90%
of students report feeling more equipped to intervene in difficult conversations after receiving Bridge Builder training
Bridge Builders
Dedicated to fostering conversations across differences and promoting constructive dialogue
What if conflict didn't have to mean contempt—or silence? What if you could disagree without disengaging? In a moment of deep polarization, the ability to cross differences and build shared understanding is essential to the public good.
Bridge Builders is a student-led Ford School program that helps their peers engage across differences—political, ideological, and lived experience—without shutting down or "winning" the conversation.
Through workshops, research, and facilitated conversations in and beyond the classroom, Bridge Builders support a culture of curiosity, respect, and constructive engagement in the public policy arena. Participants build practical skills for public policy work, including:
- Listening to understand: asking better questions, reflecting back what they heard, and identifying underlying values and concerns.
- Constructive disagreement: staying engaged when tension rises, naming tradeoffs, and critiquing ideas without demeaning people.
- Dialogue facilitation: creating space where multiple perspectives can be expressed safely and productively.
- Storytelling for understanding: sharing personal and community narratives to humanize issues and surface what data alone can miss.
As students, Fordies navigate tension between conviction and complexity—between what we believe, what the evidence shows, and what's possible. After graduation, that tension doesn't disappear; it becomes the daily work of policymaking. Bridge Builders helps students practice the skills to build bridges across difference and move from conflict toward policy solutions.
What we offer
- Practice constructive dialogue with real issues at the Bridge Builders Table—a new monthly lunch series open to all Ford School students. These gatherings are a chance to bring questions, ideas, or situations you're navigating and talk them through with Bridge Builders and fellow students. Pull up a seat at the table with a situation you'd like to talk through, a question you've been thinking about, or an idea you'd like to explore.
- Develop skills to lead constructive conversations or manage controversial situations at the Constructive Dialogue Institute training. Build confidence and earn a micro-credential to showcase facilitation skills to potential employers.
- Join us to discuss this year's community read book, Demon Copperhead.
Peer-led dinner
How do we reduce firearm injuries?
Lior Cooper (BA ‘26) and Isaac Davis (BA ‘26) recount their experience at a peer-led dinner with Dr. Cynthia Ewell-Foster and how candid conversation has changed how they think about firearm policy.
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2026 training
U-M students learn how to facilitate constructive dialogue at Ford School workshop
Over thirty University of Michigan students recently attended the Ford School's Constructive Dialogue Facilitation workshop, aiming to learn more about how to bridge ideological divides and bring people together through conversation.
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Our impact
29
constructive dialogue facilitation certifications were issued
90%
of students report gaining new insights and perspectives from peer-led dinners
30
students participated in peer-led dinners
100
students practiced constructive dialogue in the classroom
9
students served as Bridge Builders
Policy work takes place in environments where disagreement is constant—across political parties, sectors, communities, and lived experiences. Technical expertise is important, but it is only part of the work. Students benefit from being able to listen well, ask thoughtful questions, and navigate conflict without shutting others down. Constructive dialogue gives them practical tools they can use in classrooms, meetings, and professional settings to build trust, work through tension, and move ideas forward.”
Dr. Stephanie Sanders
Lecturer and the Director of Community and Engagement, is the faculty advisor for the Bridge Builders initiative.
This training helped me understand how to better handle the conflict that often arises in policy conversations, and how to help different groups find common ground so we can approach a policy solution.”
