Jasmine Altamimi, 2014-15 SURA student, 2016 SURA intern and student at Dearborn’s Fordson High School

SURA is more than a program to me. Most of the time, it feels like home. My instructor Ms. Ali taught me that through art, we can learn about the communities around us and give back. She introduced us to many projects that help our community in Detroit. One project that stuck out in my memory the most, was a project helping women that are new to the country find homes. We got to meet the team that was fixing the homes for these women. I remember looking around at all their hard work and at the freshly painted walls and—in that exact moment—thinking that the movies got it all wrong. Heroes are ordinary people right in front of us. Heroes are the members of our community, and through programs like SURA, we can capture and tell their stories. SURA has given me the opportunity to do that, and let me say there’s no better feeling than giving back; whether it’s a form of art or rebuilding houses.”