Last year, I found love in an unlikely place. I had just finished my junior year of college, and I needed a source of income. One day while I was studying for the MCAT at the Starbucks down Michigan Avenue, I came across a local posting for a summer tutoring position. I contacted the company and quickly began tutoring high school students in Southwest Detroit. On my first day of work, I felt overwhelmed and excited to be immersed in the Detroit community and to work with other, passionate leaders in education. At the time, I could not have predicted that I had just been introduced to my future wife.

I spent my senior year returning to the Detroit community. I felt driven and dedicated to promoting equity, and I decided to take a gap year to pursue my interests in healthcare advancement. The Challenge Detroit program has enabled me to think in a systematic way about conflict solutions. I have learned of the importance of financial support and cultural competence to healthcare through my work at my host company (Hospice of Michigan). I hope to gain further experience in patient-centered health care.

This past month, I visited my summer coworker in Washington, D.C. and proposed to her. When I began my fellowship with Hospice of Michigan in Detroit, I witnessed unwavering love and purpose. Patients shared their incredible stories with me, and I felt humbled to be seen and trusted as a member of their community. My work motivated me to become leader in Detroit. My fiancé will become a Teach for America corps member in Detroit next year, and we hope to partner with the community to advance equitable opportunity, together. I am dedicated to the medical health of metro Detroit area, and my fiancé is dedicated to the health of the city’s education. We hope to make a lifetime of difference.