The sheer wideness of many roads in Detroit, such as Woodward Avenue pictured here, makes it evident that this was a city built around the automobile. 

Pictured here is a concept model for a part of the Joe Louis Greenway. 

Saagar and I with our supervisor Tim going around downtown Detroit to explore the different forms of mobility and experience some of the city's issues within mobility 

From what I can recall about the DukeEngage application, I was able to remember that one of the questions asked me to do some research about issues pertaining to the host community.  Instantly, I thought about my friend who I met at Duke who’s from Detroit and asked him some questions about his experience growing up there. I can vividly remember him saying that robbery continues to be quite prevalent on the streets. He advised me to dress as casual as I could since people can easily tell when someone is new to the streets. Before coming to Detroit, I already had this image in my head that the people residing in Detroit were dangerous and the only way to avoid any problems was having few interactions with those who may come off as dangerous through my eyes. Either way, I was still open-minded and eager to see for myself what Detroit had to bring.

Being in the area a week so far I quickly concluded that I was wrong! Turns out the people from Detroit are the kindest human beings I have ever met. The community in Detroit is like no other. Everyone is so caring and patient. Although there are people who claim to be patient, there is nothing like Detroit patient. Walking through the Eastern Market made me reminisce the times I would walk through multiple fresh produce markets in Ecuador. However, in Ecuador, everyone is in a rush to get there things and leave as soon as possible, but in the Eastern Market, you see people interacting with one another having some fresh popcorn in hand. I’m pretty confident in saying that if a market like Eastern Market were to open up in New York, everyone would be in a rush to get their necessary goods and leave but in Detroit, that’s not the case.

​The highlight of my week occurred this past Saturday where I stood behind the Detroit Food Academy stand, a non-profit I’m interning for this summer the level of appreciation from Detroiters for the program as a whole was just so shocking. After speaking to multiple people about what DFA does for high school students in the Detroit area, they were astounded and quickly purchased the famous Slow Jams and Mitten Bites.

​During my time in Detroit, I will focus on helping high school students with useful skills they can implement in any work setting or just in life. Going to the Detroit Food Academy stand every Saturday is the first step in connecting and hearing their stories. It’s quite disappointing to see these young men and women eager to learn different skills such as various ways of reaching to more customers at the stand but not having workshops or even resources that show them how to do so. I’m also not saying that I know a whole bunch about advertising a product, but I looked around the Eastern Market and tried to replicate what the successful stands were doing to gain customers. I came across SAMPLES! Yes, sampling the Mitten Bites was a very smart move, more people were coming in to get their samples, I mean who doesn't love free food, and while they were eating the two students representing the organization Jaylen and Eddie were describing their stories with DFA.

​In the week that I’ve been here, I’ve felt nothing but welcomed wherever I go by the community and the students I’ve interacted with thus far. I could probably be interning back home in a corporation and making some summer money, but personally what’s the purpose of it if you’re not touching the hearts of others. The morals I was raised with, receiving a thank you means so much more to me than money because at the end of the day money will come and go but those valuable moments will not.

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When I first mentioned to my friends that I was going to spend my summer in Detroit, all their reactions were the same. “Detroit, why? Isn’t it really dangerous.” My response to all my friends was the same, assuring them that it was safe and that it was nothing like the news. In all honesty however, I had never been to Detroit and whilst I had researched the city extensively, I did not have the feel of the city myself. The first few days in Detroit proved to me how wrong all my friends were with their initial thoughts about Detroit. The city immediately captivated me, particularly with the different architecture and design of the buildings downtown. Perhaps the standout experience in the first few days of orientation was visiting the Heidelberg Project. The way in which the street was designed to showcase all the different belongings of people who left their homes, combined with the eccentricity of the conversation we had with the creator really remained with me for the next week. Later in the day, during the scavenger hunt, was when I really fell in love with the city. During the activity I remember spending more time preoccupied at looking around the area and staring upwards at the variety of different buildings, distracted with our task of finding clues. From a 10 floor parking garage to observing the new and hipster shops, Detroit’s downtown was an area that really resonated with me. I found this particularly confusing since I have always lived in a big city my whole life, and am used to high-rise buildings and the oddities that come with living in a large metropolitan space. However, I found myself engaging with Detroit’s downtown more than I have down with any city I have been to before.

I do not think I can do anything personally to help Detroit “rise from the ashes.” I believe that is a collective and sustained effort that needs to be done and cannot be achieved by someone staying for only 45 days. However, what I want to do in the next 45 days is really understand this city in a deeper way and contribute to it in any small way I can. I am keen to continue my passion of refugee rights here in Detroit, specifically mentoring refugee children which I have done at Duke and in London. Having done some initial research, Freedom House Detroit seems as if they are doing work along these lines and I want to explore this further. Moreover, I really am interested in my work at Street Democracy, where I am creating a report on how it would be economically more beneficial to not send people to jail for certain misdemeanors, but rather help them solve their problems.

