Tell us about living in Detroit. What neighborhood do you live in and what things make it unique?

I am a new resident and homeowner in the Boston-Edison Historic District. The Boston-Edison neighborhood was a leading factor in my decision to buy. It’s a close-knit community with an active neighborhood association, and everyone has been warm and welcoming. My immediate neighbors are long-time residents and I have met a handful of other new young couples on the block. Overall, the neighborhood is a mixture of residents from many different walks of life, with whom I share a passion for historic homes, and the ambition to maintain them.

I was looking for a community to eventually raise a family and I think I found mine here in Detroit.

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit so far?

Challenge Detroit has contributed to my understanding of being strategic. I feel like my previous personal and professional experiences have been very exploratory. Although they have gotten me here and helped me realize my passions, now Challenge Detroit is helping me plan an approach, target my efforts, and develop a specialization.

Tell us about your host company and your role in the organization.

My host company is DTE Energy. I work in the Public Affairs Department in the company’s neighborhood revitalization program – Energize Detroit, at the headquarters downtown. I am excited to contribute my knowledge of good planning, placemaking, and economic and community development principles to our efforts to develop a new park for the public, explore adaptive reuse possibilities for the company’s decommissioned power plants, and encourage employee engagement in the city.

What kind of impact do you hope to have with your host company and within the city?

I hope to use my skills in organization, communication, efficiency, finding common ground, and networking, and my passion for community planning to change land use patterns and promote the revitalization of post-industrial cities. My goal is to aid in internal decision-making at DTE in favor of investment in the adaptive reuse of brownfields.

I am also working hard to be a positive influence in my neighborhood, by investing in my home and being a good neighbor.

What are you most looking forward to as you begin your fellowship year?

I am really excited to learn more about Detroit, to explore the city by bike and by foot, to get to know some long-time residents, to be a contributing member of a local community, to attend local cultural and entertainment events, to support current efforts, to find an organization to volunteer at, to eat and drink at the city’s restaurants, and to support local businesses…All of it; I am looking forward to all of it.

To learn more about Cassi’s experience as a Challenge Detroit Fellow so far check out her spotlight video!