With the year four Challenge Detroit applications being open until March 8th, I felt compelled to dig through my old correspondence around this time last year.

My first hearing of Challenge Detroit was on February 20th, 2014. It was a normal Thursday evening in Oregon when I received an email from a peer who was a fellow dual masters student in both the Department of Architecture and the Department of Planning, Public Policy, and Management (PPPM). He had received an email from the Internship Director in the Department of Planning, Public Policy, and Management earlier that afternoon and had forwarded it on to me as I was not on the email list of that department.

Here is his original email:

Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I received his email that February evening nearly one year ago. To prove how ecstatic, here is my email back to him–exactly 49 minutes later:

My excitement, you see, was based on my determination to move to Detroit following the completion of graduate school. While I grew up in the midwest, I had never been to Detroit and it was during the summer of 2012 that I “discovered” the once well-known Paris of the Midwest via an online photograph of the Michigan Central Train Station. Upon seeing the photo, my first reaction was, “What? This is in America? How have we let this happen?” And the research began. I read everything I could about the history and current events of Detroit. About it’s people it’s industry,it’s promise, and it’s hardship. By the end of that summer I had decided that Detroit was going to be home by the fall of 2014. Even if I couldn’t find a job in my field, I was moving to Detroit no matter what.

I returned to the University of Oregon in the fall of 2012 following my summer at home in Iowa. Once back in Eugene, I talked to as many friends, classmates, and professors as would listen about my fascination with Detroit and my desire to move there. Most responses–“Are you crazy? You know what’s going on there, right?” It didn’t deter me. I continued reading, researching, learning, and discussing Detroit any chance I could.

My very first visit to the City was during the summer of 2013. I had just gotten home from studying abroad in Croatia and convinced my parents and my sister to join me in a visit to Detroit, my future home. What happened during that weekend trip is nothing short of amazing. We didn’t know a soul yet managed to make a handful of great friends. We attended the Detroit Design Festival’s Eastern Market After Dark event and had a great time. My sister (an opera singer) ended up singing outside of Mootown Creamery. It was a great trip and Detroit treated us well.

My second trip was for archival research for a chapter in my thesis regarding the Old Wayne County Building. It was during this trip that I also created my Challenge Detroit application video. Again, I was blown away by the kindness and generosity of the people living and working here. I couldn’t wait to graduate and start my life here.

My third trip to Detroit was the Challenge Detroit interview trip. What a whirlwind of a trip! I met amazing people, ate my first coney island, and saw parts of the city I hadn’t yet seen. My thesis was due three days after returning to Oregon from Detroit and it was on that day that I learned I was accepted to the fellowship. And the rest, my friends, is history.

Interested in applying? After this recap, you should be! 🙂 Apply here by March 8th!