First and foremost, I want to express gratitude for my computer finally experiencing a full recovery. There have been a series of endless hurdles regarding my technology while in Detroit (and even a little bit of time afterwards) and I can confidently say that they are over with- except for my phone being broken.
 
I now finally have a chance to write about my time in Detroit. Having been back for a couple of weeks, I feel as though I am in a better position to properly reflect on the experience. I can’t help but feel a sense of personal and professional growth after my eight weeks in the Motor City.
 
I came in hoping to get a glimpse of what life in a startup environment would look like, and I feel as though I got just that. As my partner and I mentioned in our final presentation, it seemed as though our project was unique in its size and positioning relative to the other placements. We had a proper product that was being sold, and the team was composed of essentially four people in the office. Progress was tangible, and the work was sometimes erratic. I think the free-flowing nature of working with Mitten Bites is one of the biggest takeaways from my summer. After the first week, it felt as though we had a grasp on the product and what was going on. From then on I felt less like an intern focused on a particular task and more as a member of a team hoping to contribute in a variety of ways. I remember sitting down with Jake, the director of the project, where he outlined the next steps for the product and I helped introduce what I felt could potentially work. It was this personal connection and close-knit environment that allowed for this collaboration, leading to this diversity of work on a day to day basis.
 
While it would be unrealistic to generalize and assume that most startups operate in this fashion, I can imagine some level of flexibility is required to adjust in a young business environment. Reading up on how the most successful startups came to fruition, the general story goes as follows: someone comes up with a solution to a problem and begins working on it. Somewhere along the line, they realize that it is a much bigger problem or that they are focusing on the wrong thing entirely. They then pivot. I hope to get my foot in the door more in this field as I move forward and confirm (or deny) this understanding.
 
Participating in DukeEngage Detroit gave me a chance to get my foot in the door in the professional world, particularly in the startup environment, providing me an invaluable experience as I move forward. I am excited to return to Duke and pursue this interest as much as I can. 

It’s been a little over a week since I’ve been back home from Detroit, and while I’ve enjoyed lounging around at home, spending time with my family, and hanging out with my friends, I also must admit that I really, really miss DukeEngage in Detroit. Though it’s only been a week, it feels like it’s been such a long time since I last made my daily morning walk to TechTown or last hung out on the roof of the parking garage. As I reflect on my time in Detroit, I can say with confidence that this program was truly a highlight in so many ways – I gained so many valuable lessons about the startup/business world and the work environment, I really became aware of and grappled with my own strengths and weaknesses, and I made incredible friends and connections.
​
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. 
​

​Another lesson that I learned came from my two “bosses” at CityInsight, the incubation startup client I worked with – Francis, TechTown’s Entrepreneur-In-Residence, and Abess, the CEO of CityInsight. I learned from Francis and Abess that you know you’ve found your passion when you love the work you’re doing and have fun with it, and that the best rewards in life come from taking risks. Francis and Abess are two people who have not had traditional, linear paths in their lives, who’ve taken significant risks and seen major failures, and yet they are both extraordinarily successful, fun-loving and happy today. I’ve always been someone who tends to stick by the book, attempts to mitigate risks at all costs, and seeks to plan things out far in advance, and so having Francis and Abess as role models opened up my mind and completely changed my perspective about my future career path. My work with CityInsight and at TechTown was beyond enjoyable throughout the entire 7 weeks, and I discovered that I love startups, startup culture, and the startup community and that I could easily see myself working in this type of environment. I’m starting to realize that careers and life in general are really not as straightforward and linear as I (and many like-minded Duke students) think, and as a result of this experience, I’ll now make a much bigger effort to step out of my comfort zone and take on risks for the things I’m passionate about. 
​

​Most importantly, DukeEngage in Detroit gave me the opportunity to meet inspiring, talented people, at both TechTown and within our cohort. With time, I may forget the details of my DukeEngage project, but I will not forget the people I’ve met, the things I learned about them and from them, and all the wonderful memories made. I’ll always remember fondly the long talks and ping-pong matches, the late-night conversations and movie nights with the gang, the countless chats with Betsy and Francis about entrepreneurship and Detroit and life, the group dinners, the Ann Arbor and Belle Isle excursions, and much, much more. Beyond the lessons I’ve learned from work, I’ll carry with me a full 7 weeks of friendships, laughter, and memories. 

“The sun may set, but the sun always rises” – Here’s to 7-weeks of lessons learned and friendships made in a city that I’ve grown to love and will never forget!

