Just like with school, jobs and relationships, once something ends you soon realize that something better is coming along.

With Challenge Detroit coming to a close many of us are wondering what our next steps are. Luckily for me I have my next steps lined up for the next year, sort of, if all goes well!

Our last Challenge is a personal impact challenge that will allow us to pick our own nonprofit and project to work on for the next 5 weeks. I hope to be able to work with local nonprofits in building out more community open spaces on our empty lots in Southwest Detroit. We need capacity building and to be able to connect these spaces in order to create a safe and more walkable neighborhood. I’m excited to be able to focus on my own project, get to know my neighbors better and create more meaningful relationships.

After our last Challenge I, like many of my wonderful fellow fellows, plan on staying in the city, and I really hope to be able to find a place to call my own home. The rest of the year will also be spent applying to grad schools and focusing on more leadership and professional development.

At one point in my life I couldn’t handle change or having things end. The discomfort was real and the uncertainty created the worst of anxiety causing unbearable depression. Now, I welcome change. I thrive on it. Challenge Detroit has been a wonderful chapter in my life, but I’ve learned to love to turn the page and move on to the next chapter. There’s nothing like a good (or bad) breakup, transition, or ending to inspire you to work harder on your next chapter. My chapters will only keep getting better, I’m writing a book worth reading. What will your story tell?