has been a model of culture and community for other entrepreneurial support organizations and was designated and funded as a Small Business Support Hub by Governor Whitmer. Trista also created Michigan Tech Week, established the first of its kind team-style pitch competition for founders from different companies to win non-dilutive funding with the MFF Venture Competition; launched a DEIB Internship Program for underrepresented students to get experience in tech startups and VC, established the MFF Founders Retreat, and helped MFF achieve the 100-member milestone in a short period of time.
Trista has been recognized as a 2024 Top Women in Tech, was named the Top Community Builder in 2023 by Purpose Jobs, is a 2022 Crain’s Detroit 40 Under 40 awardee, and was named by Corp! Magazine as one of the state’s Diversity Business Leaders in 2021. She earned two master’s degrees in global media and communications at the London School of Economics and the University of Southern California; she earned her bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in political science at the University of Michigan.
The Opportunity Hub aims to deliver inclusive and accessible experiences and welcomes all LSA students to participate. This event is on the 1st floor of a wheelchair accessible building which includes wheelchair-accessible restrooms on the 1st floor, a gender-inclusive and accessible restroom on the 1st floor, places to sit or stand during the event, and accessible parking options nearby on Maynard Street To request other accommodations please contact LSA Hub Events at lsa.hubevents@umich.edu or 734-763-4674 so we can make arrangements.
We'll hear from alums who pursued majors in Women's Studies, Political Science, Communication, Psychology, Afroamerican and African Studies, and more, sharing their journeys of turning academic interests into fulfilling careers in tech, human services, law, and beyond. This is your chance to gain valuable insights on how to leverage your education to make a real difference in the world. Whether you’re curious about pathways in tech, human services, or law—or are simply seeking inspiration for directions to take your degree in service to others after graduation—this event is for you!
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with alums who are lifting others, improving our communities, and making the world a better place. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Register today!
[If you've already registered through MCSP, there is no need to register here.]
Our panelists include:
⦿ Elizabeth Carter | Afroamerican and African Studies/Political Science, 2011 - Attorney & Managing Member, Elizabeth L. Carter Esq., LLC
⦿ Amanda Hooper | Women's Studies, 2007 - Senior Director of Grassroots Community Engagement, Feeding America
⦿ Sam Morykwas | Political Science, 2013 - Marketing Manager, Craftsman Technology Group
⦿ Aesha Mustafa | Psychology/Sociology, 2011 - Co-owner & Therapist/Assistant Professor, Integrative Empowerment Group/Eastern Michigan University
⦿ Nyah Pierson | Psychology/Theatre, 2020 - HS Academic Coordinator, Racquet Up Detroit
⦿ Trista Van Tine | Communication, 2005 - Founder, heyNunchi
[Additional Panelist Bios added when available; check back often!]
Elizabeth L. Carter - Inclusive Redeveloper, Community Planner, and Corporate Securities Attorney
Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Arts with honors from University of Michigan where she was a LSA Honors Summer Fellow, Community Service Peer Advisor for MCSP and a Community-Based Research Fellow at UROP. She received her Masters in City and Regional Planning and her Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University.
Elizabeth is the Managing Member of a redevelopment, community planning, and law firm where she drafts participatory legislation & policy; leads and counsels multi-million dollar inclusive redevelopment projects; and represents cooperatives and other businesses in a variety of industries. Elizabeth is also a founding member of a Black woman-owned holding cooperative designed to assist Black women entrepreneurs with scaling and sustaining their businesses in a nurturing and dignifying ecosystem that promotes health and wellness, business development and investment opportunities.
