Nate Hawley (left) and Temitayo Oyelade (right), high school students in the Wolverine Pathways program. (Joel Iverson)
Wolverine Pathways is an academic program that began in 2015. Up to 60 6th grade and 9th grade students are selected from Detroit, Southfield Public, or Ypsilanti Community school districts. Once these students are admitted into the program, they participate in fall, winter, and summer sessions each year through their senior year of high school.
The program offers project-based learning, field trips, campus visits, college preparation workshops, internships, and U-M mentors. Along with helping high school students get into university, this program helps with SAT preparation and the application process. Another major benefit is a four-year scholarship that is offered to students who complete the program, apply to U-M and are admitted.
This summer, two interns from the Wolverines Pathways program are working within ITS. Temitayo Oyelade, a rising senior at Southfield Arts and Technology High, is working on the Network Infrastructure team under Marty Stroud, and Nate Hawley, rising senior at Huron High School, is working on the Information Assurance team under Dennis Neil. This is Hawley’s first summer participating in the program, and Oyelade has been a part of it since the fall of his 10th grade year. When asked about his experience within the program, Oyelade stated that “Wolverine Pathways is truly a great opportunity for students to develop their skills and be prepared for college.”
Stroud and Neil are both striving to align each intern’s professional goals with the projects they are working on, and the knowledge they will be gaining during their time at ITS. Hawley hopes to major in Computer Engineering and Oyelade hopes to major in Computer Science and Engineering, both wanting to attend U-M Ann Arbor next year. Both will be attending weekly Friday retreats the ITS internship program hosts for current interns, as well, to increase their knowledge of other intern cohort projects and professional development within the IT field.
President Schlissel visited Ypsilanti High School to inform prospective high school students of the Wolverine Pathway Internship Program and recruit more applicants. One goal of this program is to present these opportunities to students in low income areas, which will eventually enable U-M to better represent minority groups. U-M also plans to change its curriculum to accurately reflect our diverse society. The addition of this program is a physical representation of the university’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitment to break down obstacles for these students in their admittance to the university, and provide them with tools for them to be successful during their time here.
