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

I live in the greater Midtown area, specifically the Cass Corridor. Anchored by the Arts, Meds, and Eds, Midtown attracts new development, new residents, and frequent events. With a myriad of businesses and institutions, its current challenge is maintaining inclusivity throughout change. I enjoy living in the Cass Cooridor for many reasons, but especially for the following:

• Transportation, Walkability, and Bikeability: I’m able to live in my neighborhood and get to work, volunteering, exercise, food, the Eastern Market, and more without a car. It takes me 20 minutes or less to get into work without any of the stress of driving or parking, thanks to the bus system.
• Proximity to running meetups and the riverfront: Having lived next to a beautiful park in Bridgeport, CT last year, I was a bit nervous about finding a running route in a bigger more industrialized city. With the Detroit Riverwalk, Belle Isle, and plenty of running groups to explore new routes with, Detroit made training for a marathon easy (….or as easy as training for a marathon can be.)
• The Academic Environment: I love learning, school, and miss the classroom very much. With Wayne State and the U of M and MSU Detroit Centers, Midtown makes it easy to fulfill the desire to learn. There are always lectures, community discussions, presentations, and guest speakers coming to spur academic thought.
• Avalon Bakery Day-Olds: Walking to Avalon early in the morning to see what discounted goodies they have for sale never gets old or any less delicious.

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit so far?

I’ve continued to fall more in love with the city of Detroit and learn more about its history, businesses, neighborhoods, successes, and challenges through Challenge Detroit. What I’ve most appreciated learning through Challenge Detroit though is learning the power of design thinking and learning how to practice design thinking. The two things I love most about design thinking are that anyone can do it and it suspends reality for a few minutes as you ideate without boundaries. During our second challenge partnering with Detroit Public Schools, I was lucky enough that Kyla, a fellow fellow, invited me to a community event at Fisher Upper, the school her team was working with. The Henry Ford Learning Institute facilitated a design-thinking workshop, where residents ideated on what their neighborhood needed and what it could look like. It’s moment that has stuck with me from this year, as a community empowered to design their future hints towards sustainable change.

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

I work at Clark Hill, a law firm headquartered in the One Detroit Center with offices across the United States. As a financial analyst, I work with the business analytics and accounting departments. My work varies from monthly reports and tasks to one-time projects focused on spotlighting opportunities for improvements or evaluating future business acquisition decisions. With a former fellow on my team and supportive bosses at Clark Hill, I’m able to share my Challenge Detroit experience with my host company and feel supported professionally and personally in my work on Challenge Fridays. We also are in the midst of our ‘Thrive 125’ campaign at Clark Hill. Across offices, employees have been encouraged to volunteer their time at nearby agencies in thanks for Clark Hills successful 125 years as law firm and provide other agencies with the support they need to be successful. My desire to give fit right into the Thrive 125 campaign and I’ve been able to volunteer weekly at Mercy Education Project. Though this makes for some early Wednesday mornings, seeing the sunrise over Detroit and tutoring at the end of the day make it worth it. I’m very appreciative that my team at Clark Hill supports my work with MEP.

We asked Emily’s host company Clark Hill,  why did your organization choose to host a Challenge Detroit fellow? Here’s what they had to say

Clark Hill is thrilled to participate in an organization whose goal is to fill Detroit with a talented and responsible workforce. Emily is our second fellow from the program, and we couldn’t be happier with our experience thus far.

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

Within the city, I hope to continue to learn and become involved in its non-profit sector and its growing sphere of social entrepreneurship. At work, I look forward to continuing to understand operations of a law firm and taking on more projects where I can both apply my skills from my business education and practice new skills.

What are the most immediate projects that you think need to be addressed in Detroit in 2016?

Inclusivity, Sustainable Growth, and Regional Transit: As development continues in Downtown and in Midtown and spreads to additional neighborhoods, building inclusive neighborhoods and creating our Detroit will be at the center of many community’s conversations. As the pace of growth in Detroit continues to accelerate, ensuring it is done in a sustainable manner that can adapt to future changes in economy will be key. DDOT and SMART both are adding buses and expanding their transit capabilities, however, the two services operate separately and at times compete for service. Working together to invest in better regional transit in necessary for the metro Detroit as whole to improve economically rather than transfer issues between the city of Detroit and its suburban regions.

Check out Emily’s video to learn even more about her time in Detroit so far.