I spent my first year after college as a Challenge Detroit fellow. The program is a one-year fellowship focused on building leaders in Detroit through programming focused on social impact, community involvement, and professional development.
I spent four days a week working at Total Solutions, who sponsored my participation in the program. On Fridays, I was one of 25 fellows who worked with directly with local non-profit organizations on Challenge Projects. These Projects were collaborations between us fellows and local non-profits to design solutions to support organizations that are dedicated to driving Detroit forward.
I participated in five Challenge Projects with six different non-profit organizations during my fellowship. These projects used design thinking principles to create stakeholder-centric solutions for non-profits during these six-week projects. I worked with organizations addressing challenges with economic development, civil rights, education, and community development in the city.
Along with Challenge Projects, Challenge Detroit provided my cohort with leadership development activity that deeply acquainted us with the city. We connected with leaders engaged in the transit/mobility community, social entrepreneurship, community development, and more. My cohort participated in a packed year of programming during our fellowship year that helped me grow substantially in more ways than I could’ve imagined.
