My last full month with my host company and Challenge Detroit was great. I finally experienced Detroit and the surrounding area with beautiful summer weather! My fiancée also began her Teach for America summer institute training. She will be spending 5 weeks in Chicago preparing for her job in Southwest Detroit teaching 11^th grade math. She is dedicated to working in the city and helping educate its youth so that they can help create a better Detroit.

Working toward my goal

My fiancée’s first week of training took place downtown Detroit, and it was amazing exploring the city with her. One of my main goals when I started Challenge Detroit was to bring my family and friends into the city to explore and discover new places. I made great strides toward that goal this month!

First step

Challenge Detroit tasked each fellow to create a specific goal of something to work toward and to start working toward it with your first step. My goal was to lose weight, become healthier, and feel fit. Since I began working in an office setting, I gained about 20lbs. Despite being very active in college, once I began working at my host company, I gained weight fast. As the weather improved, I made it my goal to get outside more and eat better. Since January, I have lost the 20 pounds that I gained and I hope to continue to improve my health through a better diet and exercise.

Moving forward

I was thankfully admitted into Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and will hopefully be starting medical school in August. Along with my future wife, we hope to partner with the great people and organizations in the city to improve the health and education of Detroit.