The week before the start of the 2023 fall semester, a small group of students was already bonding. 

It was team-building day for the Kinesiology LINKS (Leadership, Inclusion & Networking for Kinesiology Success) program, which provides social and cultural support to graduate students from communities or with identities that are typically underrepresented in kinesiology or at U-M. 

The students spent most of the time navigating the obstacles of a ropes course, often grabbing onto each other’s hands for balance. Many would later say it was a pivotal day — leading them to hold onto each other for much longer. 

“We were able to truly connect with each other and start building community,” one LINKS member said. 

Tahirah McIntosh and Elena Viñales, the program’s co-leaders, said this LINKS cohort was one of the most engaged they’ve seen. 

“We reworked the program postpandemic, so people understood it was about them having a small group where they could go to feel comfortable at this bigger university,” McIntosh says. 

Viñales says the “synergy” of the group was good from the start. “And then it just took off.”