{"id":1994,"date":"2015-04-06T11:07:08","date_gmt":"2015-04-06T17:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/challengedetroit.org\/blog\/?p=1994"},"modified":"2015-04-06T11:07:08","modified_gmt":"2015-04-06T17:07:08","slug":"fellow-spotlight-alison-figliomeni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/fellow-spotlight-alison-figliomeni\/","title":{"rendered":"Fellow Spotlight: Alison Figliomeni"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this week\u2019s Fellow Spotlight, we are checking in with Alison Figliomeni<\/a>. She fills us in on what she enjoys most about Detroit, her host company Telegration<\/a>, and what she\u2019s looking forward to as a Challenge Detroit Fellow.<\/p>\n

Tell us about your neighborhood and what some of your favorite parts are about it.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I live in Midtown Detroit, which I\u2019ve also heard referred to as Cass Corridor, Brush Park, and Downtown. You could say I\u2019m on the line, which is one of the many reasons I love where I live. I\u2019m just a bike-ride away from most places I want to be in Detroit:10-minute bike-ride to Eastern Market or most places Downtown, a 15-minute bike-ride to Corktown or Joe Louis Arena, and a healthy walking from the DIA and many of the fun bars and restaurants.<\/p>\n

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

I work for Telegration, Inc<\/a>., which is a leading Master Agency in Channel Sales. We sell a number of voice, data, cloud, mobility, and telecommunications services to businesses primarily in the Greater Detroit and Midwest regions. Since starting at with my host company in September, I carved out a brand new role at the company as Marketing Coordinator, which, including myself totals two people in the Marketing Department\u2026 yay! It\u2019s a big job with just myself and one other marketing companion, and it took a long time to learn just exactly what my company did \u2013 the telecom industry is completely foreign to me. Even now after 8 months I still find myself asking for clarification of terms and acronyms and processes\u2026 but it\u2019s been a pretty good experience so far for me and my professional development overall.<\/p>\n

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit so far?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well this is a loaded question! Challenge Detroit is made up of 5 pillars, and each one has taught me something different. Overall I think Challenge Detroit has really exposed me to the different aspects of a true community. Detroit\u2019s culture of people and the ever-changing economic struggles throughout the city have really opened my eyes to the bigger picture of what it really means to be a community. Detroit is strong, and it\u2019s people resilient. Each individual I\u2019ve had the pleasure of meeting or hearing from throughout this program and beyond has showed me a different perspective of the city.<\/p>\n

What kind of impact do you hope to have in your host company and in the city?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

At my host company, I hope to bring a new perspective into the workplace. I hope that my time here will start the ball rolling on new and innovative thinking to further develop how we communicate with our partners and our providers in the channel.<\/p>\n

In the city, I hope to reveal the true Detroit beyond it\u2019s city limits. I hope to share the vision of the city that I\u2019ve been exposed to throughout these past 8 months in hopes that others with join me in supporting the efforts to bring this city back to life and prosperity.<\/p>\n

What is one unique thing you’ve learned or discovered about Detroit since August?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without the people, there is no city. The people that live in Detroit are truly what make Detroit\u2026 well, Detroit. The vibrancy, the community, the businesses, all are because the people are here. The spirit of Detroit is like no other, and the spirit exists because the people exist, and they exist loud and clear!<\/p>\n

Also, be sure to check out Alison’s<\/a>\u00a0video to learn more about her time in Detroit, so far.<\/p>\n