Message from Director

Message From Director

Carla O’Connor, Ph.D

As a first-generation college graduate and a first-generation immigrant to this country, I know all too well that valuing education is not enough to get you into college.  And to access and succeed in selective colleges, like the University of Michigan, requires guidance, preparation, and networking unavailable to most. That is why I am honored to direct Wolverine Pathways.

At Wolverine Pathways we serve scholars who know that they want to go to college and whose current academic performance is consistent with this ambition.  Building upon their aspirations and their exceptional potential, we ready them academically for the college classroom. Rather than repeat what they are already learning in school, our math program challenges them to engage creatively, flexibly, and confidently with mathematics while our English Language Arts offerings create opportunities for scholars to use critical reading and writing to engage pressing social justice issues. 

We encourage scholar curiosity by fielding a diverse and rigorous array of pre-collegiate camps and courses taught by the University of Michigan faculty.  We provide internships that allow scholars to explore careers already of interest and those they have yet to imagine. And U-M undergraduates, many of whom grew up in the communities we serve and are also graduates of Wolverine Pathways, serve as near-peer mentors and enable our scholars to see that college, as a whole, and the University of Michigan, in particular, is well within their reach.  This and more is the scholar experience at Wolverine Pathways. Through Wolverine Pathways the doors of opportunity are swung open for scholars to achieve their college and career goals.  

If you are a student, we hope that you will join us on this journey of college preparation and career exploration.  If you are a parent, we look forward to partnering with you around your child’s future.  If you are a U-M alum or a community member, there are ways for you to contribute to and support our efforts. Wolverine Pathways is committed to doing good work with you!