In this week’s Fellow Spotlight, we are checking in with Shivani Naik. She fills us in on what she enjoys most about living in the city, and her host company, Brooks Kushman!

Shivani, tell us about your move to Detroit?

When Challenge Detroit started, Challenge 1I moved to Midtown Detroit from Sterling Heights, a city in the Detroit suburbs. When I first moved to Midtown, I had a little bit of a culture shock (in a good way, of course). Life in the city and suburbs are completely different. Although I had visited Detroit before for big events such as the auto show, moving to Detroit was like entering a whole new world. Before moving here, I was already passionate about issues and opportunities facing the city. Moving here has allowed me to get to know the city and its citizens on a deeper level, which has just deepened my passion even more.

What do you enjoy most about living in Detroit?

There are so many things that I love about living in Detroit that it’s hard for me to pinpoint one thing in particular. One of the things that I love about living in Detroit is that I can step outside of my Midtown apartment and know that I am only a one minute walk away from great restaurants, other small businesses and vibrant people right outside of my street.

Although all of this is wonderful, I’d have to say that the one thing I love the most about living in the city is how assimilating into Detroit culture has allowed me to learn new things every day. I constantly learn about issues and opportunities that never even crossed my mind until now. I also continue to learn more about topics that I was interested in before moving to Detroit.  I can never get too comfortable because there’s always something new to learn or something else to do. This is the kind of environment that I thrive in.

Tell us about your host company, and what you do?

My host company is Brooks Kushman PC, a brooks kushman logoleader in intellectual property and technology related law. I am an Accounting Clerk and spend the majority of my time working in the accounting department. I get to do work in both Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. In addition to this, I also work with the Marketing Director on various marketing projects.

What makes working at Brooks Kushman unique?

I think my experience at Brooks Kushman is unique because I doubt most people can say that they got their first real world work experience at a leading intellectual property and technology related law firm. My experience at Brooks Kushman is unique and pretty cool because I’m getting experience in a lot of different areas that I wouldn’t normally get in one job. I have been given the opportunity to gain experience in both accounting and marketing at the same time, while also writing about Challenge Detroit in the firm’s internal newsletter.

What is your favorite part of the Challenges?

I don’t know if I have just one favorite part. I have three favorite parts which can all be tied together:

1.    Knowing that my work is making a difference in the City of Detroit. By partnering with non-profits who are passionate about serving the citizens of Detroit, we are able to impact the city as a whole.

2.    Being given the opportunity to use my educational background in a useful, relevant way. I have been able to apply my accounting and business background to our challenges in unique ways.

3.    Constantly learning new things and gaining new interests. All of our challenges address a variety of different issues and opportunities that require the diverse set of skills and knowledge that the fellows possess. Due to this, I have been given countless opportunities to educate myself in areas that I previously did not know much about.

What are you most looking forward to in Detroit?

Honestly, I’m looking forward to the Group pic- Living in the Dend of this cold weather so I can enjoy all the great activities and opportunities that will arise in Detroit in the spring and summer.  I’m looking forward to being able to walk to work on Challenge Fridays and walk to all the hot spots in my Midtown neighborhood. I’m looking forward to attending summer events at Campus Martius Park, Belle Isle and the Detroit Riverfront. I’m excited about attending music festivals in the city such as the Downtown Hoedown and the Jazz Festival. I’m excited for spring and summer in the D! 

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