Tasnia Chowdhury is a 2021-2022 Fellow. She is from Sterling Heights, Michigan. She is an honors graduate from Eastern Michigan University where she earned her Bachelors in Psychology and Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience.

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

I am an Outreach Navigator at a small non-profit organization called Community and Home Supports where we work in housing and homeless services. My job is to meet people where they are at and connect them to housing services and providers, providing them with the support they need to get keys in their hands. 

Tell us about a challenge project you’ve worked on; what have you learned from the experience?

One challenge project that I have worked on that I was especially proud to be a part of was partnering with The Marygrove Conservancy in building a program for culture bearers within the community. I felt like the team’s voices were really heard and that the work we did was valued by our partner Rachael Allen. 

My wonderful team from our time at Marygrove Conservancy where we spent every Friday in coordinating outfits to show our team solidarity.

How do you hope to impact the community as a Fellow?

I hope to continue working with programs and nonprofits within the city to grow their impact and lend a helping hand to a cause I feel strongly about. I hope to grow myself as a leader and help build the communities I am a part of to reflect the ideals that we would like to see within the community. 

Working hard at my host company CHS looking over paperwork to ensure our clients get the service they deserve.

Since becoming a Fellow, what new skill have you gained?

I find myself brainstorming and saying “yes, and” a lot in my conversations since beginning Challenge.

How do you believe your fellowship year will shape your career moving forward?

This program has really informed me on the importance of community building and place making. It has helped me to gain a bit more perspective on what I want to do with my future career-wise. Although I still haven’t figured it all out yet, I feel that I have more direction than before I started the program.

What would you say to someone who is considering applying to be a Fellow?

I would say to anyone interested in applying as a fellow at Challenge Detroit to do it! I have met so many great minds and leaders in Detroit and it is so refreshing to be around like-minded, hard working, driven people and feed off of that energy. I truly believe that my cohort helped build me as a leader and has provided me with new perspectives to approaching problems. They have been a motivating force and are so supportive!