The most memorable part of these past two months all boils down to a simple game of Two Truths and a Lie, in which one player shares three statements about themselves, while everyone else guesses which statement is false.

You see, in our first enrichment activity we did as a cohort in Detroit, we were all prompted with this game. Not knowing any of my seven other group members, I remember thinking that statements like Raymond loving dance or Ashka fencing in high school were blatant lies. Now, looking back, I just shudder to think how I could've considered these statements to be false. On our last full day in Detroit at the famous Jolly Pumpkin--a restaurant where President Obama once got a burger--my fellow DukeEngagers and I played Two Truths and a Lie once more. This time, however, we almost all picked up on the lies instantly, whether it be through that sly smile that was now so recognizable or the oh-so-familiar flux in intonation. It was amazing how this single game told such an impactful story--a tale of growth and friendship. Needless to say, these relationships and memories that I've made here in Detroit will carry with me as part of my college career highlight reel.

Professionally, I've learned so much with my super collaborative and supportive site partner Keiley as we embarked on a journey into the world of non-profit. Through our economic impact report, we not only had the opportunity to calculate valuable quantitative metrics for future grants acquisitions and annual reports, but we also had the privilege of interviewing successful entrepreneurs like Ojas Aklokar. Her story was long, meandering, and filled with unexpected plot twists. She moved from her birthplace in Mumbai  to Detroit to China and back to Detroit, all the while nurturing her idea of Tribalfare--a boutique shop with the goal of being a cohesive cultural hub. To me, her story embodies the reliant and daring entrepreneurial spirit that the Detroit economy and community are fostering.

Beyond our specific task of creating an economic impact report, we got to experience the ins-and-outs of Build Institute. It would be a gross understatement to say that managing a non-profit is hard. With high barriers of entry to certain sources of funding and limited man-power, the efforts and determination of all the Build Institute staff members to put Detroit on the entrepreneurial map are truly remarkable. Again, I just want to reiterate my sincerest thanks and gratitude towards Build Institute and the DukeEngage cohort for an unforgettable summer! 

Detroit was an experience. That word is thrown around to describe a wide range of activities: a really meaningful internship experience, travel experience, employment experience. So in this context, I put it forward with a drawn-out intonation, with some space on either side and possibly an eyebrow raise. “It was an… experience.” The first time I explored the list of Duke Engage programs as a high school senior, I was attracted to the most exotic, foreign locations. With only eight weeks, I better get really slapped in the face with culture shock if I was going to have the sort of perspective-altering, maturity-inducing experience that Engage is all about.
 
I settled on Detroit with the hope that a 9-5 internship would help me gain some valuable work experience, since most international programs are less structured. Surprisingly, my challenges, triumphs, and lessons had less to do with the experience of being an intern and more to do with the process of trying to understand a city with a history and set of challenges wildly different than anything I have ever seen. Here are some of the main things I took away from that process:
 
Brand matters: In a place like Detroit, the “brand” of the city can be so important to its residents that they link the core of their identity to it. To be born and raised in Detroit comes with its challenges, but also carries significance that endows these people with a tremendous amount of pride. Despite attempts of outsiders/corporations to exploit this brand, it will always be clear who the true Detroiters are.
 
Place matters: Detroit at the present time has a lot of concrete, a lot of blight, and not much green space. Fortunately, there are lots of people doing great work to increase and improve green spaces in the city. This summer I saw how the environment that people are surrounded by drastically affects their mood and quality of life. In this sense, environmental justice, urban planning, and design all come together to bring home that point that EVERYONE deserves access to great public space.
 
People matter: For decades, historians, newscasters, and common citizens have analyzed the decline of Detroit, and all too often they place the blame on the city’s black population or system of government. I won’t try answer the question of Detroit’s decline, but I will say that through all I’ve read and experienced the main cause of Detroit’s decline is that it lost touch with the most fundamental and important component of the city: the ability to use proximity to connect people and their ideas and talents. When all the jobs were concentrated in a few companies hiring mostly unskilled workers, how could it go any other way? The glory days of American manufacturing are not coming back, but I think that this should be celebrated, not bemoaned. Detroit has a tremendous opportunity to reinvent itself as a city for people forming connections through their ideas and talent, where the production line of the 20th century gives way to the (largely tech-based) innovation of the 21st. I might be biased as a computer science major, and I recognize that it is much easier for a Duke student to make these sort of statements than the average American. Still, this truth remains: cities are not grounded in buildings, roads, stadiums or companies, but in people and their ideas, talents, and connections.  
 
