Originally from metro Detroit, University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) student Michael Grady (MLA ’24) got his undergraduate degree in biology from Earlham College in Indiana. Initially, he was on the pre-med track and wanted to be a doctor, but he became interested in urban planning through other coursework. As his academic and professional interests shifted, he began to think about where he might end up after graduating. Grady was particularly interested in the design aspects of urban planning, so he started looking at graduate programs in landscape architecture, which brought him to SEAS. 

Grady’s undergraduate capstone project was about urban biodiversity and ecology. When researching for the project, he read many articles about urban ecosystems and was particularly interested in those about urban stormwater. Many of these papers were co-authored by SEAS Professor Joan Nassauer, who teaches in the Master of Landscape Architecture program. Nassauer’s research was intriguing to Grady, and he was excited at the idea of working with her at SEAS. Nassauer became his academic advisor, and he said the courses he took with her, such as principles of urban design, were rewarding and beneficial to him.

Grady’s capstone project at SEAS was as equally rewarding to him as his coursework. The project was advised by SEAS Assistant Professor of Practice Lisa DuRussel, and Grady and his master’s student team worked with Cass Community Social Services to provide services for people experiencing homelessness in the Detroit area. The organization is run by Faith Fowler, a pastor who has been advocating for the accessibility of tiny houses on vacant land. Grady and his project team helped to partner Cass Community Social Services with the SEAS Sustainability Clinic to design a campus of shelters and tiny houses, as well as help with siting solar panels and advocating for free or reduced-price renewable infrastructure. The team’s final deliverable was a framework for these kinds of projects that can be applied to similar nonprofit organizations in the future. 

Grady said what he has enjoyed most about being a SEAS student is working with and learning from faculty who are at the top of their field. “Before I came here I didn’t have any background in art or design, but the courses and the faculty who I worked with helped me to develop my skills and confidence,” he said. “I learned a lot about myself and the things I am interested in from these professors and their courses, and I’ve learned to apply my interests and skills in ways that benefit other people and communities.”

After he graduates, Grady will remain in Michigan and continue work he is doing as a restoration assistant with the nonprofit organization Friends of the Rouge. He hopes to move to New Orleans to work in urban planning and design. He is particularly interested in working in coastal Louisiana because of its ecological and developmental history and how the intersections between his interests in urban planning, design and ecological restoration apply to the region. 

Grady said he hopes incoming students will come to graduate school with the mindset of being open and ready to learn and improve, but not to sell themselves short. “It can be really intimidating to come to school in a space with so much talent both in the students but also in the faculty and staff,” said Grady. “Incoming students shouldn’t feel daunted by this. You’re here for a reason, so don’t belittle your skills or abilities.”