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week 4 - andy zhang

6/30/2019

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As I was biking down to downtown this week to the St. John and St. Luke United Church to practice piano, I took a different route going down and going up. As such, I was able to see several neighborhoods that I had not been able to see before.

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Going down (around 5:00):

I went past the Whole Foods Market on Mack Avenue and took a right to Brush Street. This was the recommended route by MoGo, our bikeshare company, since it had bike lanes throughout. On brush street, I found several large houses that reminded me of those in the Detroit suburbs. It was quite an interesting sight to see them in the city. Upon closer inspection, I realized that some houses were likely long abandoned. However, there were other newer houses that just finished construction, and realty signs pasted all over them. This juxtaposition was sad to me – it showed that it is often more cost-effective to build from scratch than to refurbish an older establishment. Taking a right on Wilkins Street, I looked to my right to see a blocked-off road. Concrete blocked the entrance, and vines and weeds covered the sidewalk. I was excited but hesitant. Where could that road have led to? What warranted its closure? I soon reached the familiar sheds of Eastern market. Yet, it was a Thursday. No one was in the sheds, and they seemed empty and forlorn. The street shops near the sheds were similarly devoid of activity. It was quite interesting that the sheds did not see much activity except on Saturday mornings and Wednesday mornings.
 
Coming back (around 7:30):
 
Again, I travelled through Eastern market. The sheds were still pretty lifeless, except the storefront was filled with people. Diners, shoppers, and workers flooded the area, and it was tough to maneuver around them. It was a pretty shocking disparity. I guess I first passed through at a time when most Detroiters were still at work. Instead of turning on Wilkins Street, I continued up and around the hospital area. The hospital was sprawling, reminiscent of Duke and its own medical campus. Afterwards, a science and technology high school could be seen, but the building seemed pretty bland compared to the hospital.
 

It seems to me that the climate of Detroit consists of many mismatches. Old abandoned buildings are next to recently built ones. The sprawling hospital complex is next to a wooded neighborhood of small houses. Streets such as Woodward Ave see frequent activity; others are overgrown and shut off. It was quite an interesting sight to behold as I rode my bike that Thursday evening.
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Week 4 — Maggie Pan

6/30/2019

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A few weeks ago, our cohort did an exercise on authenticity. We sat in a circle and, when we were ready, we told each other something about ourselves starting off with “If you really knew me, you would know...”

This practice of authenticity prompted us to share something raw and honest about ourselves. Well, I had said “if you really knew me, you would know I hate being last.” But, it is something that always happens and unsurprisingly to me, I found myself being the last person in the group to share something. While other people were sharing their hopes, worries, and concerns, I was reflecting on each of their stories, trying to think of something to share about myself. When it was my turn, I had a rough outline prepared, but as I spoke, that script disappeared. Instead, I was just talking. Ideas popped in my head. Words between hesitating pauses tumbled out of my mouth. I wasn’t reciting a flawless carefully crafted answer; I was spontaneously and genuinely speaking, communicating my thoughts in a raw form—from sprouted thoughts immediately into a verbal form. I realized that this act of doing instead of thinking was being truly authentic and genuine.

Authenticity requires you to be honest. While this definition is generally true, I have also realized that some forms of authenticity requires some degree of pretense. As I was MoGo-ing to Whole Foods this weekend, I passed by several churches which led me to think about and reflect on the Underground Railroad Living Museum tour at the First Congregational Church that I went on a few weeks ago.

The First Congregational Church was one of the last stops before runaway slaves finally escaped to true freedom in Canada. The tour was a reenactment of a runaway’s journey north. The tour group all wore silver wristbands with the word “slave” printed on them: we were all playing the role of a runaway, (very, very partially) experiencing all their hardships and fears. I found that to truly take in this experience, I had to challenge myself to stray from reality and wholly immerse myself into this role. We were guided through the basement, which was transformed into a maze of dark forests, rivers, and small cabins. Throughout the tour, we were constantly asked to help read signs (slaves were not allowed to read) and point out the north star. We had to actively participate and play our part as the tour guides simultaneously played theirs. Don’t think. Just do.

After the tour, I realized that in order to gain value from this experience, we all needed to buy in to what the tour guides were showing and teaching us. The down sides of some aspects in the production of the tour needed to be overlooked in order to focus on the deeper message and its purpose, which is what’s important. Why are we here? What are we here to experience, to learn, and most importantly to reflect on?

