Honoring their longtime neighbor Mary Lou Kouba, Dr. Nelia Afonso and Dr. George Alangaden are helping WDET-FM 101.9 expand its internship program through a new gift that supports Wayne State University students as well as others across a range of disciplines.  

Afonso and Alangaden have previously donated the bequest Kouba left to them to support access to education and opportunities at Wayne State. In 2023, they established the Mary Lou Kouba Endowed Memorial Scholarship in environmental science to honor Kouba’s dedication to fighting for equality and justice. 

With this new donation on her behalf, Afonso and Alangaden support WDET’s robust paid internship opportunities for Wayne State students and other local young professionals for the next five years.  

Afonso and Alangaden often talked about the news with Kouba. “She had this wonderful outlook on life and taking risks. She was a fierce supporter of independent journalism and the press,” says Afonso. With this gift in her memory, the couple hopes to see young people take to the field and develop creative ways to bring unbiased news to the forefront. 

WDET internships prepare students for success

WDET’s many paid learning opportunities provide hands-on, holistic experiences that educate and prepare the next generation of media professionals. With more than 24 different internship opportunities, the program attracts students from a variety of disciplines to work in reporting, production, marketing, music, business operations and more. Fourteen interns are working at WDET this summer. 

As part of their internships, students are immersed in the media profession and have access to coaching and development workshops. Interns get hands-on experience and have the chance to meet notable visitors. 

“Our interns are out in the field interviewing people, traveling across the state. They get that experience, and that’s what makes us different,” says WDET Strategic Initiatives Manager Diane Sanders, who directs the internship program. “I want our interns to see that there’s a lot they can do with their degree.” 

All of WDET’s internship roles are paid positions, which Sanders says is important for providing access to opportunities, in alignment with Wayne State’s mission. Afonso and Alangaden’s donation will cover the cost of two interns a year for five years with some additional funding. 

“We are grateful for the generous gift from Dr. Nelia Afonso and Dr. George Alangaden, which will support WDET’s work in preparing the next generation of media professionals,” said Dr. Keith Whitfield, interim provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. “As a community service of Wayne State University, WDET plays a key role in fostering connection, community and opportunity in Detroit, which includes its fantastic internship opportunities.” 

With this gift, Afonso and Alangaden join other major supporters of WDET’s internship program, including Michigan Central, the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, the Ralph L. and Winifred E. Polk Foundation, the May Mitchell Royal Family Foundation, a 2025 Wayne State Presidential College to Career Pilot Award, as well as a number of other individual donors. 

For more information about WDET’s internship program, visit WDET’s internship page.

This story was cross-posted with WSU’s Division of Academic Affairs.

The schools Cheryl Sanford attended growing up in Highland Park are closed now—as are all of the schools children in the city attended at that time.

Shrinking population left schools empty and in disrepair. Now, the Highland Park School District authorizes one of the two charter schools in the city. Barber Preparatory Academy teaches kindergarten through eighth grade. There is no option for Highland Park students to attend high school in the city.

Sandford is the current president of the school board. She spoke with WDET’s Sascha Raiyn as part of our Crossing the Lines—Highland Park series. She says her vision for the kind of education the city can offer in the future comes from her experiences of what used to be.

Inside a Michigan prison less than an hour from Detroit, 25 incarcerated men are doing something many people behind bars haven’t been able to do in decades. They’re working toward a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University, paid for in part by federal Pell Grants.

Congress blocked those grants for incarcerated students in 1994. It restored access in 2023. But as the Trump administration restructures the Department of Education, the future of that funding is uncertain.

The question at the center of this story: Can a college degree behind bars change who walks out — and is the country willing to keep paying for it?

Jonathan Roden has lived both sides of that question. He spent 23 years in Michigan prisons. While he was inside, the college path available to him was an associate degree through Jackson College. He wanted more.

He came home in August of 2023. Nine days later, he started at Wayne State. In December, he graduated from the Mike Ilitch School of Business.

Now he walks back and forth through those same prison gates, this time as a coordinator for Wayne State’s prison education program. Roden, a Michigan Justice Fund fellow for WDET, is opening doors for men who are right where he used to be.

