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

I live in Brush Park, once known as the “Little Paris of the Midwest” during its glory days. Filled with grand unique and architecturally distinguished properties it is home to the Woodward East Historic District which includes several blocks of high Victorian style residences recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. Categorized by its Gilded Age mansions and French Renaissance style, Brush Park was initially constructed for Detroit’s wealthiest citizens.

Even more pronounced than the beautiful architecture, is the prevalence of blight and vacant land from years of decay and abandonment. Nestled just in between the booming Downtown and Midtown areas, on some streets my neighborhood sits in stark contrast to its thriving backdrop.

However very recently the area has received a lot of investment interest and development efforts. From the new Red Wings stadium just across Woodward to the restoration of the Ransom Gillis mansion by HGTV’s Nicole Curtis, the neighborhood is changing everyday. The area has attracted attention from some of the city’s most well known real estate and business moguls including Dan Gilbert who announced a new 300+ housing development in May and the Ilitch family who gifted $40m to Wayne State University for a new business school in the area; the largest gift in the history of the university.

It’s exciting to be in a neighborhood going through these redevelopment efforts and seeing first-hand the positive changes going on in the city. Restoration of historical and architecturally rich homes, opening of new restaurants and popup shops, more housing developments to put vacant land to use, and development of the M1 rail are just a few ways recent investment will improve the quality of life for the neighborhood residents.

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit so far?

More than anything else, I’ve learned how much I still have to learn. From discovering my personal strengths during our orientation bootcamp, to learning about structural racism and the history of Detroit during our leadership training, I’m recognizing that there’s more I can learn about myself, a wealth of knowledge to be gained from my peers, and a lot I never knew about the city.

Internalizing that race and equity still play a key role in today’s society was really eye opening for me, having lived in several large metropolitan previously including New York, Philadelphia and Chicago where these topics were never really acknowledged or discussed and typically passed off as economic situations more than deep rooted social injustices.

Aside from the social aspect, I’m learning a completely new job in a completely new field working in legal marketing. Even beyond the work for my host company I’m also learning about working with non-profits and the public sector during our Challenge projects. After 5 years in private banking, my only experience is working in the private sector for a very large, global, corporation. Getting to learn both a new role and work in different industries has been very rewarding and advanced my personal development.

Lastly, working in groups and our regular leadership activities have enabled me to learn from my peers. Working with 30 bright individuals from very diverse backgrounds offers a wealth of knowledge in and of itself. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to learn from all of these experiences.

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

I’m the Marketing Coordinator for Brooks Kushman, the largest Intellectual Property law firm in the Midwest. My responsibilities include assisting with, managing and executing event planning; various branding efforts such as promotional marketing items, managing social media, and assisting with the creation of advertisements, updating the company’s website and content, and creating and distributing press releases.

Here is what Brooks Kushman is saying about Kyla:

Kyla brings an incredible amount of value to Brooks Kushman’s marketing department. She is work closely with me on the development of sponsorship, event coordination, community outreach and industry research. Kyla is energetic and eager to learn the various nuances of legal marketing. She brings a creative approach to marketing, which allows us to better our efforts and think creatively.

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

Working in a Detroit suburb, I hope to be a connection for my host company to the city of Detroit by sharing all the great work we’re doing in the program, in addition to the many exciting events, developments and activities happening everyday.

Part of my responsibilities include planning and coordinating quarterly community volunteer efforts for the firm which I hope will be a gateway for connecting employees with the city. I’m also in the process of creating a brief monthly newsletter to share Challenge Detroit updates with the firm now that our first Challenge is complete and we’ve already seen the exciting results published by the City of Detroit Mayor’s office.

Within the city, I hope to have an impact through philanthropic efforts between regular volunteering with the nonprofit organizations I’m most passionate about such as the Coalition On Temporary Shelter (COTS) or an arts institution like the DIA, in addition to serving as a leader within the volunteer community on a junior board.

While one day I dream of having a greater impact on the city through entrepreneurship or leadership within the community, another thing I’ve learned from Challenge Detroit thus far is the importance of making an incremental impact. By shopping local and trying new coffee shops and restaurants in different neighborhoods I hope to have an impact by supporting the city’s economy.

What is a courageous idea that you would like to see implemented in the city of Detroit and why?

More than anything I would like to see an inclusive transportation infrastructure that would foster a culture of walkability and public transportation.

While this would certainly be of personal benefit to me, I believe the infrastructure is essential to long term growth for the city. It would improve the quality of life for existing residents and businesses by providing access for employment opportunities as well as connecting residents with more local stores and restaurants thereby stimulating the local economy. A rail system would also create a long term revenue stream and job creation for the city. Lastly, there are crucial environmental benefits to using public transportation in a city that has historically relied heavily upon automobiles.