I have come to realize that being authentic is about reflecting--on thoughts, surroundings, experiences. It requires total immersion for one to fully feel and observe what is happening around him or her. Authenticity, however, does not stop there. The period of reflection that ensues is arguably just as, if not more, important as the initial experience.

One thing that caught my eye this week on the way to Whole Foods was the bright red color of the St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral’s doors near the First Congregational Church. On the walk to the museum a few weeks ago, I had asked Andrea, our site coordinator, if she knew why the doors were painted that color, to which she replied no. Since, that question had slipped my mind until I passed by it again this week. My curiosity for the answer began to grow again and I googled it immediately after coming back to the dorms. The red doors represent sanctuary, refuge, and safety; once someone enters those doors, they are protected from any physical or spiritual evil.

As I went down that same path to buy groceries, I saw the same things that I have been seeing for the past few weeks. But with a more proactive mind and intention to immerse myself into the city, I began to revisit and explore my previous thoughts and curiosities, truly interpret my surroundings, and most importantly reflect on all of them. To me, reflection from observation is what completes the definition of authenticity. This practice of actively consuming my environment makes me feel more viscerally connected with the physical city of Detroit, making it feel more familiar and more like a home. 
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week 4: Kevin tan

6/29/2019

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After spending more time in Detroit, I gradually came to realize that there isn’t a single story to the Motor City. It’s easy to simplify Detroit to two contrasting narratives: On the one hand there’s the hopeless dilapidation and urban decay that has often been portrayed in mainstream media, which is the view that most people have held for the last few decades and still hold to this day. On the other hand, there’s the “phoenix rising from the ashes”, “greatest comeback in history” view that has recently been advocated. But my time here so far has shown me that the actual story and current state of Detroit isn’t this binary, it’s complex and riddled with elements of decades-long racial inequalities, post-industrial struggles, and recent private investment in limited places. While it is true that many areas of the city, especially Downtown, have indeed become revitalized, this transformation has not been shared by all areas of the city. There are some areas that really do fit the description of a huge upward comeback, there are definitely still areas that fit the description of urban blight, and there are areas that are a combination of both.

Hearing what locals of the city and metro area have to say about this has further solidified the multi-faceted nature of Detroit’s narrative to me. An Uber driver of mine told me that Detroiters have mixed views of Quicken Loans’ influence on Downtown; some commended Dan Gilbert for all of his investments while others despised it, believing it has driven away the people that stayed with the city throughout the toughest times. Near Eastern Market, a friendly man told a couple of us that the area we were standing in used to be known as Black Bottom, home to a vibrant African American community. But the neighborhood was torn up by freeway construction, displacing the residents. Though it didn’t appear so on the surface, I could tell there was an undertone of animosity. 


My own observations at work have further solidified my belief that neither of those one-sided views accurately represent Detroit. Siyi and I work in Downtown, which is teeming with well-to-do professionals and interns that no doubt come from privileged backgrounds taking advantage of this newfound prosperity amidst tall, modern office buildings and a plethora of upscale shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Hearing the stories of my cohort-mates at ProsperUS has shown me a different side of the picture, where they often interact with locals who have grown up in disadvantaged communities which have not received the same private investment as Downtown. Certain places in the Detroit may be “coming back”, but the effects of historical inequality are still readily apparent in the city today.

My work at MoGo has exposed me to the transportation inequalities existing in the city today that have their historical roots in the dominance of the automotive industry. Due to the overwhelming dependency of cars in the Detroit metro area, those who cannot afford a car are put at a severe disadvantage, unable to adequately access groceries and work among many other basic needs. I recall from our DXF tour an important fact about the Renaissance Center, originally financed by Ford and now home to the headquarters of General Motors: the polished, futuristic complex was designed as a secure interior space (essentially a fortress-like city within a city) specifically for the ease of cars, allowing employees to enter without a problem in their steel-clad vehicles and keeping out those who are unable to afford one. When I first came to Detroit, I thought the Center was a towering symbol of the city’s progress and rebirth (as the name itself suggests). I still think it’s a beautiful set of buildings, but learning the darker side of its history gave me a fuller, more authentic picture of the complex.

