Being a fellow in Challenge Detroit is not easy. There are times when I often feel like I am in over my head. Or instances when I am put in a position at my host company where I ask myself, “am I truly qualified for this”? When I was applying for Challenge Detroit, I reached out to a few current fellows and one of them told me, “It’s pure madness and overwhelming, but in a good way”. I now know what they meant.
I am sooo busy these days. Between my 9-5 workweek at my host company (I always go over 5), volunteering weekly with the Center for Success as a tutor/mentor, attending a Challenge Detroit networking event, doing Challenge work on Fridays (that I usually end up taking home and doing throughout the week) or attending cultural and social events throughout the week, life is overwhelming…but in a good way.
For this current challenge with the Downtown Boxing Gym, I’ve decided to be a project coordination lead to challenge myself even more; so it will be interesting to see how much busier the next 5 weeks will get for me. Challenge Detroit is about to begin their year 6 recruitment and application process (yay!). And I guess this blog is for anyone interested in being a future fellow.
It’s. Not. Easy. You don’t get to really choose the host company you ultimately are placed with. You can put down a preference, but things may not play out the way you predicted it would. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing! However, just be aware that you may be assigned a placement that will stretch you and push you out of your comfort zone. I can promise you that you will learn a lot though. I think I put down all non-profits when asked to identify my preferences for a host company, because that was my comfort zone. I was ultimately placed at a big for-profit, but as a result I am learning a ton about corporate giving, community activation and philanthropy, which is awesome for me. I’ve learned to never box myself into one area.
Living in Detroit is great! I feel safe, I love my neighborhood, and I really like the community I was able to build so far. But on the flip side, car insurance prices are really high here and you have to travel to the suburbs for big grocery stores and shopping centers. And there are other fellows that have had some not so good experiences, such as car theft, bad housing situations, etc. So living in Detroit, like any other city, is not all rainbows. Don’t think you will come here, be a superhero and “save” Detroit by day and party by night.
As a fellow, there may be days when you want to give up. You will go through experiences that will shake you up a bit and make you question everything. You may question if your host company is a good fit for you. You may meet up on fridays with all the other brilliant fellows and wonder if you truly belong. You will start a new challenge, blink once, realize it’s almost over and panic about what still needs to be done.
One day, you may look around and ask yourself, “why did I choose Detroit when I could have chosen Chicago, New York or (fill in the blank)”? But ultimately, you will fail, learn about yourself, learn about Detroit, get back up, try again and be better. Be greater. Being in Challenge Detroit has definitely sped up the learning process for me. I’ve learned way more than I would have had I just moved to Detroit and taken a regular job. I definitely recommend Challenge Detroit to anyone feeling compelled to apply. However, just know that it’s called ‘Challenge’ Detroit for a reason.
-Gabrial Taylor:
Year 5 Challenge Detroit Fellow