Faces of Michigan
Name: Julia Samorezov
Year: Class of 2009
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Home: Ohio
Helping others has always been very important to me, but before college I viewed it as an abstract concept—I did little to act upon the idea. Through the interactions I had with other U-M students during my freshman year, I was made painfully aware of how privileged my upbringing was. My interest in public health grew mostly from late night talks with my fellow students. I was inspired to read, and stories by and about Dr. Paul Farmer showed me that individuals can make a difference.
Classes that sparked my interest in social justice issues and the law: I never took a class whose title makes it sound like it emphasizes diversity and social justice. However, during the winter semester of my freshman year, I took a class in French literature. I was most affected by our readings and discussions about the treatment of North African immigrants in France, and was interested to learn more about this complex social situation.
Co-curricular activities I’ve been involved with: Freshman year: Shipman Society, Campus Day Leader, Phi Sigma Rho Sophomore year: M-HEAL, Relay for Life Planning Committee
Festifall was a great recruitment tool—that’s where I learned about Campus Day. I heard about Phi Rho through word of mouth, talking to other girls in engineering. Relay for Life was something I had been involved with in high school, and I was excited to continue at the college level. As for M-HEAL, I can’t pinpoint a single event that made it happen. It all started with a friend from another school telling me that I would like the group “Engineering World Health,” which had a chapter at her school. I did some online research, called some friends, and passively discussed the idea. We found a faculty advisor who encouraged us to think BIG, to break away from the established Engineering World Health and to form our own group. With his encouragement, and the support of the Engineering Student Activities Coordinator, I knew we could push forward with our plans, and M-HEAL was born.
Advice I would give to students who are trying to navigate their way around social justice and diversity-related experiences at U-M: Festifall and Maize Pages are great tools to use, but don’t rely on them exclusively. Talk to people! A great way to discover a club that may be perfect for you is to talk to people about your interests—we have such a big campus that you’re bound to find someone whose interests you share, and they may be a member of a club that promotes those interests. Don’t feel pressured to join a club just because a friend of yours is an officer, but listen to their “sales pitch” about their organization—it may be something you want to become a part of.