​This week I decided to take a stroll to the Ren Cen during my lunch break to see this for myself. Our tour guide was totally right; It was quite a difficult feat for me to enter the complex as a pedestrian. I got inside only after crossing an incredibly wide road with lots of traffic. I couldn’t even make it in one cross. However, I noticed that there was an abundance of parking lots surrounding the area. When I went inside (the interior of the Center is extremely nice by the way), I observed that there were many “motor entrances” compared to only two pedestrian entrances. 


It was only after learning more about the Renaissance Center that I was able to notice these things on my walk (or even decide to walk there in the first place). I found it personally rewarding to witness with my own eyes these factors I wouldn’t have thought twice about otherwise that are in fact deeply tied to the city's history of transportation. These episodes of learning followed by firsthand observation are when I feel closest to Detroit, simply because I am getting a more authentic representation of the city and the car culture that runs deep through its streets. In general, once you start noticing historical intricacies in a place that are still at play today and looking from a multi-dimensional lens through listening to the differing views of the locals along with self-observation, that’s when you are truly becoming immersed. I’m excited to continue experiencing these episodes and developing an even more complete view of this city.

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This picture I took during my walk exemplifies the car-oriented nature of the Ren Cen and Detroit in general. You can see the sheer wideness of the street I had to cross in order to get to one of only two pedestrian entrances. One of many large parking lots flanking the area is visible on the left. There’s even a bridge over the street connecting this lot to the Center’s interior, implying that those who entered were primarily supposed to park their cars and then walk inside through this secured bridge. The People Mover (an elevated monorail), also intended to be accessed through the parking lot, is visible as well. ​
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week 4 - xin wang

6/29/2019

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Constantly taking risks, being alone in a competitive environment, and losing work-life balance with no guaranteed time to stay with family and friends – these were the images I used to have in mind about the life of being an entrepreneur. Concerned with such uncertainties and sacrifices in personal life, I determined long ago that I would never start my own business and thus always rejected the opportunities to learn about the entrepreneurial world. Coming to Detroit was a big step for me, and the experience of getting immersed in an entrepreneur community turned out mind-changing. Being in close contact with entrepreneurs every day and in a student group of which the majority are passionate and knowledgeable about innovation and entrepreneurship, I gradually realized how stereotypical my impression was and began to accept the related information through my daily observations and interactions.
 
One moment that really struck me was when I saw an entrepreneur hugging his son sitting in front of his computer. They were both smiling happily, and then the boy went back to play with his toys while his dad continued to do his work. Clearly the role of an entrepreneur did not intervene the father’s joyful company with his son. I began to doubt my presumed impression about the life of an entrepreneur. From then on, I started to pay more attention on how entrepreneurs manage their personal lives: family, relationships, etc. The findings were astonishing to me – there were a number of people who brought their children to work in TechTown, and everyone I chatted with was fond of talking about their family and even shared with me various ways to block calendars so to save time for personal life. Our supervisor Joanna once took us to a meeting with the founders of Einstein By Design, a couple with two daughters, to help them prepare for an upcoming competition. As they went over their pitch, the two little girls were constantly interrupting, always trying to run out and using markers to doodle everywhere from the floor to the ceiling in the room. Unsurprisingly their pitch was forced to stop for multiple times, but every time the parents remained patient and taught their children the appropriate manners, and they tried to convince them how important this competition meant for the business as well.
 
Another thing that surprised me was the number of people who are willing to give out their time to help others. I always knew that profit meant everything to a startup. However, a lot of programs at TechTown, such as “Ask an Expert” and “Professional Service Network,” do not provide much compensation for the professionals. Many signed up only with the wish to help people in need with their expertise and experience. Our analysis of alumni surveys also showed that the majority of the respondents chose to volunteer or give back in some way to TechTown, while still busy running their own startups.
 
These observations made me recognize my bias toward entrepreneurs. Yes, they might be constantly taking risks, alone in a competitive environment, and losing work-life balance with no guaranteed time to stay with family and friends. However, they are firstly humans, family members, and friends to someone, each with a genuinely kind yet unique personality. I was too narrowly-minded and should not have ever presumed anything about people that I did not know well and missed out hundreds of opportunities in the past to truly learn about them.
 
