So far this year, I have been exposed to a lot of things that are pushing me to grow.

At my host company Edward C. Levy, I am learning how to use a lot of new programs and tools. I am working in the IT Training Department where I get to focus on producing training videos with, and for the Levy staff. Most of our videos are “screencasted”, which means they are walking the learner through what is happening on their computer screen. Prior to this position, I had never screencasted before. It has been an awesome experience to develop this skillset. I feel fortunate to have a supportive team that makes it a safe environment to learn in. Another bonus is that our company has a subscription to Lynda.com, which houses tons of high-quality online tutorials. This has been an extremely helpful learning tool. I am excited to keep developing new skills that will further aid my professional development.

Through Challenge Detroit Leadership Fridays and through relationships with my Challenge Detroit peers, I have been exposed to conversation topics that I have never covered in depth before. Of these topics is the issue of Race and Inequity in Detroit and in the entire country. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this important conversation and am extremely grateful that my peers are patient and supportive as I learn how to actively join in. Being someone who is more inclined to keep their opinion to themselves in most situations, this experience is definitely pushing me to seek more knowledge on these important issues and to step outside of my comfort zone to share my voice.

The Challenges are exposing me to a whole new world of things. I am learning about the organizations we are working with, how they work, and how to collaborate with others to deliver concrete deliverables to them at the end of our partnership. Prior to this year, I had worked on group projects for school, but I had never collaborated on anything to this degree. I am learning a lot about myself and my tendencies as a teammate and a leader, and I am hopeful to become a more effective collaborator from this experience.

This last “life lesson” is not “Challenge Detroit” related, but is more “personal life” focused. I am recently engaged (♥), which means that I am even more recently learning how to plan a wedding. The process has proven to live up to its reputation of being overwhelming at times, but I am learning how to cope with the stress so that I can better enjoy the experience. This has been a big challenge for me because I have a tendency of letting stress overtake me. However, I know that this is a pretty precious time in my life and I want to soak it up amidst the moments of chaos.

I have no doubt that this is going to continue to be a formative year in my life. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I feel that I should share how extremely grateful I am for this year of growth and for the people who are helping me get there.  Thank you!