Finding Her Voice: How One Student Found the Arts at U-M

University of Michigan student Allison Wei didn’t come to Michigan intending to study the arts. “I didn’t consider myself a writer or a poet,” said Wei, a senior majoring in Business with a minor in Writing. That all changed when she took a class her freshman year with poet, author, and professor Carlina Duan. “She was the first teacher who looked like me. Growing up, the idea of having a creative career wasn’t an option in my home, and it was really empowering to see someone who had made it possible.” She declared a Writing minor at the end of her freshman year. 

That first class of her freshman year planted a seed. Wei began submitting her work, first to an AAPI essay competition and later to a poetry contest her sophomore year. When she won first place for an Underclassmen Poetry Contest through the U-M Hopwood Awards Program, the prize provided the external validation she needed to embrace her new found identity as a writer. "That recognition gave me permission to finally call myself a writer," she reflects. She soon found herself interviewing residents at Mercy House in Ann Arbor about their experiences with homelessness—her first foray into journalism. 

Wei's involvement in the U-M arts community continued to grow: from working as a reporting intern for The Detroit News to writing for The Michigan Daily and the Detroit Neighborhood Project, a Ross School of Business nonprofit. Little by little she began to hone her craft, but it was her participation in U-M's poetry events, like the 2025 Pierpont Poetry Kickoff, that really helped her find a sense of belonging and community among other writers at U-M.

These poetry connections proved particularly valuable for her creative development as a writer. When asked about her experience at the 2025 Pierpont Poetry Kickoff Event, Wei explained that she first learned about it through a Fireside Workshop, where she met organizer Félix Zamora Gómez, Arts Initiative Program Coordinator for Engagement, who invited her to attend.

“It's been great getting to build more of a poetry community at U-M and seeing the same familiar faces again,” she noted. Wei emphasized the importance of these "micro opportunities" for building confidence as a writer or poet, particularly appreciating the interactive student components and the chance to win prizes.

“There are so many arts opportunities here, and these smaller events really help build your confidence as a non-arts major,” Wei said, "I think this Pierpont Commons event is a small example of how many arts opportunities there are at U-M. Something that's really defined my time at Michigan is the arts." She also pointed out that many non-arts majors actively participate in the Arts Initiative’s workshops, highlighting the program's broad appeal across disciplines.

For Wei, participating in these programs has been a transformative experience. Looking back at her freshman-year self—uncertain of whether she could truly call herself a writer—she sees just how much she has grown in her four years on campus.

“I started submitting to competitions, and now I write for myself all the time,” she says. “Even if I’m not sure what purpose a piece serves at the moment, I know I might submit it to something in the future.”

That mindset has shifted her long-term goals as well. While her Business major will ultimately guide her career path after graduation, she remains committed to writing and submitting work to literary journals. Her post-graduation plans reflect the transformative experiences she’s had at U-M: first, spending 45 unplugged days immersed in the U-M New England Literature Program, followed by a corporate internship this fall in New York City.

To read more from Wei, check out her Writing Minor capstone project—a series of interviews with Michigan-based Asian American creatives.

As she prepares to leave Ann Arbor, Wei carries with her more than just a résumé of accolades and internships—she carries a sense of artistic purpose and personal empowerment. “Writing isn’t just something I do anymore—it’s part of who I am,” she says. Her story reflects the power of discovery that happens when students are given the space to explore their identities through the arts, even when they come from unexpected places. For Wei, the arts at Michigan didn’t just help her find her voice—they helped her own it.