Dear Detroit,

I’m sorry to say but it’s time for me to go.

But before I do, I just want to thank you for some things.

Thanks for being full of beautiful and diverse people. I’ll miss morning hellos from Detroiters as I walk to work. I’ll miss their spirit and belief in a city that not many believed in. I’ll miss the multitude of cultures that encompasses your boarders.

Thanks for letting me see where I came from. I got to see the house where my grandmother used to live in. I got to work near where my mom grew up. Many important people in my life came from this city and it has undoubtedly shaped me.

Thanks for letting me be an ambassador for you. Everywhere I went outside of the city, people asked me about you. How’s Detroit? What’s fun to do there? Are you safe? Sometimes I was a cheerleader, sometimes I was a recommender, sometimes I was defender. I hope I helped contribute to change the narrative of Detroit and to show people how beautiful this city is.

Thanks for letting me be a part of something bigger than myself. In my application video I talked about wanting to be a part of something bigger than myself and this year was definitely that. I was humbled to be a part of an impressive group of 35 young professionals that have a passion to help change Detroit. I was thankful to work with numerous organizations in different fields and have a hand in helping them improve and better the city. I was thankful to be immersed in cultural opportunities and have a chance to meet so many leaders in Detroit.

I’ll miss you Detroit. And I’ll be back someday. But in the meantime continue rewriting history and being the beautiful jewel of the Midwest that you have always been.

Thanks for helping change my life and for letting me be a small piece of your rebirth.

-Jonathan Ganci