My first week I wrote optimistically about the program, Detroit, Focus: HOPE, and the people I had already met in the program. I can remember the somewhat-forced optimism when I first wrote it; I always try to look on the bright side but it takes me a while to become acquainted with any new space. While I did spend the last ten weeks doing all of the things I mentioned in my blog post (exploring Detroit, learning more about it, getting to know the people in the program, scheduling events for Focus: HOPE), I didn\u2019t expect how much can happen within ten weeks and how much could change within that timeframe.<\/p>\n
My work at Focus: HOPE did all that I had wanted it to- I learned more about what it takes to do programming and public relations, and I learned more about nonprofits in general. The learning I have done has made me reexamine the public relations role that I had originally been so set on. Maybe that\u2019s what I will want to do, but maybe I will end up doing programming instead. Also, while I love Focus: HOPE and still believe that Focus: HOPE is doing so many amazing and important things, I see how the structure of large nonprofits can sometimes hinder the work that I try to get done. The work is spread out amongst all the people working there, but everyone has so much to do that it can be stressful at times. I think I would like to try working at a smaller nonprofit to see how the atmosphere and work compares. I still would like to be doing something that allows me to speak to more people during the day and to be more involved in actual programs- my job at Focus: HOPE was usually still a lot of sitting at a desk for eight hours.<\/p>\n
I feel like my experiences with the people in this program have changed me too. I have been exposed to a struggle (both my own and that of others) of trying to find a place somewhere within the differences between Ann Arbor and Detroit and that has not been a smooth struggle. It has made me think about more the issues in both places and the complexities of people- including myself. In some ways this program has shown me who I have been and who I want to be, and I am working on feeling my way towards someone new.<\/p>\n
As this program comes to a close, I am thankful for my time here, but I am ready for it to end. I don\u2019t think I believe in regrets because each new experience, good or bad, always teaches me something and shapes the person I am.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My first week I wrote optimistically about the program, Detroit, Focus: HOPE, and the people I had already met in the program. I can remember the somewhat-forced optimism when I first wrote it; I always try to look on the bright side but it takes me a while to become acquainted with any new space. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1669,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1669"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12706"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15638,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12706\/revisions\/15638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/dcerp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}