He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro alongside audio from Carlton Banks, a student in the inaugural cohort at Macomb Correctional Facility. Banks was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1994 murder of a teenage Subway employee named Angela Garcia. He was 18. He’s now 48. Under a 2022 Michigan Supreme Court ruling, he expects to come home in 2028. He calls that prospect “a blessing, but not a celebration.”

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

As part of Crossing the Lines WDET is speaking to Highland Park residents about the city and upcoming state elections.

Highland Park has only two K-8 charter schools and has not had its own high school since 2015. The city also has many transient residents, which makes it hard for the schools to retain students.

Angela Fleming is a born and raised Highland Park resident. She says quality education for children is her top concern for the city.

Fleming spoke with WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Angela Fleming: Well, I’m a long-time homeowner in Highland Park, and my main concerns are our school systems. You know, when I was raised and brought up in the school system, we had very beautiful school systems. Now that I see, you know, the children going to schools now they’re being very deprived of education. And I say that because we have one school. I’m a tax paying citizen. I would like to see more schools open in the city of Highland Park.

Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET:  Do you feel that the current state administration is providing enough resources to the city?

AF:  I think they could do better, or even if they are providing the money, where is he going? Why don’t we as taxpayers see what they’re actually really doing in Highland Park? Rather than fixing the roads – which the roads need to be fixed also— but what about the kids education? Can our kids get educated on levels that will allow them to be competitive in the world we live in or the times we live in? So that’s what I would love to see change.

Let our kids get some education, let them have the opportunity of living healthy, normal lives, which I’m sure we all as parents would like to see our kids go to good school systems, our kids getting the education that we got when we came up. And then, not only that, being in healthy, normal environments.

BT: Do you have someone in mind for governor the governor’s races coming up this year?

AF:  I can’t really say, because there’s a lot of competition, and it also has some good people, but I’m not going to pass judgment on that. The voters will decide who they think the best contender is.

BT: You mentioned education, do you have any specific ideas or things that you will like the next governor to do towards education that might help the city of Highland Park?

AF:  Well, I think when it comes to education, that is one of the most areas that we need to focus on, as it relates to your you know, your crime level. Also, I think if kids get more education, get into the right areas as it relates to your recreation centers, after school programs that they have a better opportunity at being better citizens. In order to be a better citizen, you have to do things that require for you to be brought up in a way that would show a direction as to how you getting trained, or how you getting taught, or how you even getting educated. You know what I’m saying?

BT: Okay, well, I have one more question. Is there anything about Highland Park that you would like the next representative or the next governor to know.

AF:  I think the next governor should understand that Highland Park is just a small community, and we as homeowners or residents of the city of Highland Park should possibly have more meetings that will allow the government to be able to make making better decisions that would be more beneficial to the residents and the children, or even just the residents of that city.

This piece is also a part of WDET’s on-going series, Citizen Vox, where reporters ask residents about their priorities ahead of local elections.

Shirley Brezzell didn’t plan to become a teacher. But after a stint as a banker and home-schooling her children, she dived into the profession. 

Now, Brezzell is being honored by a state organization for her work teaching science at Detroit’s Mackenzie Elementary-Middle School. One of her most interesting accomplishments is getting students to engage in a garden to learn healthy eating habits. 

She is retiring in the fall, at a moment when thousands of Michigan teachers are leaving the profession, and the state is struggling to replace them. So, we wanted to speak with the science and social studies teacher about what she’s learned as a teacher, and the advice she has for new educators and parents.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

 Almost 70 years after National Library Week was founded, the amount of time we spend reading something pales in comparison to what we watch. Americans spend about 15 minutes a day reading, but two and a half hours a day watching something on a screen.

National Library Week (April 19-25, 2026) was established in 1958 to encourage library use at a time when TV and radio were taking over as dominant information and entertainment sources.

In the last 5 years, a different story has started to take shape. Since hitting pandemic-era lows, library participation is surging. Visits have doubled since 2021. People are coming back to libraries, and they’re getting more than books out of the experience. 

