“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Since becoming a Challenge Detroit fellow, I have learned so much about myself and my hometown. It has made the love I have for my city grow even bigger, which I didn’t even think was possible!

I feel fortunate to be a part of a fellowship that has given me the opportunity and exposure to learn from so many incredible people who are doing amazing work in the city’s neighborhoods.

From learning about nonprofits such as Detroit Hives, Arts & Scraps, and Focus Hope to being able to play a supportive role in co-partnering with the Detroit Public Schools Community District, T.E.A. of Rebel Nell and the city’s Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity Department for our challenge projects, this journey has been really eye-opening so far!

The exposure of being able to personally hear the stories of several hardworking and passionate individuals doing creative, innovative, and meaningful things in our community is priceless. I strongly believe exposure is the key to unlocking new great ideas and dreams while encouraging untapped potential. Listening to others share gems of the wealth of their wisdom has left me feeling inspired. It has also piqued my curiosity to want to explore and learn more about the nonprofits serving Detroit.

To have been able to soak in so much knowledge while working on meaningful challenge projects in the first six months of the fellowship has been an experience like no other. It’s motivated me to want to share what I’ve been learning with others in my community, so more people are aware of the impactful work being done and can pass on this knowledge to someone else.

The first half of the fellowship has been going by quickly, but I am looking forward to what’s to come.  Stay tuned to read more about my experience as a Challenge Detroit fellow.

This blog post was contributed by:  Charnae Sanders.Be sure to follow all of our activity on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/challengedetroit/.