Amanda Hooper - Senior Director of Grassroots Community Engagement, Feeding America
Amanda Hooper is a DC-based, Michigan-raised organizer, advocate, and communicator with nearly two decades of experience building grassroots power to effect change. She currently serves as Senior Director of Grassroots Community Engagement at Feeding America, where she is helping catalyze a movement to end hunger. Throughout her career, she's worked for the U.S. Congress, in higher education, in community organizing, and in the nonprofit sector where she's created compelling, effective campaigns on issues including workplace justice, health care, education, and national service. In addition to an AB from University of Michigan in Women's Studies, Amanda holds a Master of Studies from the University of Oxford and recently graduated with her MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Sam Morykwas - Marketing Manager, Craftsman Technology Group
Sam Morykwas is a marketing professional and creative. He is currently the Marketing Manager for Craftsman Technology Group, a technology services firm that works exclusively with nonprofit clients, including The Trevor Project, The ALS Association, and Sandy Hook Promise. He previously held marketing roles at two iconic Detroit organizations, Eastern Market Partnership and the Michigan Science Center. He started his career with a year of AmeriCorps service with the Michigan Nonprofit Association in Lansing. He works to balance his full-time career roles with his passions for music as a producer and DJ. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2013 and spent two years in MCSP.
Aesha Mustafa - Clinical practitioner/Assistant Professor - Integrative Empowerment Group/Eastern Michigan University
Dr. Aesha Mustafa (she/her) is a scholar and clinical practitioner. She is an Assistant Professor in
the Leadership and Counseling Department at Eastern Michigan University. Her research focuses
on how Black tenure-track faculty at predominately White research one institutions describe and
enact their personal and professional commitments while navigating their institutions’ priorities
and reward structure. Through her research, Dr. Mustafa amplifies Black faculty’s stories of
brilliance and resistance.
She also demonstrates a deep commitment to enhancing marginalized students' academic and
social progress. Her approach to teaching is to bring her whole self and intersecting identities
into the classroom. In bringing her whole self into the classroom, she teaches about social
inequality and injustice from a place of wellness, wholeness, and joy.
Finally, Dr. Mustafa is the Resident Mental Health Expert on EMU’s “Enlighten U,” a podcast
that addresses college student mental health topics. Her expertise draws from her work as a
licensed clinical social worker and co-owner of Integrative Empowerment Group, a Ypsilanti-
based group private practice focused on serving marginalized populations.
Nyah Pierson - HS Academic Coordinator, Racquet Up Detroit
Nyah Pierson is a metro Detroit native. A graduate of Michigan, class of 2020, Nyah was an avid activist in the performing arts community on campus within SMTD & LSA. She was a MCSP resident, student leader for the community service branch, and a residential advisor within the community during her time on campus. Since graduating with her dual degrees (Theatre Performance: Acting & Psychology), she has worked in various industries within the nonprofit sector. From nonprofit theatre to youth development organizations, Nyah strives to help each team she’s participated on reach deep within their mission & purpose to expand each organization’s reach.
Trista Van Tine, Technology Startup Founder & CEO
Trista is the founder of an emerging venture-backed AI startup designed to help distributed people networks scale their services.
After leading business development and marketing teams across multiple industries in the UK, California, New York and Switzerland, she returned to Michigan in 2020, co-founded Michigan Founders Fund (MFF) and served as its Executive Director through 2023. This statewide effort to build bridges across each region of the state in service of high-growth founders has been a model of culture and community for other entrepreneurial support organizations and was designated and funded as a Small Business Support Hub by Governor Whitmer. Trista also created Michigan Tech Week, established the first of its kind team-style pitch competition for founders from different companies to win non-dilutive funding with the MFF Venture Competition; launched a DEIB Internship Program for underrepresented students to get experience in tech startups and VC, established the MFF Founders Retreat, and helped MFF achieve the 100-member milestone in a short period of time.
Trista has been recognized as a 2024 Top Women in Tech, was named the Top Community Builder in 2023 by Purpose Jobs, is a 2022 Crain’s Detroit 40 Under 40 awardee, and was named by Corp! Magazine as one of the state’s Diversity Business Leaders in 2021. She earned two master’s degrees in global media and communications at the London School of Economics and the University of Southern California; she earned her bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in political science at the University of Michigan.
The Opportunity Hub aims to deliver inclusive and accessible experiences and welcomes all LSA students to participate. This event is on the 1st floor of a wheelchair accessible building which includes wheelchair-accessible restrooms on the 1st floor, a gender-inclusive and accessible restroom on the 1st floor, places to sit or stand during the event, and accessible parking options nearby on Maynard Street To request other accommodations please contact LSA Hub Events at lsa.hubevents@umich.edu or 734-763-4674 so we can make arrangements.
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