By Cody Grant | @motorcitycody

By now, I’m sure that you’ve heard about the five pillars on which Challenge Detroit was founded.  This extraordinary fellowship asks its members to live, work, play, give and lead in the city of Detroit and the surrounding region.  With that said, a lot gets lost in the shuffle considering there are over 30 of us leading our own lives and finding ways to impact the Motor City.

For me, Challenge Detroit came at just the right time.  If I wasn’t in the program, right now I would be probably be working my way through 1L of law school.  I had taken the LSAT prior to applying for the fellowship, and I was looking at schools on the West Coast.

My life path would have changed without Challenge Detroit, and my career trajectory would have narrowed beyond belief.  Instead of now being beholden to post-graduate debt, I have had the freedom to work with numerous business partners in the region while expanding my career scope threefold.

With six months left in the Challenge Detroit program, here are the six ways that Challenge Detroit changed my life.

Introduced me to 30+ new distinct fellows, friends, viewpoints, laughs, and companies

Launched my connection to Detroit’s ‘tech scene’ through a 10-week course at Grand Circus

Sparked an interest in Project Management and Business Process Methodologies

Refined my skills as a collaborator, researcher, and communicator

Placed me at one of the Detroit Free Press’ Top Work Places (2013): Strategic Staffing Solutions

Helped me to believe that I can actually make a difference in this sometimes-ridiculous, always-changing, never-bland world that is southeastern Michigan