In this week’s Fellow Spotlight, we are checking in with Alyssa Brown. She fills us in on what she enjoys most about Detroit, her host company, Edward C. Levy and what she’s looking forward to as a Challenge Detroit Fellow

Tell us about your neighborhood in the city, what are some of your favorite things about it? 

I live in the Art Center neighborhood. My favorite things about my neighborhood are the location and it’s art! Art Center is close to Midtown, Downtown and Eastern Market with 2 easy entrances to I-75 and I-94 (except the 94 entrance/exit is undergoing construction thanks to the M1 Rail). It’s also conveniently located steps away from the Museum of African American History, College for Creative Studies and the Detroit Institute of Arts. 3 major cultural events also take place in my neighborhood, the African World Festival, the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Noel Night.

Tell us about your host company and your role within the organization? 

I work for Edward C. Levy Co., we work in the steel mill, construction, road construction and agriculture industries. I am the eLearning Designer and I work with a team of 2 others to create online learning material for the company. Our job is to manage Levy’s online learning database. We create videos and job aids to help our employee’s continue to do their job as technology is constantly improving. The goal is to make it simple, and easy to understand for anyone- including some intimidated by technology. 

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit so far? 

I have learned a lot about the neighborhoods of Detroit. Since being in Challenge Detroit I have been on 3 bus tours throughout the city describing the unique, historic impressions each neighborhood has experiences since their birth. These tours have really shed light on the “why” behind the transformations happening everywhere in the city.

What are you looking forward to for the rest of the year? 

I am most looking forward to getting to know the other fellows in the coming months. Each of them bring a unique element to the table and I appreciate seeing their growth as we live, work, play, give and lead together in the City.

What kind of impact do you hope to make within your host company as well as in the city?

Challenge Detroit is all about incremental impact. This year I hope to do just that. I’ll never be able to return the level of impact on the city that Challenge Detroit has had on me, but I hope I do make a difference to someone, somewhere, somehow that leads to something extraordinarily excellent for Detroit.

Also, be sure to check out Alyssa’s video to hear more about her time in Detroit, so far.