In this week’s Fellow Spotlight, we are checking in with Sarms Jabra. He fills us in on what he enjoys most about Detroit, his host company Skidmore Studio, and what he’s looking forward to as a Challenge Detroit Fellow.

Tell us about your neighborhood in the city. What are some of your favorites things? 

I don’t actually live in a neighborhood. I live off Gratiot and East Grand Boulevard and I love it. It’s pretty quite with lots of conveniences being so close to the commercial corridor on Gratiot. There’s also a park within walking distance from my house. I’m looking forward to relaxing there when it warms up a bit. It’s also a good location for me, I can get to my friend’s places pretty easy on bike and it’s a short ride downtown to work.

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

I work for Skidmore Studio, a full service creative studio with more moxie and capability than I’ve seen from a lot of the creative spaces. We recently redesigned our website, you should check it out, www.skidmorestudio.com. I work in research and strategy. Right now, I’m building a database for our internal knowledge. It is interesting, engaging, and educational.

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit so far? 

Goodness, where to start… I’ve learned how to learn from my peers, I’ve learned how to be more accountable, and I’ve learned a lot about Detroit. Detroit is a city with a long history and an interesting present. What I love about this program is it exposes me to many aspects of what is going on in the city. From corporate partners, grass roots organizations, and city officials. It is a holistic introduction to a complicated and wonderful city. It’s a very unique approach and I appreciate it.

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

For the city, I think it’s too soon to tell. Too often people come in ready to “fix” Detroit with their preconceived notions about how the city should be. I’m spending a lot of my time listening. Call it an exercise in empathy via our design thinking training. I will say public access is important to me, especially coming from Chicago, where much of the city is steadily being privatized with little oversight. That concerns me, and it is my hope that I can help steer Detroit in a different direction.

For Skidmore, I hope to help it be an even better version of itself. I hope to help it understand its processes and knowledge better and ensure we speak candidly to each other.

What are you looking forward to most in the coming months? 

I’m looking forward to setting up my new place, spending more time with my family, and finding the best bike routes in the city.

Also, be sure to check out Sarms’ video to learn more about his time in Detroit, so far.