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Week 3: Arjun bakshi

6/26/2019

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This summer in Detroit I am working with Street Democracy at their offices in TechTown. Street Democracy is an organization founded in 2011, whose aim is to provide representation for low-income people who are caught in poverty and have no way of removing themselves from that perpetuating cycle. Currently, Street Democracy is working on implementing a project of theirs called “Street Court” into local courthouses across Detroit. Street Court is a different way of trialling people who have had a collection of misdemeanors, largely related to driving incidents, in which the court recognises that financial charges and threats of prison are not the best way to improve livelihoods. Instead, judges award a certain amount of community service and will dismiss any driving charges if you have shown steps of improving your life in the right manner, whether this is through finding affordable housing, participating in GED classes or finding a job. Trying to convince judges who have been set in their ways of prosecuting people for decades is a difficult process that requires various different arguments to show how it would this form of sentencing would benefit the courts, low-income people and society in general. Currently Street Democracy has a legal and moral argument for “functional sentencing” but lack a financial argument. 

My project therefore is to devise a complete financial report on how functional sentencing would provide an economic benefit to a family under prosecution, the local and wider community as well as the government. This entails assessing the financial benefits to these 3 categories of various different objectives such as signing up for adult literacy classes, applying for housing subsidies, opening up a bank account, or even seeking legal advice regarding child support issues. Each issue requires a wide range of research, which has meant that most of my days are spent researching and reading various studies conducted on how these actions financially impact society. 

My hope is that this financial research that I am conducting provides a strong argument to judges across Detroit about why Street Court is a viable and sustainable model that can be implemented. From attending a conference in which Jayesh (my supervisor) pitched the idea to many judges across Detroit, a few of the questions that came up afterwards was whether this idea was economically viable. I hope to show by the end of my time in Detroit that not only is this idea economically viable, but it will also positively benefit all parties in the short and long term. Hopefully with this report, Street Democracy will be able to introduce Street Court into more courthouses across Detroit, thus improving the lives of hundreds more people.

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Week 3: John BUeno

6/24/2019

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This summer with Detroit Food Academy I will mainly focus on two things, promoting and advertising DFA’s work as well as helping with the fellowship program. The fellowship program might just be one of most touching programs I’ve ever heard of. Remembering back to when I was researching about DukeEngage in Detroit I can vividly remember being so astonished and glad a program like this existed. I was so amazed by it that I needed to make sure I made it evident that I would love to work with the talented fellows who have from the first meetings touched my heart. It’s so shocking to hear their stories and hear how excited they are to be working with Hannah and I this summer. They genuinely appreciate the help we are providing them with, thus far we’ve held a workshop that focused on interview skills, resume work, and communication skills that will one day help them in the professional world.
One of the biggest pushes this summer will be finding a way to get DFA’s mission across to different groups of people. DFA’s mission is so undervalued that most people think DFA is just a school or an academy where student go and learn cooking skills. Our role this summer will be tackling those problems and letting people know where there money is going and how their contributions can mean so much to students who want to learn about entrepreneurship but through culinary arts. We’ve noticed that people are more likely to buy Mitten Bites and Slow Jams at the market once they hear a little more about DFA, so we want everyone to at least know what DFA is doing to inspire young Detroiters. In order to tackle this problem, we are thinking about using social media and in person conversations at Wayne State and Eastern Market to get this misconception corrected. Other methods include creating pamphlets that consumers can read and share with others about their experience with DFA and how Detroit is lucky to serve a hub for amazing non-profit organizations like DFA.
These past weeks I’ve noticed something so special about Detroit, everyone is so passionate about improving the city they live in. I personally believe empowering the youth is the first step towards this, educating and giving them the resources they need to be successful is crucial. Personally speaking, my high school didn’t do a very good job on teaching professional life skills like interview prep or how to present oneself confidently in front of interviewers or groups of people. Till this day I have to self-learn some skills via videos or talking to different people, and this summer I have the privilege to be working with five fellows who are excited to get one on one help with professional life skills. It will be challenging because I myself don’t know it all, but I will try my best in guiding them and giving them all the tips and tricks, I’ve learned over the years. I’m ecstatic to be working alongside the five fellows. I hope to motivate and spark up an interest they didn’t know they had that can potentially be a career path, like they have for me. They’ve influenced my future career in so many ways that I’m very thankful we’ve been able to cross each others paths!
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week 3- Hannah Rubin

6/24/2019

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“You’re so accomplished. I’m just not as accomplished as you.”
 
