Week 9 – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program

Week 9

Reflecting on my expectations of what I thought I would be working on, my guess that there was maybe too much to do and not enough time was correct. I have touched on a little bit of the things that were mentioned in my post, but also not been able to dive deep into any one area. As I’ve learned again and again, keeping realistic expectations helps lead to a sense of accomplishment later on, but that needs to be balanced with big dreaming and goals. I definitely struggled with that tension this summer- at some moments it was exciting and at others overwhelming. I’ve learned a ton about utilities and DTE and also about Highland Park and Detroit. One major thing is how important it is to understand the specific relationships that allow a corporation like DTE to hold power. Going into the school year, with that in mind, I hope to continue to support the kind of work that is happening at Soulardarity with an added focus on how the university plays into all of it, but I also don’t know what my capacity will be with classes and everything.

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