Tell us about living in Detroit. What neighborhood do you live in and what makes your neighborhood unique?

Living in Detroit has been a great experience for me so far. I’ve always wanted to live in a city growing up and bounced around from Winston-Salem, NC and Austin, TX to here. The neighborhood I live in is called Woodbridge. Woodbridge is located adjacent to Midtown and just outside of Downtown. I enjoy living there because there’s a good mixture of people from different age groups and ethnicities. Woodbridge is also very accessible for bike riders and walking which I appreciate.

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit in the past nine months?

The two things that come to mind are the importance of balance in life and the accessibility of new skills. Being an athlete in college meant I had some skill in balancing athletics, academics and a social life. But as a young professional, I realize that was different. I could mentally check out of a class or not sprint as hard as I could in a sprint. In work, however, I feel I’m constantly going and constantly trying to do multiple things and I burned out earlier this year. The other is my accessibility of knowledge and new skills and capitalizing on that. I’m surrounded by so many talented individuals and I want to embrace as much as I can.

Tell us about your host company and your role in the organization.

My host company is called RecoveryPark. RecoveryPark is a 501(c)3 with the mission of creating jobs for people with barriers to employment. We do that through commercial large scale agriculture and selling specialty produce to a local distributor out of Eastern Market. Like most non-profits I wear multiple hats but primarily work in the community and with the local businesses. This means a lot of community engagement and informing the residents about what’s going on. I also started a Small Business Association with some of the local businesses to help increase opportunity and hopefully economic mobility.

We asked RecoveryPark to tell us a bit more about Alex’s work and the impact he’s been able to have in the organization over the past few months.

“Our fellow, Alex Mayo has been tasked with designing and executing a plan for community engagement in the RecoveryPark footprint. Alex has spearheaded the Chene-Ferry Business Association, led students and volunteer groups around community service projects including land cleanup and infrastructural repairs, and has consistently represented RecoveryPark at both community and civic events. These relationships allow us to work in partnership with our community, establishing services and resources that are not only beneficial for RecoveryPark, but for the entire Chene-Ferry community.”

What kind of impact do you hope to have with your host company and within the city?

I just want to be a good steward with my host company. The impact there will be helping to create jobs for individuals who wouldn’t get the same opportunity anywhere else. As far as the city goes I’m not looking to be some savior type figure or pretend Detroit is a blank canvass. However, my personal canvass in Detroit is blank and I want to paint that with new memories and goals. I’ve never been afraid to dream large so I want to create a legacy in Detroit.

What are you most looking forward to this summer in Detroit?

Well, I haven’t experienced a full Detroit summer and have only heard that it’s the best, I guess we’ll see if it lives up to the hype. I’m looking forward to the various activities from slow roll to art events and of course Belle Isle. I’m looking forward to those long nights with good friends. Honestly though what I’m looking forward to most my own personal growth. With new people and new spaces come new opportunities and I just want to make it a priority to stay out of my comfort zone and grow as an individual.

What do you envision for Detroit 10 years from now?

That’s hard for me to say you know? I just want to be able to look back 10 years from now and say I played a role in Detroit’s revitalization. Not just in the greater downtown area but through all the neighborhoods. I guess if I had to envision something I envision the same grit and hustle harder attitude Detroit has today.

Watch Alex’s spotlight video below to see even more of his year in Detroit.