Talia Greenberg is a 2022-2023 Fellow at Quinn Evans where she is the Preservation + Sustainability Fellow. Learn more about Talia below.
A Fellow Walks Into a Bar
It’s All About Balance: Journaling before interviewing for the Challenge Detroit cohort of 2023.
If one fellow walks into a bar, trust that two could end up walking out together. At a friend’s goodbye party, I took a seat at a picnic table filled hip to hip with her people. One of her friends and I strolled through a few get-to-know-you topics and ended up talking about his longtime interest in criminal justice reform as reparative structural development. Hmmm… a little bit nerdy… (read: he gets it). I was stoked. Plugging in passionate people has been the Challenge “thing” for years, so I brought it up. He thought that was hilarious, explaining that later in the month he’d be hosting us fellows in his workspace as an alum from last year. Thanks, Kaj, for a really great welcome.
This was my first of three chance alum meetings (yes, all in bars) in a very short span. I think Detroiters do meaningful relationships really well, above almost all other things. The passion and energy that we bring to the table and therefore to each other is often a force that we rely on. And for Challenge Fellows, the door into this world is wide open because our community reflects and uplifts that ecosystem. I feel it every time the good vibrations spike while connecting with people who are familiar with the program.
Shared moments with alums remind me that being present for others and being authentic go hand in hand. Even when we can barely hear each other over the hum of the room, the clear takeaway is that we have a knack for showing up as ourselves and humbly (nerdily) leading and giving with that authenticity. But, since we also tend to talk about ourselves as dreamers and hustlers, a little grit with a good sense of humor doesn’t hurt. Thank you especially to this year’s cohort of wonderful people- we ‘prove it’ every Friday, and you bring the best out of me too.
About Talia:
Hey! My name is Talia and I grew up in Bloomfield Hills. I love “getting back in my body” with my friends at the climbing gym, going to concerts, dancing around, journaling about art and life, and rescuing old furniture. I have a BS in Design + Environmental Analysis with a concentration in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University.
Why should someone apply to be a Fellow?
You may not know what you’re looking for, but Challenge Detroit can help orient you in the direction of your greater potential. Trust the process!