Working at Detroit Food Academy, I feel very lucky to visibly see the impact of the program. At DFA, I’m not just sitting as a desk with my laptop all day. I’m hanging out with Jaylin and Eddie at Eastern Market on Saturdays, in the kitchen learning about popsicles with Daria and Sarah, visiting Xavier after his shift at Pizza Plex or Shawndrea after her shift at Ochre Bakery.
 
While I am constantly surrounded by the tangible impact of DFA, I didn’t realize my impact until John and I held our fellowship workshop last Thursday. During the workshop, we worked with the DFA fellows on professional development to help turn the leadership and entrepreneurial skills they have learned during their time with Detroit Food Academy into confidence as they enter the workforce. But in order to fully understand why this was so impactful, I want to explain my experience from my favorite class from last semester.
 
In my PubPol 302 class, Policy Choice as Value Conflict, my favorite unit was on equality of opportunity. We spent multiple classes discussing the structural inequality embedded in our society and how the luck of the birth lottery leaves many people thinking they deserve more, when two people never truly had the same opportunity. For example, with formal equality of opportunity, two individuals have the same right to apply to a school like Harvard, but if one student went to a private boarding school, had a college counselor, access to academic resources, and plenty of time for sports and extracurriculars, and the other student had to give up school in order to get a job and provide for their family… who do you think has a better chance of getting in.
 
And this isn’t just an academic theory. In my class of about 50 students, my professor showed us videos of 4 different types of schools. One extremely wealthy boarding school in Massachusetts, one public high school with insane amenities in New York, one average public high school from Chicago, and one public high school in a beat-up building with no running water, from none other than Detroit. My professor asked us to raise our hands when he called on the school that most resembled our high school experience to reflect the type of schools that Duke students come from. Many came from the boujee private school. The most popular group was the upscale public school. No one raised their hand for the Detroit level public school.
 
I say all of this because this feeling struck me during the mock interview part of our workshop. Shawndrea, one of the DFA fellows, is only a few months younger than me. When I was asking her practice interview questions, I found out her dream is to open her own bakery and in the fall she will be attending School Craft college in their Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts on a full scholarship. I was so impressed with her two years of work experience and the fact that she found something she’s really passionate about. For the sake of interview practice, I was answering questions as well, speaking about my time at Duke and other life experiences.
 
That’s why is broke my heart when Shawndrea said to me “you’re so accomplished. I’m just not as accomplished as you.” I tried to reassure her that even though our accomplishments are different, hers are just as, maybe even more, valid than mine. In this moment, I truly understood the inequality in education opportunity. Shawndrea worked just as hard, if not harder, than me. In a perfect world, we would both have the opportunity to study at a prestigious school of our choice. But sadly, this is not the case.
 
I know this is a very long post, but once I started writing I could not stop. While John and I have a multitude of other projects for the summer, I believe I will have the most impact on the fellowship program.
 
I could not stop smiling the entire workshop.  After we took headshots of the fellows, we created LinkedIn accounts for them and watched their professional network grow in minutes as they eagerly connected with every name they recognized. They engaged in conversations about professional dress, going back and forth on appropriate interview attire. They stood up in front of the room and gave a short answer to the question “tell me about your self” as I watched them gain confidence with every word. After the workshop, John and I were showered with thank you’s as they fellows walked out of the door with their new skills.  
 
I’m not naive. I know I will not be able to fully fix the problem of youth unengagement or inequality in opportunity. But if I can use my knowledge and experiences to build on the foundation of DFA skills and empower the fellows to get a job they love, it will be more than enough.
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John and I posing with one of our supervisors, Julie, and the Detroit Food Academy fellows!! It was truly a great day.
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week 3 - Bryn Wilson

