Week One: A letter to myself

Dear Kali,

After a relaxing start to the summer, I’m glad to see that you’re finally making moves! And in Detroit! Woo! It’s going to take some adjusting to the regular work day, but the knowledge you’ll receive from this experience is going to be unmatched! Already, you’ve met the powerhouses that are your supervisors, Pat and Karen. Their knowledge and dedication to their nonprofits will undoubtedly show you the ins and outs of the not-so-glamorous, but ultimately rewarding world of nonprofit business. Pay attention! These kind of experiences will mold your ideas, your dreams, and your future.

As you know already, you will be receiving so much from Pat and Karen with this experience. Do everything that you can to make it worthwhile for them as well. Be present and be vulnerable to new ideas and people. It’s amazing what can happen when you let someone or something affect you, so do that. everyday. Bring new ideas and suggestions for improvements. Even though you’re new at this, be confident that you can be an asset to them these next two and a half months. Do the work that they need. As mundane as some tasks may be, they are necessary to run a business. Finally, acknowledge the beauty of their work. I’m sure after years of working, it can get tedious and tiring, and the goal can seem distant. Be the new eyes that tells them how beautiful their humanity is.

Aside from work, enjoy your time living in the city. Go places and see things. Eat a lot of local food and meet new people. You’ve visited plenty of times since our hometown is Westland, but this is your chance to immerse yourself in the city. Detroit has and will never be your city, so respect it and learn from the people who do call this place home. Detroit, to you, has gone a from a place where your mom works and you sometimes go out to eat to a place that you have a deep love and respect for in the past year. From working with young men at the Lincoln corrections facility in Highland Park to tutoring at Harms Elementary in Southwest Detroit, you have seen that Detroit isn’t what the media tells all the suburbs to believe. Continue to be affected by the new people that you meet in the city and expand on your view of Detroit. You’ll be so happy that you did.

Much love,

Kali