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When I told my family I got in the DukeEngage Detroit Program, the first thing my parents asked is that “Is it safe to work on Detroit? I saw on the news that it is the most dangerous city in the United States of America”. Indeed, when I searched Detroit, the news came up are often associated with “murdered”, “serial killers” and “policy officer”. Before I came to Detroit, I was told so much time to be careful and always stay in the group. Those concerned and description of Detroit had been shaping my impression of Detroit as a dangerous city, “a place of crime and bankruptcy”.

 
This week, the first week I arrived at Detroit and toured around the city as a cohort, I was pleasantly surprised by I discovered. Motor city is such a vibrant city with great building, amazing architecture, friendly local people and distinctive culture. Contrary to the hopeless place media portrayed, Detroit is a large community where everyone here is proud of being a part of the community. From the tour guide from Detroit Experience Factory to the artist created the Heidelberg Project, they are proudly being a part of Detroit and actively contributed to the revitalization of the Motor City. People who live here love their city more than anything. Detroit is also a welcoming city. During our scavenger hunt, many locals offer to help and told us “welcome to Detroit”. Also, I was very impressed by the Heidelberg project, an artistic masterpiece built in the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood on Detroit's east side. Most of the artworks are clocks, endowing the artist’s philosophy of “living in the present”. He asked the question “What time is it?” and give us the answer “the time is now.”

 
On Tuesday, the first day of work, I meet my work supervisors Rory. He introduced MoGo, a non-profit organization that provides bike sharing service in Detroit, and explained our project. MoGo focuses on providing bike sharing service and make it accessible to everyone. It has MoGo for all service and provides adaptive bicycles to meet the special need.
My partner Kevin and I will be working on improving causal users, writing an economic impact report, promote the MoGo transit app, and write the users survey. I am very interested in the economic impact report. In the report, we will summary the influence of the MoGo in the local business. This is the first time I work with social entrepreneurship and I am very excited to be part of Detroit and contributed my part in improving the bike sharing system, making it more accessible and convenient.

​            “… Why Detroit?”
 
            This is the common response I receive after telling friends and family that I am spending my summer participating in DukeEngage Detroit. This seemingly unharmful comment is usually followed up by, “didn’t Detroit recently declare bankruptcy?” or “isn’t Detroit extremely dangerous?” All of which are masked questions that when unveiled reveal the commonly held preconception that Detroit is not a city people deem to be a desirable destination. These comments of friends and family reflect the manner in which this city is portrayed to the media: a depressed, hopeless city comprised of corruption, loss, crime, and bankruptcy.
 
            Despite these hardships that Detroit has faced, from my brief time here it has already become blatantly evident that Detroiters love Detroit. Their hearts reflect those of the people who have endured and remained; of those who have stood by one another through job loss, a declining economy, evictions, and dejection. Their tragedy has fostered an incredibly robust and resilient community with a huge and genuine interest in the future of their city. Rather than abandoning hope and escaping to a more prosperous city, Detroiters are willing to invest their lives into improving upon the city’s general well-being and increasing economic opportunities.
 
            Although I have only been here for a little over a week, I have already began to observe that this holds true: when talking to locals, every single person has stated that within the past five years they have already witnessed a dramatic expansion in the growth of the city, an influx of new hip places around downtown, and the presence of a younger generation looking towards the city for opportunity. Additionally, as an enrichment event, we participated in another testament to the community’s investment in “rising from the ashes” through Detroit’s city-wide SOUP—a microgranting pitch contest and celebration of innovative projects that aim to provide social goods or services for the community. Upon entrance, participants pay a fee that grants them the opportunity to vote for one of the four presenters who he/she feels is most deserving and needing of the money. Events such as SOUP create atmospheres that emphasize instilling the power of choice, the importance of supporting community, and exposure to prevalent pains and needs present in the community that need attention.
 
            As an additional testimony towards the Detroit community, I was shocked by the welcoming environment Detroiters possess for temporary residents and visitors of the city. Whether it be talking to a mother at a crosswalk about the technicalities behind MoGo, having strangers grant warm welcomes to Detroit at restaurants, or talking to owners of local businesses and food trucks at Eastern Market about their journeys, the majority of people are sincere, hospitable, and demonstrate a genuine interest in learning about others in their community—a piercing yet beautiful contrast to the western individualistic culture of my home, Los Angeles.
 