To add a final thought about my Duke Engage experience, I feel lucky to have had this opportunity to enter a situation that I probably would have never found myself in otherwise. Engage is not without its flaws, but it creates some special opportunities for growth, and it’s impossible to know what you’ll get out of it until you’re on the other side. To anyone reading this and considering Engage in the future, I encourage you to take advantage of the fact that you’ll be getting a stipend to travel somewhere new, have fun, and learn some really valuable lessons. Just remember that once your plane touches down in Thailand, Uganda or Detroit, the rest is up to you.
 
Thanks to Matt Nash and Katherine Black, the other seven members of our group, and the people of Detroit and the CEDC. In the patchwork of classes, relationships, jobs, and activities that have made up my Duke experience so far, this summer in Detroit was a very important piece.  

When I wrote my first blog post about Detroit, I mentioned that the streets looked empty, the parking lots appeared vacant, and the buildings seemed neglected. Looking at those same structures eight weeks later, they still appear vacant and neglected. However, these streets, lots, and buildings serve a much deeper meaning than just their physical appearance. They represent the grit, pride, and the resilience of thousands of Detroiters who live in a city that has put them through so much. Despite multiple crises that have shaken Detroit at its roots, the 2013 bankruptcy and the 2014 water shutoffs, the citizens of Detroit refuse to give up on their city. The city’s motto “Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus”, “Rising From the Ashes,” resonates deeply with the people of Detroit. Whether it’s TechTown’s hardworking employees who volunteer their own time to help businesses thrive in low-income neighborhoods, the socially minded entrepreneurs who are passionately solving Detroit’s most pressing problems, or the numerous non-profit organizations that are helping rebuild the city-  the people of Detroit care.

​Unfortunately, these two months in Detroit have come to a close.  I have learned so much about Detroit’s history, culture, and current plans for revitalization during our weekly Friday enrichment activities, exploring the city’s many historical destinations, as well as getting to know local Detroiters and entrepreneurs. This place has undoubtedly become my home. 

​Professionally, I have learned so much as well. Through Mabel and I’s partnership, I have come to better understand the importance of using direct communication to resolve conflicts, compromise, and teamwork. Although Mabel and I were initially assigned together, we never saw each other as Duke students we were simply required to work with. During these two months, we saw each others as complimentary partners working together to accomplish the same goals. The most challenging part of our time at TechTown was sometimes not having structure. Everyday Mabel and I would come into work and set our daily goals- creating our own schedules, timelines, and deadlines, while checking in with Betsy periodically. Although we did not have much direction, we were able to use this flexibility and trust given by Betsy to really take control of our own work. 

Now that the program has ended, I can finally reflect on the deliverables Mabel and I were able give to TechTown. Throughout these two months, Mabel and I had been constantly worried that the deliverables we would be producing could be forgotten, unused, or unhelpful to TechTown’s staff. Now, I am proud to say that through hard work and a realistic outlook, the many things Mabel and I produced this summer have certainly created tangible impact.

DTX Launch Detroit now has, for the first time, a 4-year economic impact report detailing the quantitative and qualitative metrics gathered on the program’s 115 graduates and 41 teams. Anne and Nick now have a case for support on the Launch Detroit program that they can use as a foundation for any new grant applications. Betsy now has a detailed campus directory list containing over 150 university, minority, and business organization contacts to broaden DTX Launch Detroit’s program marketing, especially targeting minority groups and women. Abess has directly implemented our market research and competitive analysis into CityInsight’s pitch deck, utilized our revisions for the final executive summary, and submitted our written responses for the Smart City Challenge. In fact, we just learned that Abess, with our assistance, was selected as a winner of the Mccomb Community College Innovation Fund Competition, winning $25,000! With so many things Mabel and I were able to accomplish during these last two months, I can’t help but feel proud of the tangible difference we made at TechTown.

​But above all, the most rewarding part of my time here was the wonderful people I got to work with. Each of TechTown’s employees that I got to know was so accommodating, sweet, and passionate about their work. Shout out to Betsy, Paul, Francis, Anne, and Nick for being so awesome!

​Now leaving Detroit, I can’t help but feel like a different person. My overall “life roadmap” may have even altered its direction. Through working with so many aspiring college entrepreneurs and successful entrepreneurs, I have been extremely inspired and motivated to pursue entrepreneurship myself. I hope to carry on with me the passion, grit, and resilience of a true Detroiter wherever I go in life, especially as I return to Duke to pursue my own entrepreneurial venture. 

Storytelling is an art. 

And that’s something I didn’t fully come to appreciate until DukeEngage. I remember coming into the program not completely knowing what to expect of the city, the work or the fellow Duke students I would be staying with. In the end, I learned a lot about not only the city and a new potential career path, but also myself and how I approach new situations. 

