After rereading my first blog post, I feel like I accomplished the broad goals I set for myself this summer. I said I wanted to gain new understandings and interests and I definitely did. Before the program, I’d decided that I wanted to come back to Detroit after I graduate and being in DCERP really solidified that desire for me. It was like seeing the city in a whole new way and I was eager to explore it even if it had to be virtually. I accomplished my goal of gaining new interests throughout the program; urban planning, prison reform, and environmental justice were all topics touched on this summer and from my different conversations and reading How to Kill a City, I’ve become a lot more interested in those and other topics. I also said in my first post, “a skill I’d like to develop is my comfort level with leadership roles whether they are assigned to me or I have the opportunity to step up myself”. I tend to be unsure of my capabilities or afraid to take on more than what is required of me but this summer I dipped my toe in the deep end of the pool mostly within the cohort. I feel like I’ve begun to develop this skill in little ways that have added up. For example, I wouldn’t usually volunteer to run a meeting but I did. Usually I would be really anxious to go to dinner or lunch with my team/ another DCERP fellow and her supervisor (Myla and Julie 😉 ) but I was more so excited to do these things this summer and I had a great time. Overall, I have learned so much and I really think I’ve matured through this experience. Coming into it, I had different expectations but I would say my reality wasn’t better or worse, just different! And I appreciate that because it taught me how to problem solve, be flexible, and just live in the moment. It’s been a pleasure meeting and connecting with you all and in true Maia fashion I am uploading this post several days late so if I had to set a new goal it would definitely be to work on my timeliness lol.
See you all later <3
