{"id":22200,"date":"2018-01-22T14:52:29","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T14:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/?post_type=blogpost&p=22200"},"modified":"2018-01-22T14:52:29","modified_gmt":"2018-01-22T14:52:29","slug":"fellow-spotlight-kristen-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/fellow-spotlight-kristen-davis\/","title":{"rendered":"Fellow Spotlight: Kristen Davis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tell us about one of your favorite neighborhoods in Detroit and what makes it unique?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favorite neighborhood in Detroit is Eastern Market. It\u2019s a beautiful area full of great food and amazing art everywhere you turn. I think it\u2019s one of the most unique areas not just in Detroit but in this state.<\/p>\n

\"\"Tell us about the challenge project you\u2019re working on now and what you\u2019re learning from\u00a0<\/strong>the experience. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The challenge project that I\u2019m currently working on is with Detroit Homecoming. I was placed on the four-member experience design team, and we are tasked with designing a \u201cMade in Detroit\u201d event that could potentially be a part of 2018\u2019s Detroit Homecoming. The event will showcase local businesses across Detroit\u2019s entrepreneurial landscape, giving business owners the opportunity to be exposed to and network with expats of Detroit who could possibly provide mentorship or investment to their business.<\/p>\n

The desire to have an event of this nature featured as part of Detroit Homecoming came up after protestors were present at the welcome ceremony at 2017\u2019s homecoming. Although homecoming has brought a fair amount of investment to the city, the perception of it has been negative with some Detroiters. Since it is an invite-only event, and invites are only extended to expats who either have money or a heavy influence, some see it as an elitist \u201cland grab\u201d\u00a0opportunity that isn\u2019t necessarily benefitting the \u201caverage Detroiter.\u201d The event we are
\nplanning will be open to the public and enable participation of locals at Homecoming.\u00a0 One of the biggest things I have appreciated about this challenge is the leadership staff at Detroit Homecoming\u2019s willingness to not just listen to the negative comments about the event, but also put a plan in action to directly address these concerns. It would be easy for the people who work to put Homecoming on each year to just ignore the protestors, or try to make their concerns seem invalid. Instead, they\u2019re approaching the issues head on, and I believe this speaks to the true intention of the event as being a catalyst for positive developments in Detroit. I also think that their willingness to act on the concerns of Detroiters is something all of us can (and should) learn from.<\/p>\n

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

I work as the digital marketing coordinator at Hamilton Anderson. Hamilton Anderson, HAA for short, is an architecture firm that has been doing work in the city of Detroit, across the country and around the world for over two decades. It has been interesting to transition from a background in sports and media to architecture and design, and I can honestly say I have learned something new each day. I am primarily responsible for leading all internal and external communications, managing and publishing on HAA\u2019s social media platforms and managing the website and blog content while also offering support to other marketing tasks. I lead a monthly all-staff meeting and send out newsletters to keep people informed on what HAA is doing. One of the first big projects I worked on was our website redesign, which launched in mid-October.<\/p>\n

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

At my host company, I really hope the work I am doing is helping to reinforce and continue to shape the brand and personality of HAA. I want us to be known as a firm that doesn\u2019t just design things but is also full of vibrant and capable professionals who are passionate about using their talent to create positive change in Detroit and other areas we work in while continuing to improve our own skills in the process.<\/p>\n

I hope that within the city, I am making the same kind of impact. Everyone knows of the many narratives about this city that exist, and I hope I can positively influence people who may have negative perceptions about Detroit. This starts by simply sharing stories with others of the amazing Detroiters whom I have met through different networking opportunities, at work, through my fellowship and just while I\u2019m out and about. The next step is getting people to come to the city (not just downtown!) and visit places they have never been. I try to do this often with my friends and family.<\/p>\n

\"\"What are you most looking forward to\u00a0in Detroit in 2018?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m most looking forward to summer coming back around! I enjoy the city year round, but I really enjoy it when the sun is shining.<\/p>\n

How do you believe your fellowship will shape your career moving forward?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This fellowship does an amazing job of exposing us to many opportunities to build our skills and network. We are in our fifth month and I couldn\u2019t count how many people I have gotten to meet, whether it was during Orientation Week, at a kick-off event, during an interview on a working Friday or on a leadership Friday. I have met a lot of people and heard a lot of stories that truly have inspired me. Through our challenge projects, I\u2019ve gotten to wear many hats and gain experience in areas I haven\u2019t gotten to explore yet. As I stated before, my background is in media and sports, so at HAA I have grown a lot in the field of marketing and communications. I\u2019ve gotten to see how the two fields play out in a company, and I\u2019ve also discovered how I can use my talents to contribute to this within our firm. I believe I will continue to grow as I finish out my fellowship year.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Kristen’s experience in Detroit this year check out her spotlight video!<\/p>\n