            During my time in Detroit, I hope to take everything that Detroit stands for and manifest it through my mentality and work with my community partner, TechTown. I will be intentional when listening to the needs of the organization and use their input to conduct conducive conversion regarding possible improvements and ways in which I can provide assistance. I recognize that having solely eight weeks does not warrant an incredibly dramatic alteration in programming, yet small systematic changes lead to grand impacts. I want to do my part, be the person that my organization needs in this moment, and aid in pulling Detroit, even if only a centimeter more, out of the ashes. 

​When I browsed the Duke Engage website last November, I couldn’t believe the incredible places that Duke students would travel to this summer – from Jordan to Thailand and all the way to South Africa. However, I have since realized that my notion of “incredible” was really just premised on what is far, foreign, and unfamiliar. Yet, I did not apply or join one of the DukeEngage programs in an “incredible” place, instead I joined Duke Engage Detroit. When our Program Director Matt Nash’s mom approached me at our social innovation and entrepreneurship mixer, she exclaimed, “Bryn!” and she proceeded to ask me “so why Detroit?” I quickly rifled off parts of my essay responses from my Duke engage application. I realized that my answers had almost everything to do with aspects of the Duke engage programming itself – the social innovation and entrepreneurship focus, the opportunity to develop pre-professional skills, and the central idea of civic engagement. I never provided much of a basis for “why Detroit” and why this place as much as why this kind of work. Ms. Nash made a comment about how it seemed to be Katherine Black and her son’s programming rather than Detroit that appealed to all of us.
Yet, in the first week of Duke Engage, I have discovered that all of the aspects of this program I was initially attracted to would be nothing without the spirit of Detroit. Detroit is not crime-ridden, dark and helpless, it is prideful, resilient and vibrant. Jeanette Pierce captured Detroit’s essence when she said, “Detroit is big enough to matter in the world and small enough for you to matter in it.” Everyone in Detroit listens to each other and the sense of community is truly unparalleled. At Detroit SOUP everyone was rooting for each other – small vendors competing for business, entrepreneurs competing for prize money and strangers alike all wanted each other to succeed. I believe Detroit’s complex and difficult history – from the great fire of 1805 to "white flight" and the eventual downfall of the auto industry and the crushing bankruptcy have all shaped Detroit into an incredibly resilient city.
Detroit residents hustle to see out the revitalization of the city – but are also very aware of how the revitalization has been unequal in many respects. Downtown and Midtown Detroit have seen extensive economic funding and regrowth, but both places are tied down by institutions of wealth and opportunities like Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University, and major sporting and cultural institutions. Yet, many poorer neighborhoods, particularly those filled with marginalized people, are not benefiting from the city’s regrowth. Many hardworking Detroit residents whose families have called Detroit home through the city’s most challenging years are not sharing in the expansion. The expansion seems to be springing up right in the backyards of other neighborhoods that need their own share in the growth. It is not uncommon to see a dilapidated building in right behind a brand-new apartment complex.
While I was initially drawn to Duke Engage Detroit because of the “economic development” theme, I have since discovered several flaws with such a broad and impersonal approach to regrow the city. In my first few days at ProsperUS Detroit, I haven’t been craving looking at numbers and statistics about the city’s regrowth or other strictly “economic” projects that may look good on my resume as an economics major. I have been drawn to the people of Detroit and what the residents of Detroit can teach me about resiliency, inequity, and empowerment. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to work at ProsperUS Detroit, which focuses on the revitalization of Southwest Detroit, a majority Latino neighborhood with hardworking residents who deserve to take bigger part in Detroit’s regrowth. A stunning mural by Vito Valdez down the street from ProsperUS showcases the thoughtfulness of Detroit’s artists and residents. It reads “In the spirit of the indigenous people who cultivated the land that was once theirs.”
I am pleasantly surprised how Detroit directly confronts its historical and current issues – including racism, socioeconomic inequality, and poverty. During my time in Detroit I hope that I can continue to learn from this city, and always remember to listen first rather than speak. I am not a Detroit native, and although I already feel very connected to Detroit, I hope that by listening first I can better understand how I can best help Detroit natives and the community in which I am working. I want to work hard to get to know the people I am working with and hear their stories. I will constantly take advantage of this amazing opportunity I have to make Detroit my home – albeit a temporary one.  

When I told my piano professor about Detroit, her first words were that I was going to be mugged. Being a University of Michigan alumna, my professor was very concerned about the safety of walking to work and living in the area. In recent news, it seems like Detroit has rampant crime, such as frequent shootings and robberies. Combined with the city's  recent declaration of bankruptcy, it would look like Detroit is a thoroughly unsavory location overall.

