Meet Briana, the Newest Member of our Staff

May 9, 2016 – Hello! My name is Briana Coleman and I am excited to begin my journey into the policy world during my time at Michigan’s Children.  I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Michigan State University in May of 2015. Originally from Hamtramck, Michigan I have always taken a value in diversity and understanding the importance of community to motivate change. Coming from a low-income background, and understanding the struggle of graduating high school and going away to college sparked an interest very early in my professional career to work with youth who come from similar communities as myself. Beginning in 2012, I worked as an advocate and later as a case supervisor for the Adolescent Project which is a community based intervention program between the Juvenile Justice Division of the Lansing District Court and a department at Michigan State University. Mentoring youth and helping them find resources in their community led me to further working with youth involved in foster care, homelessness and housing insecurity, abuse and neglect services, and in more aspects of juvenile justice. Most recently, I have served as a program assistant for the Center for Educational Outreach at the University of Michigan where I have been in charge of developing, facilitating, and evaluating college access workshops which were presented to students in Detroit, Monroe, and Garden City among other cities in Michigan.

Currently, I am in my second year of my graduate studies at the University of Michigan studying social and educational policies which effect disadvantaged youth. Having experience working with youth in multiple systems led me to see how these systems overlap, and enable youth to become further involved with behaviors that will have a negative effect on their futures. Furthermore my experiences have led me to understanding how the disparities and lack of resources in the educational system across economic thresholds effects the chances of youth involvement within these systems. With this perspective I became interested in policy advocacy work for children and youth from disadvantaged communities. Upon being made aware of Michigan’s Children I became intrigued with their work and wanted to become involved in the things that they were doing due to the overlap of issues that they prioritize and my personal interests. The emphasis that Michigan’s Children places on improving youth outcomes from a multi-systemic approach further warranted my interest in the organization.

During my time at Michigan’s Children I hope to learn and expand on my advocacy skills while also learning skills relevant to building and maintaining partnerships within the communities where we work. Additionally, during my time here I hope to contribute to the mission of Michigan’s Children by engaging in research, assisting with outreach events, contributing my thoughts on policies which effects children, and by learning from the people that I work with.

– Briana Coleman

Michigan’s Children is proud to welcome intern Briana Coleman to our staff. You will hear more from her throughout her year at Michigan’s Children, and can get in touch with her via email.