In this week’s Fellow Spotlight, Lyse Cook fills us in on her move from Portland to Detroit, what she enjoys most about living in the city, and her role as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Coordinator with Sachse Construction.

Lyse, growing up in Portland and attending college in Utah, what have you enjoyed most about moving to Detroit?

Going to school in Utah, I definitively gained an appreciation and love of the desert. However, I am so happy to be back in such a fertile landscape again! But besides that, Detroit is so unique. Every day I ride my bike through Brush Park, which is essentially blocks of wildflowers and fields, with an random, beautiful Victorian mansion standing alone on the block, like a lone solider, standing watch over Detroit’s skyline in the background. It smells incredible, fresh with dew in the morning. It’s the strangest, most beautiful scene, this mix of wild Michigan nature and historical, man-made buildings. I feel incredibly lucky to be confronted by such a lesson in hubris every day. The thing I enjoy most about being in Detroit is how the city–the literal, built fabric of the city– makes me question and ponder the future of American society and economy. Thankfully, most of the time, I find incredible optimism and hope among (what many call) the ruins of the traditional American Dream.

What drew you to Detroit? Did you know much about this “built fabric” before moving here?

I’ve been interested in Detroit and Michigan since early in high school when I became really obsessed with Sufjan Steven’s album, Michigan. Its a really lovely album, but it also speaks to the post-industrial problems Michigan and Detroit have been struggling with for the past few decades. Later in high school, I became really interested in the history of labor unions, and many of those events and movements took place around the auto industry here. In college, I started studying urban planning and architecture during the mid-century period. Once again, Detroit and Michigan came up in my research, especially since Detroit was one of the first cities to put modern transportation technology (freeways, expressways!) into actual practice. Looking back, it’s easy to see what that heady, modernist optimism did to the families living in Detroit– the city bulldozed entire neighborhoods, fractured communities and showed a blatant disrespect for flourishing ethnic enclaves. But I also find it fascinating that the city planners, architects, engineers and officials all believed they were doing the best thing for their city. It was all so genuine.

As my college career came to a close and I finished up my final Senior art exhibit (where I explored Modernism in urban planning), I couldn’t stop reading about Detroit. The city seemed to represent everything wonderful about American ideals, and yet show our failures so clearly. I was drawn to the idea that I could live in a place where I could try to solve those problems, working to create more sustainable solutions for a better Detroit and a better country.

It was entirely naive, entirely heady and optimistic. I don’t know if I’ve done anything to move a centimeter towards solving anything, yet. But I am incredibly lucky to have met people who also want to solve those problems, talk with them and work with them. Living in Detroit has been an education all in itself.

What are some of your favorite things to do in City?

I love singing karaoke at Comet Bar, going to free lectures at Wayne State (where I once met my idol, Candy Chang!), getting lunch at 1515 Broadway, biking to Belle Isle (actually doing anything on Belle Isle), running along the River Front, going for random drives through the city with friends, getting groceries at Eastern Market, visiting my favorite paintings at the DIA…the list goes on and on!

Tell us about your host company and what you do.

My host company is Sachse Construction, where I work as a graphic designer and marketing coordinator. My favorite part about working for Sachse is hearing all the latest news about new office spaces and buildings being opened downtown. In my specific position, I’m responsible for creating a lot of our print and digital marketing material, as well as creating strategies to communicate and develop internal company culture.

What makes working for Sachse unique?

Sachse just moved into our new offices downtown. It’s so fun being a part of the energy in the city and being able to walk to get lunch or meet friends! I love being able to bike to work and walk to see all our construction projects. It’s so neat to be part of the action.

What have you enjoyed most about the Challenges thus far?

So far, we’ve only fully completed one challenge, but what I’ve enjoyed most is spending time with my fellow fellows and hearing their great ideas. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the talent I get to work with and they definitely inspire me to work harder and come up with more and better ideas.

Check out Lyse’s personal blog here, and her spotlight video.