LSA Graduating Seniors 2026: A World of Opportunities

A tide pool is a good metaphor for Diala Ajaero’s view of how he lives his life: small from the outside, but with an entire ecosystem inside.

“Currents, organisms, nutrients, predators, symbiosis,” says Ajaero, a 2026 graduate in LSA’s Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB). “It’s constantly reshaped by the tides, yet it maintains its own identity. New things flow in with each tide: ideas, interests, opportunities. Some settle in and become part of the ecosystem, growing into skills or long-term pursuits. Others wash back out, not in a disposing manner but only after they’ve left their mark. The pool is always full, but never overflowing, because it naturally rebalances itself.”

Readers may be able to infer from this quote that Ajaero is a deep thinker, one who is willing and even eager to look below the surface to find hidden truths, paths not yet taken, and unnoticed beauty.

He also has his feet firmly planted on the ground. Ajaero—who plans to start medical school in summer 2027—currently does coding, stem cell cultures, and other work in the lab of Carl Koschmann, M.D., the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Research Professor of Pediatrics. He initially decided to apply to cancer-centric labs at Michigan Medicine after his uncle passed away from cancer when Ajaero was going into his second year at U-M.

“I thought, If I can do work that directly impacts these patients’ lives, maybe to elongate their lives or give them a better course of treatment, that makes this work very significant,” he says. “I like having the chance to have that kind of impact on someone’s life.”

While participating in LSA’s Health Sciences Scholars Program, Ajaero cofounded a company that was funded in part by LSA’s optiMize. Cre•ADE, which makes bite-sized creatine snacks with the purpose of changing the perspective on creatine supplements, caters to an audience of individuals they see as being neglected in much of the creatine marketplace—health-conscious students and professionals, for example. It recently won first prize at the Michigan Healthcare Business Club pitch competition. In the gap between graduation from LSA and the start of medical school, he plans to devote more time to the company, while working on Medical School applications. 

As an LSA student, “I met amazing mentors, got connections I would never have had elsewhere, and truly have had an even more enriching experience than I ever could have imagined,” he says. His classes were varied and enriching, from the MCDB coursework and labs to those that focused on economics or Scandinavian history. He joined and led numerous clubs and organizations. His experience with optiMize, he says, “showed me that why not me? is a question you should always ask yourself when thinking about business and, really, life in general.”

The Southfield, Michigan, native sees himself as a citizen of the world. “I wish to actively promote the ability of communities that are held back, either by sickness or by job scarcity, to be allowed access to world-class health care and resources,” he says. “Part of this is starting a practice and even going back to my family’s home in Nigeria to plant both philanthropic business sprouts, and organize a team of doctors and train them in world-standard care to elevate the standard of care in places like developing countries, which often don’t have the resources to begin these endeavors themselves.”

In his undergraduate experience, he has learned much about science and society. He has also found new avenues for his sense of wonder about the world. “Something I learned is that I have a general curiosity to experience,” he says. His parents used to tell him that it was wise to focus on doing one thing, and doing it well. “I refuse to not find out what I’m capable of. When I see something that interests me, I go seek it out.” 

As a child, he edited Minecraft videos for YouTube, then used those skills to win video-editing competitions. He likes going to the gym, but was not a fan of available creatine supplement options; he turned that observation into the business he cofounded. He started college with the notion that he would go into computer science, but instead he found a passion for medicine and used his coding skills to work in a lab that seeks answers about childhood cancers.

He returns to the tide pool metaphor.

“When something new enters, I instinctively make space by letting something else recede,” Ajaero says. “Nothing is wasted; everything contributes to the richness of the environment, even if only briefly. Over time, the tide pool becomes deeper, more complex, more resilient—not because it stays the same, but because it keeps evolving with each tide.”

Photo by Daryl Marshke/Michigan Photography