Week 1

Dear Ashley,

Welcome to Detroit! You are almost finished with your first week, and I feel like it can only go uphill from here. I know that it has been a difficult week for you. It has been filled with getting locked out of your office multiple times a day, navigating a dark apartment that oddly came with no lights, losing a great deal of dependency as you suddenly moved to a town where you need a car or a bike to get anywhere, and with feelings of slight despair that you’ll never get to leave your impressively massive desk at your internship.

Your initial impressions of Detroit and Highland Park have been feelings of being trapped. You’re trapped in your apartment – feeling like it is unsafe to walk outside alone – and you are trapped in your office – both figuratively by the high risk of walking alone as a woman in Highland Park and literally by the dead-bolted locked doors that you don’t have keys to. Your first impressions were fear that it would be hard for you to enjoy your summer while having such little ability to move and explore.

But your first week did turn around in some senses. You went out to eat at Harmony Garden with some members of your cohort and experienced delicious Mediterranean food within walking distance of your apartment (thank you, Danielle). You went to the first ever LGBT Pride game in Comerica Park (which included meeting Paws, getting hit by a foul ball, drag queens, and only one homophobic comment!). You also attended a community meeting of non-profit representatives within the city of Highland Park. Your apartment even acquired a microwave and lamp by the end of the week! Slowly but surely, you are finding a way to belong in the Motor City (despite not having a motor), and you are making new friends and trying new experiences. This weekend being a part of Motor City Pride will only affirm your sense of community that much more.

I hope that by the end of this program you have gained some sense of accomplishment. I hope that you have not only helped the Metropolitan community and your organization in some way, but that you have also developed meaningful skills. You should know better how to conduct research and create reports, how to apply for grants, the structures of C-3 and C-4 nonprofits, and you should also have more confidence. One of my greatest weaknesses is not having enough confidence in my intelligence, background and skills in the workplace. Push yourself and try, and learn to trust your perspectives and ideas. No matter which organization you end up with or what experiences you have, I hope that you have fun and feel like you got to know Detroit a bit better. Explore the city with friends. Go to events and open your eyes. Don’t let your loss of independence be an excuse to not try anything at all.

Keep your head up, and I wish you luck!