Graduation week at the University of Michigan highlights students whose academic paths span art and design, architecture, nursing, engineering and pre‑med. Their stories reflect the many ways U‑M shaped their work, their goals and their sense of what comes next.

Raised in rural West Michigan, Margherita Hill graduates from the Stamps School of Art & Design after turning to painting as a way to process the loss of her mother during her first year of high school.

At U‑M, she deepened that early connection to art through study abroad programs in Siena and Rome, research on a cyberfeminist art archive and a senior project focused on grief, family and social welfare.

Her work in the Path Forward BA show explored how loss reshaped her relationship with her sister. After graduation, Hill plans to move to Chicago and spend the next few years working in art education or advocacy before pursuing a master’s degree in art administration or art history.

“I’ve definitely become a better artist because I’m surrounded by all these really talented people,” she said.

Lilijana Gregov completes her degree at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning after years of studio work, design competitions and leadership. She paired her architecture major with a minor in art and design, earned university honors and won first place in two undergraduate shows.

She also co-founded ARCH1, Taubman’s first architectural competition team, which earned third place in an international contest. Her time at U-M changed how she understands the built environment and how people move through it.

“Taubman is a place that changes the way students think, asking us to analyze not just how a building functions, but how it feels: how light moves through a space, how it is experienced and how design shapes everyday life,” she said. “You have to learn a different language coming to school here. “You start to look at everything a bit differently.”

From New York City and both parents U-M alumni, Sophia Lupton graduates from the School of Nursing with honors and more than 1,000 clinical hours across high‑acuity units. Her research examined dietary interventions and sleep quality in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

“I was raised on maize and blue,” she said. “Michigan has always felt like a second home.”

Her externship in the Critical Care Medical Unit and senior preceptorship in the Trauma‑Burn ICU confirmed her interest in critical care. She found community through the Nursing Honors Program, student leadership and the Michigan Community Scholars Program.

“I’ll miss the School of Nursing community here at U-M,” she said. “I have built so many meaningful connections with my peers, professors and faculty. That sense of community will be hard to replicate.”

Asher Kone finishes his degree in naval architecture and marine engineering at Michigan Engineering after internships that took him from Pearl Harbor to the North Sea and research in the Marine Structures Design Lab.

He held leadership roles in the Quarterdeck Society and Wolverine Offshore Wind and he described his senior design project—building a ship concept from the ground up—as the highlight of his studies.

Coming to Michigan from Hawaii required adjustment, but he found a strong sense of belonging in the program. “Despite being part of a large university, naval architecture feels more like a small, tight-knit community,” he said. “I could walk into a professor’s office, and they’d be happy to help me.”

Diala Ajaero graduates from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts with a degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology after pursuing research, entrepreneurship and clinical experience.

In the Koschmann Lab, he contributed to pediatric neuro‑oncology research focused on DIPG, including work using MRI data to help predict treatment response. He also co-founded a creatine snack startup through optiMize and explored patient‑centered care through internships and student organizations.

“U-M didn’t just give me a degree, but the space to test my interests and stretch them further than I expected,” he said. “The richness of opportunity that’s offered at this university exceeded my expectations in every way.”