It's been an incredible, life-changing eight weeks for the students in DukeEngage Detroit. This week they gave their final presentations and enjoyed one last group meal with ice cream before heading home to Duke. Each student had a chance to share the work they have been doing over the summer and discuss the impact it had on themselves, their agencies, and the Detroit community at large. Each student contributed their unique perspective to their work and left with new knowledge, tools, and experiences that will help them in their educational and professional development. Yet perhaps the biggest impact the program had was the relationships the students developed with one another.

This week some of our students took a tour of Detroit and learned about the eight mile wall. As a group, we also learned more about this history and future of General Motors, who discussed their Zero Zero Zero policy. We practiced embodying GMs values of "being bold" by asking questions about the exciting, innovative work that this company is doing in Detroit! We also attended a sushi dinner in which students got a chance to talk more to current interns and employees about their work in the company and city.

This week we enjoyed a group reflection led by our very own Blake McCann, who is working with ProsperUS this summer. Blake led us in a discussion on food choices and how these contribute to privilege, connection, and at times, discrimination or exclusion. We enjoyed a delicious meal from Guadalajara, a local restaurant. We also visited the Museum of African American History, were we came face to face with the rich, complex, and difficult history of African American individuals in the United States. 

Last week we enjoyed learning about some of Detroit's staple destinations- Lafayette Coney Island and the Motown museum. Many of us enjoyed our first Coney Island experience and learned more about the music that has defined and uplifted this incredible city.