Sweetland’s Graduate Services are always adapting to meet the needs of our communities at U-M and beyond. As part of our ongoing development, we have welcomed several skilled graduate students from various corners of the University to join our team and contribute to our initiatives. This effort highlights our dedication to creating an inclusive, supportive space for graduate students: we acknowledge their valuable input and offer avenues for professional growth. The addition of these team members brings a wealth of perspectives and expertise, enhancing our work and deepening the support we extend to students.
Through collaboration with LSA's Transfer Bridges to the Humanities program (which is committed to broadening access, championing the value of a liberal arts education, and linking transfer students to vital campus resources, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds) we have appointed five graduate students to deliver writing support to undergraduates at three Michigan community colleges: Grand Rapids Community College, Henry Ford College, and Schoolcraft College. We’re delighted to introduce these remarkable new additions to our team:
Cheyenne Garcia (Grand Rapids) is a doctoral student in Developmental Psychology. She examines the influence of grandparents on parenting and children's development. Cheyenne has taught several psychology classes and mentored numerous students.
Julie Zhou (Grand Rapids) graduated last year from LSA with a bachelor's in creative writing and a minor in writing at the Sweetland center. Currently, she's a graduate student in the School of Information.
Fallon McCue (Henry Ford) is a master's student in Information, specializing in Libraries, Archives, and Knowledge Environments in Society (LAKES). She worked at UM-Dearborn's Writing Center for two years and is currently an officer for ALA@SI.
Sabrina Sugg (Schoolcraft) is completing an Accelerated Master’s Program in the School for Environment and Sustainability. She also works as a high school substitute teacher at Divine Child High School in Dearborn.
Fernando Valcheff-García (Schoolcraft) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. Fernando has extensive experience as an educator, teaching undergraduate courses in Spanish language, literature, and culture at U-M, and as a former high school and university instructor in Argentina.
Partnering with the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (which provides programs designed to equip students with the skills needed for leadership in higher education and foster its impact on the public good) we’ve also brought Jacob Wu onto our team. Jacob is a first year MA student in Higher Education with a concentration in institutional research at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. Jacob graduated with honors from UC Irvine in June 2025 with a dual degree in Education Sciences and Criminology, Law, and Society plus a minor in Spanish. As a first generation college student, Jacob values education a lot and cares about school to work transition among underrepresented students. He aims to pursue a Ph.D. and conduct evaluation research on students’ resume quality and employment outcomes using econometrics with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) mediation analysis. Beyond academics, Jacob enjoys going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and playing Chinese flute.
In collaboration with the Rackham Graduate School, we have retained Farida Bibi Mughal, a Nursing doctoral student. Farida is responsible for managing the Dissertation ECoach, an interactive platform that supports graduate students as they move from coursework to dissertation writing. She oversees the timely distribution of digital messages to participating students, responds to emerging issues via targeted emails, and moderates discussion on the platform’s Discord channel.
Sweetland values its collaboration with graduate students, whose commitment and expertise bolster our support for undergraduate and graduate learners alike. Their contributions expand Sweetland’s services, enrich our programming, and enable us to more effectively address the varied needs of students at U-M and in the wider community. We’re excited to witness the positive results of their work in the coming months.