Natalie Wilcox (BA ‘26)
On her experience as a participant in the Bridge Builders Constructive Dialogue Facilitation Workshop
Who we are
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Joshua Crook (MPP/MSW ‘29) grew up in Roseville, Michigan, where he developed a deep interest in social welfare and poverty policy. A first-generation college student, he earned his BA in public policy from the University of Michigan, where his undergraduate research focused on economics. He is a Research Assistant at the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, where he examines and contributes to state and local school safety policies across the United States. Before returning for his graduate degree, he gained professional experience on legislative campaigns, overseeing field operations and volunteer management. At the Ford School, Crook aims to contribute to effective policy solutions that empower communities and strengthen the social safety net. He is most excited to continue using the skills he learns as a Bridge Builder to engage Michigan residents in turning conflict into policy solutions. Outside of policy and bridge building, he enjoys reading, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
Paige Huber (BA ‘28) is a junior from Voorhees, NJ, studying Public Policy with a minor in Political Science on a pre-law track. At Michigan, she is involved in the Michigan Pre-Law Society, where she serves as Treasurer, and her pre-professional sorority, Delta Gamma Phi, where she serves as Communications Chair. Additionally, she spent the past school year working as a research assistant through UROP, where she studied the history of racial politics in Washtenaw County through archival research and analysis of government records and historical newspapers. Outside of Michigan, she has gained firsthand experience in government through her work in the office of New Jersey Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald, where she worked on constituent communications and policy research. Her interests center on government, public policy, and how political differences shape the way people approach policy and one another. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, watching Giants football, and bingeing The Office. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school and pursue a career in public service.
Abhinav Iyer (BA '27) is from Johns Creek, Georgia, and is a senior at the Ford School with a focus in Energy Solutions and a minor in Quantitative Methods. He is passionate about teaching and facilitation, and about using data to strengthen both — to that end, he has worked as a research assistant across three schools during his time at Michigan, building both his writing and data skills. Now in his second year as a Leadership Teaching Fellow, he works closely with the Barger Leadership Institute, collaborating with a team of fellows to facilitate discussion and spur student community engagement. He is a member of both Michigan Political Consulting and the Beta Alpha Rho pre-law fraternity, and is planning to attend law school. Outside of his professional life, he frequently plays basketball and is a percussionist at the School of Music.
Madina Mohsini (BA '27) was born in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, and immigrated to the United States in 2010, where she has since grown up as a true Michigander. She is a senior studying Public Policy with a focus on Climate Governance and Justice, and minoring in Earth Sciences. Madina's time with the Bridge Builders has helped her quickly connect with its mission to cultivate meaningful dialogue across differences, something she has always valued through her own experiences navigating multiple cultures and perspectives. At the Ford School, Madina serves on the boards of Women and Gender in Public Policy and Students of Color in Public Policy. Outside of Ford, she is the President of What the F, a feminist magazine at the University of Michigan, and President of the Honors Resident Advisors, where she focuses on building strong and supportive communities. Through Bridge Builders, Madina hopes to strengthen her ability to facilitate thoughtful conversations across different viewpoints. After graduation, she does not have a set plan yet, but she hopes to go to Law school in the future.
Luke Stefan (MPP '28) comes to the Ford School from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. While at Grinnell, he enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard and spent extensive time working within the broader Grinnell community. Included in his service was over 2 years as a Community Dialogue Facilitator with the Grinnell Listening Project, where he facilitated and led community conversations around political identity, religious engagement, rural/urban divides, education initiatives, and campus conflicts. His policy interests at the Ford School mostly focus on economic development and international policy. In his free time, you might find him training his dog Bennett, watching the Denver Broncos, or backpacking.
Gia Verma (BA '28) is a junior studying Public Policy with minors in Business and Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences. Growing up on Long Island, New York, she developed an early interest in climate policy alongside a commitment to tackling racial and socioeconomic inequities. She aims to cultivate these interests through fostering dialogue and community-centered approaches as a Bridge Builder. On campus, she is the Government Senior News Editor at The Michigan Daily and President of Net Impact Consulting at Michigan Ross. She is also a Student Advisory Board Member at the Ginsberg Center and a member of the Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force at the Michigan Department of State, where she sparks conversation and expands civic engagement on campus. Through her internships, she has gained experience in political consulting, grassroots organizing, and nonprofit development. Through Bridge Builders, she hopes to bring people together, foster meaningful conversation, and work toward practical solutions to complex challenges.