6/24/2019

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On the ride home from our group dinner last week I observed that Detroit has very few chain grocery stores. Back home while driving through the metro Washington, D.C. area, I see grocery stores like Safeway, Giant, Whole Foods or drugstores like CVS, Rite Aid every few blocks. In Detroit, I see small grocers and corner-stores with plastic chairs out front and flashing “Beer, Wine, Groceries” every few blocks. Until recent years many chain grocery and retail chains steered clear of Detroit because they perceived Detroit’s market as both weak and cost-heavy. They also believed that it would be hard to find good employees and retain them. In 2013 Whole Foods opened in Midtown Detroit, and since then large retailers have steadily streamed in. Under Armor, Madewell, Warby Parker, and Lululemon now all lie on Woodward Ave. in Detroit, MI.
         While larger retail companies have entered in the Detroit market, they have all entered in the downtown and midtown areas, meaning that small businesses are the backbone of Detroit’s other neighborhoods.  ProsperUS Detroit, the nonprofit I am working with this summer, helps small businesses in those target neighborhoods, specifically in Southwest Detroit. ProsperUS offers entrepreneur training classes, business services, and micro-loans for both start-up and existing small businesses in Detroit.  One of the most impressive aspects of ProsperUS that I have observed thus far is that ProsperUS is there for the entrepreneurs they support through every single stage of their business. Applicants to ProsperUS entrepreneur training range from those in the “dream phase” to those who have nearly completed business plan. ProsperUS’s interaction with their program graduates does not stop at the last class. In fact, many ProsperUS graduates come back for help with accounting, digital marketing, brand development and loans.
         Yet, ProsperUS wishes that more of their graduates come back for business services and loans. About half of the businesses that ProsperUS provides business services or micro-loans to are ProsperUS graduates, and the other half are other small businesses in the Detroit area. Andrew and I have updated a post-assessment survey that is given to ProsperUS entrepreneurship training participants at their graduation to help discover why ProsperUS graduates do not request business services and loans as much as ProsperUS desires. By asking pre-cursor questions on the post-assessment that reflect the necessary requirements to get a loan or access business services, we are expecting to find why ProsperUS graduates may not be ready to apply for loans and business services. We will be collecting these survey responses as ProsperUS graduations take place and analyzing the data to recommend possible ways the entrepreneurship training can better prepare graduates to access loans and business services.
          As I mentioned, ProsperUS is often there for every step of their training program graduate’s success, and on a more challenging, but more realistic note, also follows the possible failure of the startup businesses they support. Unfortunately, despite support, many small businesses in Detroit fail. Andrew and I’s current project is tracking the current operation status of businesses that ProsperUS has supported in some capacity. We are creating an in-business map to show all businesses that are run by ProsperUS graduates, recipients of business services, and loan recipients. We have been extensively researching these businesses to determine whether or not they are transactional and have also called many businesses to ask about their business address. We include a brief description of the business, their contact information and address for all businesses (but omit the address for home-based businesses). In our orientation with Southwest Solutions, the larger nonprofit under which ProsperUS Detroit operates, CEO Joe Tasse spoke a lot about how Southwest Solutions is looking for ways to incorporate data to measure Southwest Solution’s impact. Although Southwest Solutions has countless stories of individuals who have been touched by their organization, data projects like our mapping project can give funders a bigger picture of the results and regions that benefit from Southwest Solution’s resources.
         I am excited to see how our mapping project can be utilized by staff to help better track the progress of ProsperUS affiliated businesses and measure the widespread impact ProsperUS has in the Detroit area. With that said, I have also really enjoyed meeting and hearing from individuals who have grown their businesses with ProsperUS’s support. Andrew and I’s first main project was collecting incomplete data and worksheets from graduates of ProsperUS’s Aspire Entrepreneurship Training for Returning Citizens Program. We met face-to-face with most graduates and it was really exciting to hear their businesses ideas and successes.
Furthermore, it was eye-opening to hear about the challenges they have faced in starting their own business or in other aspects of their life. The Aspire program graduates are particularly resilient because all have incarcerated in their lifetime. A couple of them explained to me that they want to grow a business because entrepreneurship is one of their best opportunities. It is hard for returning citizens to find work with a criminal record, yet many have mastered new skills and unique talents in courses while incarcerated. All of the graduates were so grateful for ProsperUS and even Andrew and I for helping them complete the data collection. Although the data collection was very time-intensive, all of the participants were patient and willing to devote their valuable time because they knew that their data was helping guarantee funding for a second cohort of returning citizen entrepreneurs. The sense of camaraderie and community between the graduates was really special to see, and I am really hopeful that the second cohort beginning in July will be similarly close. Although I will not be there to meet the second cohort of entrepreneurs, just helping them through the in-phone application makes me so excited to play a tiny part of them taking such a big step forward in life. After I emailed one applicant to tell him that he was welcome to the program, he emailed me, “Thank you for this opportunity. I truly hope that we can achieve GREATNESS together.” I know that he will achieve “GREATNESS” and I feel truly grateful that I get to play a part in ProsperUS helping spark his greatness within Detroit’s budding entrepreneurs.
 

