About Me
Hello! My name is Eliza Phares. I'm a graduating senior at the University of Michigan studying public policy and minoring in writing. I'm an avid lover of all things nature, especially parks! My interests center on environmental policy, civic engagement, and the ways storytelling can bridge the gap between research and real-world impact. Join me on my journey to visit all 162 parks in Ann Arbor!
About the Project
The idea to visit every park in Ann Arbor started as a joke between my friends and me during our club’s ​​Adopt-A-Park workday. Ten of us were at Hanover Square park, gloves on and trash bags in hand, picking up litter and dodging patches of broken lights when our volunteer coordinator Julie started passing around a flyer that read “Ann Arbor VEP: Visit Every Park Challenge”. We were all very intrigued by the idea. I thought it would be a cool thing to do, so I picked up a flyer and went about my day. Yet, every time I opened my bag, I saw the flyer and felt like it was something I needed to do before I graduated. I looked up the challenge online and saw that it was quite popular, and that some people had even done the challenge in an entire day. After seeing that, and being a competitive person myself, I knew that I could not only do the challenge but combine it with my interests in policy and writing, and it soon became my capstone project. My goal is to show people why parks are so cool and encourage people to visit them!
Contact
Please feel free to reach out about the website, Ann Arbor parks, or anything your heart desires!