{"id":18141,"date":"2016-11-14T13:42:50","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T13:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/?post_type=blogpost&p=18141"},"modified":"2016-11-14T13:42:50","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T13:42:50","slug":"fellow-spotlight-rachael-aptowitz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/fellow-spotlight-rachael-aptowitz\/","title":{"rendered":"Fellow Spotlight: Rachael Aptowitz"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tell us about living in Detroit. What neighborhood do you live in and what things make it unique?<\/b><\/p>\n

I live in Brush Park, a historic 22-block neighborhood within Midtown. \u00a0Brush Park still boasts about 90 original structures from the 19<\/span>th<\/span> century including many Victorian mansions. I live in one! I am one of five residents of the Bernard Ginsburg house, built in 1898 and designed by Detroit architect Albert Kahn.<\/span><\/p>\n

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit so far?<\/b><\/p>\n

\"cd_sl_1\"During orientation and our first challenge, I have learned that Detroit is a much more expansive city than the 7.2 square mile greater downtown area I was exposed to in my first year living here. Visiting Artesian Farms in Brightmoor during orientation was an eye-opening experience for me. The kale (yes vegans love kale) I had been buying all year at Whole Foods in Midtown was very much \u201cGrown in Detroit,\u201d and it was from this amazing, aquaponics filled warehouse in a neighborhood I had never been to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell us about your host company and your role in the organization.<\/b><\/p>\n

I am an internal track fellow and have been working at General Motors for the past year. I am a trained mechanical engineer, participating in GM\u2019s post-graduate vehicle engineering rotational program. Currently, I am spending 4 months at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant in the Quality Engineering group. Spending time at the plant was a goal of mine when I joined GM last year and I\u2019m having a blast!<\/span><\/p>\n

What kind of impact do you hope to have with your host company and within the city?<\/b><\/p>\n

As a TRACK (Technical Rotation And Career Knowledge) engineer at GM I hope to bring a positive, innovative, and bold perspective to the teams which I will be rotating through. When I return to Cambridge to recruit through GM\u2019s MIT University Relations team I also hope to spread a positive message about Detroit and the exciting opportunities for new college grads at GM and in Southeast Michigan. <\/span>
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\n\"cd_sp_2\"<\/span>Within the city, I am passionate about promoting STEM education and giving students an insider\u2019s view into careers in science, technology, and engineering. I mentor an all-girls 9<\/span>th<\/span>-12<\/span>th<\/span> grade FIRST robotics team who earned a spot at the world championships last year in St. Louis as Michigan\u2019s Rookie All-Stars. This fall in partnership with the Mercy Education Project I am also coaching a Rookie all-girls 4<\/span>th<\/span>-6<\/span>th<\/span> grade FIRST Lego League Team. As a FIRST alum myself I hope to inspire my girls to pursue STEM-related careers, and to transform Detroit through their own innovations in the city!<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell us about the most recent challenge project you worked on, your role, and share a few highlights from that experience.<\/b><\/p>\n

During our first challenge with MACC Development, I was a part of the MACC Lit team. \"cd_sp_3\"I was so excited to work with MACC Lit, whose mission is to \u201cpromote a culture of literacy and community education.\u201d I enjoyed interviewing tutors, students, and the MACC Lit staff and learning about the various educational non-profits and programs operating within the 48214 zip code.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are you most looking forward to as you begin your fellowship year?<\/b><\/p>\n

I am most looking forward to getting to know my fellow fellows on a deeper level! I am also excited to continue to learn about Detroit\u2019s non-profit landscape from the perspective of a very curious and altruistically motivated engineer.<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn even more about Rachael’s work at General Motors and her life in Detroit check out her spotlight video below.<\/p>\n