Dr. M. Isabel Ayala, MSU Sociology Associate Professor and Director of the Chicano/Latino Studies Program, was one of 60 faculty and administrators to join MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz on the latest Spartan Bus Tour focusing on Detroit.
The tour departed from East Lansing May 5 and returned on May 6. In between, they visited 14 locations including MSU Extension’s first urban agriculture center, the Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation.
They also stopped by the MSU Community Music School in Detroit, the Apple Development Academy and the Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences Research Center.
“Detroit is not just a city we visit,” Guskiewicz said, “it is a vital part of who we are as Spartans. The Spartan Bus Tour is visiting Detroit because it is where innovation meets resilience, where community meets opportunity. MSU and Detroit work together to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges — from health disparities and economic equity to education and sustainability. When we collaborate with Detroit, we're not just imagining a better future — we're building it together.”
To appreciate Detroit’s culture, the tour included the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Motown Museum and Arab American Natural Museum, as well as the Zekelman Holocaust Center.
For Ayala, the trip was centered on community that is strengthened by individuals working together to make their neighborhoods and communities better places.
“The MSU bus tour centered community, strengthening relationships, reflection and joy. Every intentionally curated site on our Detroit Local Loop Tour was transformative on many levels. Each organization we visited during our fully packed two-day tour allowed me to recognize MSU’s reach, from education and engineering to health and the arts. Yet, it was the human and community component of this experience that was the most impactful.
“During the tour, we connected with a range of people who work every day wholeheartedly, often beyond their official work descriptions to make their communities a better place. From fostering spaces of growth, self-knowledge and skill development via music, the arts and education, every organization we visited is making a difference. Every site was different in scope but there were some common themes: the importance of cocreating, partnering, connecting and investing in each other as key to the work that each organization and person does; immense gratitude to MSU’s community for partnering with them; and a call for all of us to imagine the existing possibilities of future partnerships.
“I should state that the call from our partners to continue, strengthen and develop new partnerships was taken seriously among the group. How do I know? Well, because our bus was never quiet. Throughout the ride between the sites, while sharing a meal, or through collective moments of reflection, everyone was always talking about a story that touched them, as well as the possibilities, potential strategies or research, and who else we needed to loop into the conversation to make things happen.
“During the tour, I learned a lot about my colleagues. I learned that they have many talents beyond their academic and scientific ones . . . yes, there are dancers, musicians and gymnasts among our group, thus putting my ‘killer tres leches’ skill-making to shame. I also learned about MSU and some of the impactful work it does in Detroit. In addition to learning, this tour also strengthened my commitment to higher education and working at MSU. I am very proud of being a social scientist who is invested in teaching and advancing sociology and Chicano/Latino studies, and the Spartan Bus Tour gifted me a renewed sense of purpose as I continue my professional journey.”
