Week One Blog: Letter To Self by Ariel Ragin

Dear Future Ariel,

Doesn’t this opportunity feel like a dream come true? I know you have been wanting to work for the Summer in the City program since your sophomore year in high school! Not only are you a new member of the team, you WORK for the team, right under the supervisor! You should be grateful that you have been accepted to such a wonderful title! Me knowing you, I’m sure you are! Speaking of grateful, remember the true purpose of this internship. This internship allows you to become connected with your Detroit community. It gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself within the lives of students as you provide them with fun-filled unforgettable experiences within their neighborhoods. You are no longer dreaming. It is now time to deliver your upmost attention, passion, and time to this program you have dreamed about. It is time to make significant change into the various communities of Detroit as you work in the scenes and behind the scenes, offering improvements to the program and being a collaborative member of the team, implementing innovative and creative ideas in order to help raise the program to its highest excellence and creative genius ability. Your internship will not only make an impact for this summer, but an impact years from now as the Summer in the City Program continues!

Such a big task does require a unwavering commitment, however, I know that once you put your heart and mind to something, you will stand by your duties to the best of your abilities. It is imperative that you take your position as Program Statistical Analyst as an important one. It is important to attend all community events in order to fully understand the dynamics and the demographics of the Detroit neighborhoods you are doing research upon. Working in the office is good, but working outside of the office will improve your performance as well. In addition to getting to know your fellow colleagues, get to know the schools the program has partnered with, the community centers the program visits, and most of all, the needs and wants of the children you are serving. Remember that the children are the main priority. Remember that you are investing in their future and that you should contribute to their well being just like people in the past have contributed to yours. Remember that you are a product of Detroit, a superb one at that, and that these children will be too.

This position remains close to your heart doesn’t? I can see why. Being raised in Detroit since birth, you have seen the city at its highest points, and its lowest points. You have seen its greatest moments/accomplishments and its failures. I know it saddens you when you mention to others where you are from, and they turn their noses up at you or ask “Is the city really that bad?” “How could you live there?” “Is it ever going to get better?” The good thing is, you know the ins and the outs of the city. You know the potential and the rich history that the city holds. You see the future scholars, the future business executives, future doctors, lawyers, media directors, music producers, and future leaders. You recognize that with every failure there is twice as much hope and work ethic that is need to get out of the whole AND beyond. You know that you see light in every nook and cranny of darkness. It is not only because you are a Detroiter, but because you see a metropolitan city that has changed history an innumerable amount of times in the past and present, so of course it does not count out the future. That is the exact reason why we have a “Spirit of Detroit.” Don’t count down the days for these next ten weeks, make the days count!

Best, Present Ariel