More than books

Did you know you can check out more than books most libraries? That includes physical media like DVD’s and CD’s, but also tools, or seeds for a vegetable or herb garden.

Community programming is also brining people back to libraries. Story time for children is a regular occurrence at libraries. So are book talks, like one coming up at the Ferndale Area District Library on May 28, 2026 with Lisa Peers, author of “Motor City Love Song.”

Tia Graham spoke with two people who are experiencing the love for libraries first-hand.

Jeff Milo is the head of marketing and communications at Ferndale Area District Library, and host of the podcast “A Little Too Quiet.” He’s also the host of MI Local on WDET, Tuesdays, from 9-10 p.m. EST.

Lisa Peers is the author of the book “Motor City Love Song,” a romance novel set in a fictional version of Detroit’s garage rock scene of the early 2000’s.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

More stories from The Metro

Michigan elects a new governor this year and WDET is talking to the candidates vying to replace term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

One of those in the crowded Republican field for governor is former Michigan Speaker of the House Tom Leonard. He wants to lower taxes and reduce government spending.

But Leonard says he’s also running to protect the future for Michigan’s children, including his own kids.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Tom Leonard: There’s three very simple reasons why I’m doing this. And those are Hannah, Thomas, and Danny. That’s our nine-year-old, our six-year-old, and our now 20-month-old.

When you look at the state of our state right now, the unemployment, the lack of income growth, a quarter of our population right now suffers from some type of mental health issue. Half of them are not getting treatment. The list goes on.

We are doing this because the last thing that we want is for one of our kids to come to us in the next 15-20 years and say, “Dad, we’d love to stay in the greatest state in the country. But unfortunately we have to leave because there’s no opportunity for us here in Michigan.” That’s why we’re doing this.

Education serves as a foundation

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: If you were elected governor, how would you try to address some of that?

TL: There are so many things that we have got to get done to turn this state around. One of the biggest issues that I’m focused on right now is education. Fourth graders right now in this state cannot read at a proficient level. Quinn, that is our foundation, that is our base. And I can tell you as a former prosecutor, if somebody has to drop out of school because they’re illiterate, you have created a pipeline to a welfare check or a prison cell.

I believe we need to make Michigan a right-to-work state again. Growth states in this country are right-to-work states. I believe we need to phase out the income tax.

I hear many of these candidates out there gaslighting people across the state, saying that they’re going to eliminate the state income tax on day one. That’s despite the fact that the legislature isn’t even sworn in until nearly two weeks after the governor comes into office.

I would say look at my past track record and my history. That’s what we did when I was speaker. And when I’m the state’s next governor that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to get these big-ticket items across the finish line.

Mental health crisis

QK: You mentioned education. What other issues do you think are vitally important at the moment to Michigan?

TL: I seem to be the one candidate out there right now that’s talking about this mental health crisis. As I said, a quarter of our population suffers from some type of mental health issue. Half of them are not getting treatment.

I believe it starts with ending the stigma that comes attached when somebody is diagnosed with a mental health issue. Think about this for a moment. If you or somebody is diagnosed with something physically, what do they typically do? They go to their friends, they go to their family, they go to their place of worship, they ask for prayer, they start treatment.

Sadly, when people are diagnosed with a mental health issue, they are scared. They don’t know what to do. We’ve got to end the stigma that comes attached.

Energy policy reform

TL: Energy costs. This is a big one right now as I travel the state. I’m hearing more and more of people that can no longer afford their electricity bills. Frankly, we’ve got a broken system. We’ve got a Michigan Public Service Commission that no longer works for the people of this state. They work for two monopoly utilities. They sign off on every single rate increase that they ask for.

Enough is enough. We are the one campaign that has put forth a plan to not only bring choice and competition to the state and the utility monopolies, but also shake up the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Right now those regulators, who dictate our rates, are three unelected bureaucrats appointed by the governor. That is way too much power given to the governor. The governor should never control those appointments. Our plan calls for increasing the Michigan Public Service Commission from three to five members, only giving the governor two appointments.

