Although I’m in the College of Engineering, I’m often getting involved with service work, volunteering, community development, etc. This opportunity will hopefully provide some insight on things I can do outside of engineering and with engineering to benefit society.
I hope to contribute any and everything that my placement asks of me, but I’d like to also make an impact on my own. Whether that be leaving something for future interns to benefit from, jumpstarting my own idea that can help the organization in the future, or being effective enough to be involved later on. Whatever it is, I want to have an impact that wasn’t necessarily planned.
I view Detroit as a growing city. Some parts are definitely more affluent than others, but communities are working versus just sitting around. The are urban agriculture sites developing, bee farms, youth employment programs, and more. However, this doesn’t solve many of the ongoing problems including gentrification, low-quality education, poverty rates, crime, police brutality, etc.
I grew up in and around Detroit, and having a couple of jobs in the city. The resident’s really want change, so many have taken initiative.
Hopefully DCBRP 2019 will encourage me to stay engaged and informed with local developments.
Hi Jordan! Being that you are an engineering student who always tends to do service work is great. I believe that every profession needs an element of service in order to give back to those less fortunate. I’m hopeful that your placement allows your creativity and engineering background to create change for the organization and residents of Detroit. Best of luck.
It’s interesting to see that you’re also looking for how this opportunity could benefit your career in the future. While Ecoworks doesn’t have a lot to do with architecture, I still look for opportunities to connect my work here with my future plans.
It’s interesting to see a volunteer in social work. That being said, seeing that you mentioned other problems not being fix, you should look into companies that fix those problems. Or maybe, in due times, create those programs yourself.