By: Myron Dyson
This Spring and Summer, the Frances M. Academic Alliance [FMAA further in the article] took a trip to Detroit, Michigan, with all their student scholar mentees and mentors. The two places that we went to were the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; the second stop was the Motown Museum; the third stop was Popeyes chicken at a Travel center. After a long, hard fight with the Spring semester (or, for some of them, possibly even after the previous Fall semester), all the student scholars continued balancing between college life, jobs, personal life, and other things we may have endured during our journey towards a Successful Future. Frances M. Academic Alliance is a Scholar program that helps its students reach the heights that they want to climb, hit the academic goals that they want to accomplish, and connects them with a mentor who motivates, encourages, and guides them.
The FMAA is one of many programs Tri-C offers that helps students excel in college with resources like mentor support, events and workshops throughout the semester, and just the boost to stay on track with students’ college journey and graduation. The Alliance also provides scholarships to engaged students and offers additional scholarships for essay writing, creative development, or participation in students’ activities. The FMAA also hosts a Luncheon every spring before the end of the year. A trip for every Mentee and Mentor is a well-deserved reward for all their hard work.
On May 23, 2026, the student scholars and mentors met at Metro Campus, checked in, and got snacks and drinks while they waited for the bus. The first stop of the tour was at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History for a guided tour. Before the tour we walked around the lobby and had the opportunity to have a look at the souvenir and gift shop. The tour lasted about two hours, and then we left for Motown.
At the Motown Museum, we took another tour for about an hour, then checked out their souvenir shop, too. After that, we went to the original Motown house, took some photos, and took a big group photo in front of the Motown Records House.
Finally, after the Motown Museum we departed back to Cleveland. On our way, we pulled into a Travel center, and everyone was able to get some food funded by the program.
The purpose of this trip and trips like that in general is to reward all the students and mentors for their long, successful hard work and Cultural enrichment, Historical Exploration, and Celebration of African American Contributions to Art, Music, and Society. This trip was amazing, and I have learned a lot from it. Now I am looking forward to what next year’s trip will be. As an ongoing Frances M Academic Alliance scholar, I am extremely grateful for opportunities like that.
To learn more about the program, click HERE.
