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AliReda Jeafar spends his days working for the City of Detroit. In the City Clerk’s office, he helps log citizen needs, directs Detroiters toward solutions and shares this information with the office’s leadership in customized charts and spreadsheets.

Full of energy and personality, the Fall 2023 College of Arts, Sciences and Letters graduate — who is earning his Master of Public Administration and Policy — seems like a natural fit in a public-helping role for one of the nation’s largest cities. “I love hearing from residents and working for the city,” he says. “You feel like no matter where you are, no matter what you do, you're doing something that’s contributing to the public good by connecting people to the help they need.”

But Jeafar said the road to this great fit wasn’t in a straight line. It came slowly into focus through internships, classes, work experiences and soul searching. The once aspiring lawyer — a dream his parents had for him — realized, while in law school in 2020, that his goals were different.

"I had a good job. I was working at a personal injury law office. But I just couldn't shake the nagging feeling of, 'what am I doing here?' Something didn’t sit right with me,” says Jeafar, whose parents came from Lebanon and raised their family in Dearborn Heights. “I didn’t want to disappoint my parents. They meant well. But I started to realize that their dream for me wasn’t my dream for me. I know there are other students out there who might be in a similar situation and I want to let them know that it’s OK to pursue the career you want. It can be hard, but in the end, it will work out.”

At that crossroads in 2020, Jeafar — who earned his bachelor's degree from UM-Dearborn in 2017 — took inventory of all the activities and professional experiences that he’s enjoyed.

As a UM-Dearborn undergrad, he worked for the Washtenaw County Public Defender’s Office and loved the work. He went to people’s houses to help them get the right clothes for court, made contact with people for character witness statements and helped defendants prepare for court.

He also liked volunteering with the Accounting Aid Society, where he helped prepare taxes for low-income Detroiters. And he knew he had a solid educational foundation from his time in the CASL Honors program, which was directed by Professor Emeritus Gerald F. Moran when Jeafar was in the program. Moran told Jeafar that he needed to follow his passion. “His message served as a call to action and a beacon of hope. His words were very comforting when times got really tough. They were my compass,” Jeafar says. “I credit Professor Moran’s guidance to getting me where I am today.” Moran, who Jeafar says was “like a grandfather to me,” died in 2022.

Jeafar says once he was honest with himself about what he didn’t want to do, everything started to fall into place.

Jeafar left law school. Wanting to have a better grasp on economics, finances, public policy and more, he returned to college in fall 2020 — first to Henry Ford College and then to UM-Dearborn. After conversations with UM-Dearborn professors, alums and advisers, Jeafar found his way to the Master of Public Administration and Policy program.

At the same time, Jeafar set his sights on public sector jobs — focusing on the city of Detroit. “ I wanted to go where I was needed and could make a difference,” he says. Jeafar worked in the Detroit Police Department’s call center and provided citizen support for non-emergency situations. He later worked for the Department of Elections, where he picked up ballots from polling stations. Open to working wherever he was most needed, Jeafar then received a job offer to work in the Detroit City Clerk’s Office and has received multiple promotions.

“As these career changes were happening, my classes talked about ethics, policies, social impacts and more. I kept finding direct connections about how to apply what I was learning in class to what I was doing on the job,” he says.

As he gears up for graduation, Jeafar says he’s proud of what he’s accomplished through his education. After gaining more experience, he would like to serve as a city manager. “City managers are the ones who make sure roads are working, that the garbage is always picked up and that the lights are on,” he says. “I see myself in a role like that, but I’m leaving it open for now. I know I’m on a path that is right for me because I’m excited to see where it leads.”

Jeafar says he no longer has that uneasy feeling about his future. Not only does he have a career he’s passionate about, he also has a family who will be cheering for him on graduation day. 

“My family sees that I’m happier and doing well. I believe everything came together like it did because I followed my heart, ” he says. “I encourage anyone who knows the path ahead isn’t right for them to do the same. It’s stressful to restart and refocus. But it’s worth it. It’s never too late to get on a career path that you are passionate about.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.