Yet, as our DukeEngage cohort went to tour Detroit with the Detroit Experience Factory and experienced the rich entrepreneurial scene here, it has been evident that the news does not accurately reflect the resilience and willpower of Detroit residents. Denizens of Detroit truly love their city, as we have learned through a scavenger hunt through downtown. Vibrant murals and inspiring graffiti abound on walls, all highlighting positive aspects of Detroit's history. Local startups and large firms exist in symbiosis, helping one another help Detroit residents. Transportation endeavors such as MoGo and the QLine connect Midtown to Downtown, allowing for low-cost, effective transit options. These companies are made in Detroit for Detroiters, to increase the quality of life within the city.

In fact, certain aspects of the Detroit community surpass their analogs within the Duke community. For instance, Detroit Soup is a program that allows new entrepreneurs to pitch their startup ideas in front of an audience, in which each person pays ten dollars to receive dinner. After pitches, dinner is served and the audience votes for the most impactful and realistic startup. The winner receives half of the proceeds (five dollars per each person in the audience) to launch the startup. Dinner is potluck style, which encourages the community to cook and share food. For many years, Durham (and Duke) had lacked this kind of support and networking for budding entrepreneurs, but DukeEngage Detroit alumni have recently launched this program in Durham.
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Resurget cineribus is the latter half of the Detroit city seal: Latin for “it rises from the ashes.” To me, Detroit has already risen out ashes many times - like a phoenix being continuously reborn. Though the ashes may not be very flamboyant, the majestic bird is truly a sight to behold. In my short time here, I hope to demonstrate the same willpower and diligence Detroiters show everyday to help fledgling business launch and connect incubators and alumni. I hope that my work can contribute to facilitating a stronger network of entrepreneurs. All in all, I am excited to see what Detroit has in store for the next seven weeks.

​Detroit hustles harder.
 
On our first day in Detroit, Matt Nash, one of our fearless program leaders, was wearing a plain black shirt with the simple phrase “Detroit Hustles Harder.”
 
But it wasn’t just Matt. As we ran across the city in the search to decode the answers on our clue sheet during the scavenger hunt, I paid particular attention to the amount of people with similar shirts.
 
Detroit vs. Everybody.
 
Detroit is the new black.
 
The streets are filled with t-shirt of individuals proudly displaying their Detroit pride on their chest. They know their roots and want to make sure you do too. Maybe it’s because I try to hid the fact that I’m from Florida and avoid the topic at all costs, but I was shocked by how many people wanted to be defined by the fact that they were a Detroiter, and frankly, I was in awe. From the mother I spoke to on the street while waiting for the crosswalk to change to the organization representatives from a community lunch I attended at the Green Garage, everyone I’ve met has made me feel welcomed. Pride for this city courses through the veins of its inhabitants. Every want to do something, anything, to help Detroit prosper.
 
As I was sitting at Detroit SOUP with my cohort and program leaders, it really hit me how much people from Detroit love Detroit. Not only is their spirt represented by the words on their t-shirts, but the length of action they are willing to take. At SOUP, I was blown away by idea after idea that people shared. Juxtaposed to the media portrayal of Detroit, as a city filled with crime and hopelessness, I have quickly learned that this narrative could not be further from reality.
People know Detroit isn’t perfect, and that’s exactly why they want to help. Despite its crime and downfalls, people are constantly using their skills and creativity, or social innovation if you will, to face their problems head on.  
 
However, I do not have the privilege of calling myself a proud Detroiter. It would be extremely naïve for me to say that I know how Detroit should “rise from the ashes” when I have only lived here for about a week. The last thing I would want is to come into a community and assume that I know what’s best for them, especially when these assumptions are often based on one-sided perceptions from the media. While I may not have all the answers, many Detroiters have spent years perfecting their innovative ideas. By getting to know individuals in Detroit and hearing about their lives, experiences, and thoughts, I want to use my skill set to build on the foundation they have already created. Through my work with Detroit Food Academy this summer, I want to do everything in my power to propel their mission of using food to instill the values of leadership and entrepreneurship to young Detroiters, while preparing them with the skills and knowledge to enter the workforce.
 
At the end of the bus tour, one of the tour guides concluded with the quote: “Detroit is big enough to matter to the world but small enough for you to matter in it.”  The essence of this quote is embodied entrepreneurial spirit of Detroiters, and I’m so excited to play a small role in this innovation. The community in Detroit is unmatched by anywhere else I’ve been. It is because of the spirit and hard work of these individuals, that Detroit will rise from the ashes.