GRDC is once again partnering with the University of Michigan Undergrad Research Opportunity Program (UROP) to advance our work in the community.   Two UROP students from U of M are working with GRDC for the summer; Niki Aggarwal and Jalisa Page are working on community based research for the community security program and the vacant property taskforce, respectively. We are excited to have Niki and Jalisa on board. If you see them out in the community make sure to say hello!


 

NikiMy name is Niki Aggarwal and I am working at GRDC this summer as a community based research fellow for the community security program. For the past few years, GRDC has been lobbying the state and local government to establish a Special Assessment District Ordinance. This ordinance would allow a Detroit community such as Grandmont Rosedale to tax itself in order to pay for extra services, including and limited to, security, mosquito abatement, and snow removal services. GRDC is especially interested in hiring extra security services in order to meet residents’ needs as well as re-establish the community as a top place to live in Detroit. My job is to research these kinds of special assessment districts across the country, analyze “best practices,” and compile a list of answers to questions we predict residents might have about the process. I also get to attend community safety and task force meetings, which is probably my favorite part of the job; it is really energizing to witness such strong community engagement as there is in Grandmont-Rosedale!

A little about me: I will graduate next spring from the University of Michigan with a major in International Studies and minor in Statistics. I am not at all sure about what I will be doing next year, but I hope to eventually work on the advancement of women’s economic justice, whether on a local, national, or global scale.


 

JalisaMy name is Jalisa Page and I am from Detroit, Michigan. I am a proud member of the Grandmont Rosedale community. I am a rising junior at the University of Michigan where I am studying nursing with hopes of becoming a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.  For the summer, I will be working at the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation as an intern student. During my time with GRDC I will be creating a vacant property manual to inform the community of who to contact to report blight, how to disguise vacant property, preventing vacancy from occurring and several other topics that will be helpful to the community. I look forward to spending my time with GRDC and researching ways to better the community!