My work at TechTown taught me many things, but the biggest lesson that I learned came as a result of my two closest co-workers – my site partner Raymond, and my supervisor Betsy. When I first met both of them individually, they struck me as two of the most genuine and compassionate people I have ever met, and because of them, I was constantly reminded of the ultimate reason I applied for this program in the first place – to make an impact on the city of Detroit. In the hustle-bustle of daily tasks and project requirements, it was definitely easy to lose track of my purpose, but Raymond and Betsy’s constant influence kept me focused on the bigger picture. Raymond and I constantly talked about big topics on our walks to and from TechTown like the purpose of our careers and our lives, reaffirming my desire to do something with my life that’s positive and hopefully meaningful to the world. Every day, Betsy taught me something new about Detroit and inspired me to want to do something to help the city on its upward trajectory. The work I did with Raymond for Betsy and TechTown was satisfying in the end not because we had accomplished the tasks we had to do, but because we worked our hardest to make an impact on TechTown and Detroit, even when it meant working longer hours or taking on new tasks. And I think we can both agree that despite the ups and downs, the frustratingly long days, and the conflicts and roadblocks we faced, we pushed ourselves to do more, played to our strengths, and squeezed out every bit that we could because we wanted to and because we cared. And so this program taught me something really powerful that I’ll carry with me far into the future – that through passion and hard work, I am capable of doing something good and meaningful that can help others. It’s both empowering and humbling, knowing that you are capable of really making an impact on others if you set your mind to it.