Working with the Corktown Economic Development Corporation was my first experience in a nine-to-five working environment. From learning about the history and significance of Corktown to grappling with new design softwares, we learned a lot of new material on the job. 

The diversity of the job made it even better by giving us more opportunities to soak in knowledge. On some days, my site partner, Joe, and I would go to Corktown for surveying. On others, we’d attend community engagement meetings and talk to residents. We even attended a national design and development conference towards the beginning our internship (and admittedly felt lost a decent amount of the time). Mostly, however, we’d be in the office researching or compiling data. 

But even just in the office, everyday conversations proved to be an opportunity to learn. Joe and I heavily worked with Shamil Khedgikar, a graduate intern from Cornell. Rather than just teaching us about the project we’d be working on, chatting with him on breaks tended to teach us a lot as well. A typical Shamil-conversation consisted of him excitedly raving about his favorite mathematician (“dude, he’s a legend man”) or telling Joe and I about an obscure band we had never heard of. I even remember going back to the apartments after a full day of work and looking up the science of juggling —yet another random topic Shamil introduced us to. Though seemingly inconsequential at the time, these conversations added to both Joe and my experiences. At the end of the program we were in agreement that we couldn't imagine the summer without it.

On a personal note, I can’t imagine the summer without the the people I met along the way. After a full day of work, it was refreshing to come back to a bustling apartment filled with chatter on the days work, excitement for the upcoming weekend, and the smell of someone cooking (and sometimes burning) their dinner. From freaking out about The Giver with Caroline during movie nights, to watching Mabel whip up some omelets in the morning, to walks with Keiley to the gym, to witnessing Ben’s obsession with Justin Bieber —I can’t imagine a summer with any other group.

A special thank you to Matt Nash and Katherine Black for an amazing summer experience!
​

​My favorite part of my bike ride to Build Institute every day was crossing Michigan Avenue from Slows BBQ to Mercury Bar and then reaching Roosevelt Park. The first time I saw the abandoned Michigan Central Station was pretty shocking. Its impressive entrance reminds me of Grand Central Station, and it is depressing to think about all the traffic this Detroit station must have once seen. It is a reminder of previous prosperity, and hopefully the newly replaced windows are a sign of upcoming revival.
 
I have had a lot of trouble grappling with the economic disparity in Detroit and especially seeking to understand the measures in place to solve its greatest problems. There are the non-profit efforts by organizations like Build, and then the immense corporate work by GM, Quicken Loans, etc. While both are instrumental to redeveloping Detroit, the intersection between them is certainly lacking. There could be so much potential in stronger collaborations between these two sectors. I am currently reading a book called Detroit: An American Autopsy by a Detroit reporter, Charlie LeDuff. His grim outlook captures Detroit from 2008-2012, a time period especially marked by pervasive poverty and corruption. While it mirrors many heartbreaking scenes I have witnessed myself, I am disappointed in how much LeDuff leaves out. There are so many signs of strength, passion, and lifelong dedication to the city. He focuses on exposing the disparity and desperation, yet pays no attention to the resilient and inspiring efforts to rebuild the city.
 
I have certainly learned throughout my summer how difficult it is for a non-profit to thrive in Detroit’s tough economic conditions. I could occasionally see the frustration in April’s eyes as she worked tirelessly to accomplish certain results and was set back by a lack of funding or media attention. She and the rest of the team give up so much of their lives to make an impact in Detroit. They have already been incredibly influential on many entrepreneurs’ paths, yet they are always striving to do more.
 
I will carry with me most my day-to-day memories at Build. April and the wonderful
team have built a culture of tremendous collaboration, support, and creativity. While each team member has a personal work space, the large co-working table lies prominently in the middle of the room to encourage meetings that everybody can directly or indirectly contribute to. Although they each have a specific title and role, they graciously step up to the plate when an extra hand is needed in any project or problem. Monday mornings always start productively and positively with a team meeting, where everyone discusses and celebrates the accomplishments of the previous week and then brainstorms upcoming events and work to do. I loved being greeted each morning with enthusiastic “hello”s and genuine “how are you?”s. I’ll miss my coffee routine with Madalyn at 10:30am nearly on the dot-- we determined she’s much better at making French press coffee so she did the brewing and I did the cleaning. I can’t thank Build enough for being so welcoming and supportive to Ben and I throughout the summer. They helped paint a picture of Detroit full of culture and spirit that I could not have experienced otherwise.