The other appointments would be made by the attorney general, the speaker of the Michigan house and the senate majority leader. These are the types of bold solutions we are putting on the table to address the problems that the people of this state are facing.

Data centers feed into energy problems

QK: There’s been concerns raised by some people about the possibility of rate increases and energy or water problems from the advent of data centers across the state. From some of your past statements, it sounds like you’re not exactly a fan of data centers.

TL: The one being proposed right now that’s being built in Saline Township is 1.4 gigawatts. That is equivalent to the energy used by a million homes. There’s now one being proposed in Van Buren that’s nearly double that, with energy use equal to 2 million homes. Quinn, there are only 4.5 million homes in this entire state. Two industrial-sized data centers alone that they’re proposing would equal the energy for 3 million homes.

I don’t want these things driving-up our energy rates. We need to end the tax subsidies that come attached with these things.

The legislature a couple years ago passed legislation to give tens of millions of dollars to these big tech data centers. They should not be taking money out of our pockets and putting it in the hands of big tech to go out and buy up our farmland. So, end the subsidies.

We need to ban the use of non-disclosure agreements. You’ve got these local governments that are signing these NDA’s. The local citizens have no idea who’s going to be built in their area. They have no idea who’s going to be running these data centers.

These data centers do not create long-term jobs. Yet there is the risk that they are going to drive up our energy rates. And every time I push back on this energy issue, people say, “Well, they’re going to be regulated.” And then I ask the question, “Who’s going to regulate them?” “The Michigan Public Service Commission.” And I say, “So the same three regulators that have given us some of the highest electricity rates in the country, the same three regulators that refuse to tell DTE Energy and Consumers Energy ‘No,’ we are now going to allow to regulate these data centers?” I don’t think so.

I fear that they’re going to drive up our rates. We’ve already got the highest rates in the Midwest and some of the highest in the country. We cannot afford to pay more on our electricity bills.

What to do about political division

QK: It’s no secret how politically divided not only lawmakers but the country and the state as a whole are nowadays. Do you think it’s possible that anyone who would be governor will be able to bring people together at this point in time? Or is it just simply a matter of, “We’ve got to go forward with our policies and hope the other side comes along at some point?”

TL: I believe Democrats gave Republicans a playbook two years ago for what happens when you wake up every day and you have no vision and your only focus is hatred of one person. You lose. And I believe, as a Republican, if Republicans wake up every day and their only focus is hatred of Democrats, they will lose.

They’ve got to put forth a vision. That’s why every single day I’m focused on tackling problems, not people. I’m going to stay bold in my convictions, I’m a strong conservative. I don’t shy away from that. But there is nothing wrong with working across the aisle when it comes to accomplishing things for our state. We’ve actually labeled it the “Dan Campbell” approach.

You may recall when Coach Campbell became the coach of the Lions and he stood on that stage at the first press conference. He didn’t focus on six decades of failure. He didn’t cast blame. He didn’t point the finger. He just simply said, “We’ve got a problem here. And with a lot of grit, a lot of determination, working together with a positive vision every single day, we’re going to turn this program around.”

If Coach Campbell was able to turn the absolute worst sports franchise in the history of all mankind around with that type of vision, we can do the same thing for this state.

Getting a college degree in Detroit has never been easy. More than half of all children in Detroit live below the poverty line. Many Detroit public school graduates do not enroll in college within a year of finishing high school. And of those who do enroll, most don’t earn a degree within six years.

Detroit Public Schools just recorded its highest graduation rate in nearly two decades. 

But it’s always been a hard race for Detroit kids. And right now, it could be getting more difficult. 

Student loan rules are changing in July. The programs that help low-income students get to college are on the chopping block in President Donald Trump’s latest budget. And, the department that oversees all of these things has cut its workforce in half. 

How are students impacted by these changes? How are they interpreting them? And, how do we close the college education gap between Detroit and suburban students.

The folks at the Detroit College Access Network have a sense of this. They work with students to help them navigate financial aid, applications, and what comes after. They’re want 60% of Detroit residents to have some form of postsecondary education by 2030. 

Cyekeia Lee is the executive director of the Detroit College Access Network. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro