Giving Blueday, the university’s 24-hour celebration of giving, will take place in the spring for the second consecutive year. On March 16, the university will encourage donors around the world to give to the programs and causes they care most about at U-M.

At Taubman College, Giving Blueday fundraising centers on the college’s greatest area of need: student support. As state funding continues to dwindle while the cost of education rises, financial aid is an essential part of creating opportunities for our students. A significant percentage of students rely on scholarships, loans, and work-study programs to fund their education. Student support funds help students graduate with less debt

and free them from financial worries during their academic career.

Bottom line: The Architecture Student Support Fund and Urban Planning Student Support Fund help Taubman College attract top talent and make a Michigan education accessible for promising students from all financial backgrounds.

Students who have received donor-funded support for their education include:

Isabelle Borie, M.Arch ’22

Born and raised in Arizona, Borie knew she wanted to pursue her graduate education in a different climate. As an undergraduate at Arizona State University, “most of our projects centered on the desert environment and trying to keep things cool. I wanted to get my M.Arch at a place where I’d be exposed to new environments and challenges,” she says. Ultimately, receiving a scholarship helped her choose Taubman College. “Out-of-state tuition is so expensive, and to have such a prestigious school give me that type of opportunity to continue my education was exciting,” she says. “It was my ticket to get the different experiences I had been hoping for.”

Hudson Matz, B.S. Arch ’22

Matz is pursuing a double major in architecture and environmental studies, with a concentration in sustainable city planning. “I’m interested in designing places that are self-sufficient, that will continue to last,” Matz says. “What’s the point of building something if you’re going to have to tear it down? I want to create spaces that minimize waste and improve the way people live.” Outside of the classroom, Matz embraces the breadth of opportunities at the university, including the professional architecture fraternity Alpha Rho Chi and the club lacrosse team. “This is an amazing environment where we have the tools to create whatever we can imagine,” he says.

Dolores Perales, M.U.R.P. ’22

Perales grew up in southwest Detroit surrounded by vacant land, blighted property, illegal dumping, and noise and air pollution. “I didn’t start putting the pieces together until I got older, that these environmental factors impact how I live and the quality of my life,” she says. In high school, she began volunteering with Cadillac Urban Gardens, part of the Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision Project. She continued working there throughout college and now is their environmental sustainability specialist. “Environmental factors tend to be left out of the planning process, as well as the needs and wants of the community — especially frontline communities and communities of color like mine — so I am going into this field to make sustainable, equitable change,” says Perales.

A gift to Taubman College — on Giving Blueday or any day —supports the next generation of leaders in planning and architecture. Make your gift at taubmancollege.umich.edu/give