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Week 3 - Andrew ross sandler

6/24/2019

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This summer, I have the pleasure of working at ProsperUS Detroit. ProsperUS offers three main services, and it has an inspiring mission to revitalize the suburbs of Detroit. The suburbs of Detroit have suffered in recent times, as the government of Detroit has largely been focusing on rebuilding the Midtown and Downtown areas mostly. I am happy that I can focus on the part of the Detroit that needs more help in revitalization.

The three main services ProsperUS offers are entrepreneurship training, business services, and microlending. I have been focusing on the first two services. First, ProsperUS offers an opportunity for low-middle income Detroiters to take a discounted business course to guide entrepreneurs in the right direction to achieving their business and financial goals. ProsperUS offers these services to several different cohorts, including one called ASPIRE. In the ASPIRE program, ProsperUS offers a business course to Detroit entrepreneurs that were previously incarcerated, meet an income requirement, and are financially responsible for a child under eight years old. ProsperUS also offers business services (technical assistance) to connect Detroit entrepreneurs with assistance they may need to take the next step or improve their business. Finally, ProsperUS offers small business loans ranging from $25k to $50k.

Working with ProsperUS thus far has been very rewarding. I am helping to recruit more Detroiters to take classes with ProsperUS. Recently, I was ubering, and I even got my Uber driver to sign up for the class! I am developing important marketing materials for the business including checklists and postcards that are key for the future of ProsperUS. I am updating their marketing so that they can continue to attract entrepreneurs to their services. I also have been collecting data directly from our ASPIRE clients, which has really opened my eye into Detroit. Learning from a lot of Detroit natives is really the best way to understand the city and its complexities. I have been doing a lot of translating of important documents into Spanish for our clients who are native Spanish speakers. Currently, my colleague Bryn and I are working on a business map to demonstrate the impact ProsperUS had made in the business community of Detroit. This is going to be one of our largest projects of the year. We are hoping to post the business map to show most of ProsperUS's large base of clients in a single place. It should be one of the best ways to show the impact I have been making this summer and ProsperUS has been making for years!
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Week3 - Siyi Xu

6/24/2019

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The second day I arrived in Detroit, I saw people riding MoGo. It was at the riverfront. A group of locals were riding Adaptive MoGo to travel around the park. They were laughing, enjoying the time with their friends or family.  Since then, I am more than exciting to work with MoGo. As the first public bike sharing system in Detroit, MoGo provides a fun, flexible and convenient way to get around the city. It offers a healthier, more efficient and more environmental-friendly way to commute. MoGo is a non-profit organization that aims to provide service accessible and affordable to everyone. So that’s the reason why MoGo has the “MoGo for All” program. In the program, MoGo offers a $5 dollar annual pass for registered members of the state benefits programs. It also has the Adaptive MoGo program that offers cycling options for riders of all abilities. Besides, it has a “pay with cash” option for users who don’t have a credit card. It is a human-centered social enterprise that strives to improve the connectivity of the Detroit public transit system.
 
This summer, Kevin and I will be helping MoGo in the following three projects: the first one is to create an economic impact report for MoGo, the second one is to improve the casual users and the third one is to create a survey to gather data. The first project, the project that we spend most of the time working on, aims to tell the story of how MoGo impacts the city. As a statistic major, I always interested in using data to tell the story. After the discussion with Lisa, Rory, and Adriel, we decided to change the economic impact report to impact reports that demonstrate the influence of MoGo in three aspects: economic impact, environmental impact and health impact. Through this report, we are able to quantify MoGo’s impact, enabling people to understand MoGo more, which in turn serve more people. The second project is to improve the casual users in that daily passes are account for a large portion of MoGo’s revenue. Kevin and I are finding ways to let more people know about MoGo and use MoGo. The third project is to create a member survey and a casual users survey to help MoGo understand our customers better and see how we can improve our service to gain more riders. The data we gather will also be used in the impact report to calculate the economic impact MoGo make in Detroit. We also have the task to promote Transit app which people can buy daily pass directly through the transit app. 
 
I am proud to be part of the MoGo team to work on providing accessible and healthy transportation for the city of Detroit.  
Picture
we went to the lovelytheband concert on Saturday night.
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