Wednesday, April 11, 2018 // The Statement
6B

I

n her own words, Remi Murrey isn’t supposed 
to be at the University of Michigan. Born and 
raised in Detroit, her passion and sociability 

have driven her toward a career in broadcast 
journalism. As did many of her high school classmates, 
Remi set her eyes on historically black colleges and 
universities, specifically Howard University and its 
program in broadcast journalism.

“Howard was ‘that’ one,” Murrey told me, sitting, in 

a small meeting room in the basement of North Quad 
Residence Hall. But after acceptances to both Howard 
and the University of Michigan, scholarships made 
Ann Arbor an obvious choice despite the absence of a 
broadcast journalism program.

“When my mom and I did a tour here before 

Howard, I had a strong feeling that Michigan was the 
right place for me to be because it just felt at home,” 
Murrey said. “Howard was so far away.”

Despite a 21 on the ACT exam and a 3.5 grade 

point average in high school, Remi defied the odds 
of admissions. She eventually opted for a degree 
in communications studies in lieu of broadcast 
journalism.

“You know the credentials,” Murrey said with a 

wave of her hand. “However, I made it on the first 
round: boom, boom, boom. I wasn’t deferred — it was 
my essay and who I was as a person. I was like, ‘Ah-ha 
I made it!’”

And with her no-nonsense instincts and support 

from her parents, grandmother and her devout faith 
in God, Remi has continued to defy odds and “(make) 
boss moves,” both across campus and in her pursuit 
of broadcast journalism. Now, weeks away from 
graduation, she shares the anxious anticipation of all 
those with uncertain post-graduation circumstances, 

but when asked about her various roles during 
undergraduate career her expression asks, “You want to 
know it all?”

To be fair, there’s a lot to know. Remi has held 

secretary positions in Central Student Government 
and the Comprehensive Studies Program, The Inn at 
the Michigan League in addition to stints as a mentor 
for Pretty Brown Girl Club and a tour guide, all the 
while making pocket money in the University’s dining 
halls, first Bursley Residence Hall and then South 
Quad Residence Hall. But these are merely Remi’s 
side hustles. Her staying power is best displayed by 
her time at The Michigan Daily as a beat reporter, in 
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., as a member and 
then as chapter president and, finally, as an intern 
with Detroit’s Local 4 News.

“Who can say they had an internship while taking 

classes and had multiple jobs and was the president of 
their sorority?” Murrey asked toward the end of our 
interview. “I didn’t let someone hold me back from my 
dreams, so I’m not going to let anyone hold me back from 
my future dreams because if I was able to make it here, I 
feel like I can make it anywhere. But, hey, that’s just me.”

Remi’s (well-earned) sense of pride is tag-teamed 

in and out by humility and a genuine appreciation for 
her opportunities and all those around her who make 
them possible.

“I just want to say thank you, that’s it,” Murrey said 

at the end of our interview. “Thank you to whoever 
nominated me. People may overlook this but I’m not. 
When I say I beat myself up sometimes … We all do. We 
compare ourselves to the next person who looks like 
they’re doing better, but if we just focus on ourselves 
and our own journey we can realize we are doing just 
as much, or even better, so thank you.” 

 Remi 
 
 
 Murrey

BY CHRISTIAN KENNEDY, 

DAILY ARTS WRITER

W

hen I asked Akira Nishii, an LSA and 
Engineering junior, how it felt to be named 
a student of the year, he chuckled. He took 

some time to compile his thoughts before sharing that 
it felt good to be recognized for his efforts, but that he 
would not be where he is today if it was not for other 
people in his life — the professors and students who 
helped get him this far.

Nishii wants to build bridges between people and 

opportunities. Connecting people, both to resources and 
each other, is his passion.

Nishii’s motivation to build bridges can be traced back, 

at least in part, to his experiences as an international 
student from Japan. Like many international students 
on campus, he faces unique challenges. For instance, 
as an aspiring physician, he can only apply to certain 
U.S. medical schools. However, Nishii never wanted 
his citizenship to be a barrier to him so he got creative 
and built a bridge by beginning to translate Japanese 
into English. Now he translates TED Talks, and he 
guest lectures about audio-visual translation to Asian 
Languages and Cultures classes. Though it may not help 
him surmount the application barrier, he sees translation 
as a way to be proud of his roots while creating new 
opportunities.

When he started doing research in high school, Nishii 

treated his work as an intellectual venture. However, his 
feelings toward medicine and research changed after being 
diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an incurable bowel disease.

“Even though being diagnosed with a disease isn’t a fun 

thing, at the same time, it gave me a new perspective,” he said.

Nishii understands research and development are 

expensive but also believes patients should not have to 
pay exuberant prices for treatment. Therefore, he is now 
interested in pursuing a medical degree and an MBA to 
bridge the gap between patients and the biomedical industry.

“I think I’m more interested in optimizing health care 

practices and research, more so than the research itself,” 
he said.

Nishii’s knack for building bridges is apparent upon 

examining the connections he has made while creating 
Perch, a platform that matches undergraduate students 
with research labs.

“It is very difficult for undergraduates to get into 

laboratories and so, currently, the primary means to 
reach professors is email, which can be discouraging to 
undergraduate students because either professors don’t 
check their emails or a lot of professors’ lab websites that 
currently exist are geared towards graduate students,” 
he said.

To facilitate the process, Perch uses an algorithm to 

match undergraduates and their skills to labs.

“So this is like LinkedIn meets eHarmony?” I asked.
“Kind of,” he admitted jovially.
Starting next year, the University’s Undergraduate 

Research Opportunities Program will be using his 
platform. Perch is also collaborating with the Chemistry, 
Biology and Chemical Engineering Departments 
to create a new research fundamentals classes for 
students. Nishii expects over 8,000 University students 
to be using Perch by next year. Perch has also been 
recognized as one of the top 32 student startups and 
has received attention from Sanjay Gupta, a prominent 
neurosurgeon and medical correspondent, and Jeff 
Arnold, the entrepreneur behind WebMD.

Bridges were even built during our interview as 

we discussed our shared interest in Orson Scott 
Card’s “Ender’s Game” and its much-maligned sequel 
“Ender’s Shadow.”

Nishii is building bridges, between students and 

professors, between Japan and America, between patients 
and medicine, and he is just getting started.

 Akira
 
 Nishii

BY ALI SAFAWI, 

OPINION COLUMNIST

Amelia Cacchione/Daily

Carter Fox/Daily