GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) -- Northern Michigan University has announced Megan Persons, the enrollment equity coordinator at Grand Rapids Public Schools, as the recipient of the university’s Outstanding Young Alumni award.
Persons graduated from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education in 2012. She later earned a master’s degree in urban education from Davenport University in 2016.
Persons has committed her professional journey to her alma mater, taking on various roles at GRPS including teacher, coach, and administrator. In her current position, she oversees equity-oriented enrollment initiatives for the district.
In announcing the honor, Northern Michigan University highlighted Persons' work creating inclusive spaces for all.
"As a person passionate about community vitality, Persons seeks to create spaces for all to thrive. In the pursuit of this goal, Persons founded and serves as program director of the Grand Rapids Union Youth Football Program and co-founded and currently chairs the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee for GRPS; she also sits on the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce's OutPro Council," the announcement read.
Persons’ dedication and leadership have earned her several prestigious accolades. In 2015, she completed the New and Aspiring Leaders Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her contributions to the community were recognized with the West Michigan Woman Emerging Leader Brilliance Award in 2021 and a spot on the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list in 2022.
