Ashka Stephen - week 5

Anytime an employment application asks who they should notify in case of an emergency, I always write, "A very good doctor.

I’ve only had one job before —a typical retail assistant in the mall (shoutout to Abercrombie). So I’ve never really experienced actual nine-to-five working culture before —before coming to Detroit that is.
One of the things that first attracted me to the Duke Engage program in Detroit was the chance to work with startups. I’d get to experience real (as opposed to fake?) working culture.

Joe, Mabel, Raymond and I (TechTown squad) at the One Nation Event in Detroit --a journalism event.

Fast forward from when I was applying to now —five weeks into the program— and I can confidently say that I’ve experienced both startup culture and a nine-to-five working conditions (although I know it’s not completely representative).

So let me take you through ~a day in the life~.

Hearing my alarm at 8:30am, I hit snooze. A few more swats at the snooze button, and I’m finally up and ready for the day. A shower, some eggs, and half a coffee later I’m at work.

At this point, Joe and I crack open our laptops to check Slack —a messaging/posting website for teams that Human Scale Studios uses. Our eyes quickly skim the recent posts and messages as we chat about who won last night’s game of Catan (usually Joe) or who slept more over the weekend (usually me). We then make our respective to-do lists and begin our work.

We usually work until our stomachs signal it’s time for some lunch. I’ll grab something from a nearby food truck, scout out free food up for grabs somewhere in TechTown (there’s always free food somewhere) , or unpack a summer salad I packed that morning (I have yet to get creative with my lunches). While eating, we’ll usually talk to each other, briefly surf social media, or visit our fellow TechTown interns Raymond and Mabel.

Oh hey there.

Post-lunch is a continuation of working on our laptops, peppered with the occasional meeting. Mondays we’ll have Team Meetings and the rest of the week is spotted with conferences for various projects we’re working on, such as the Community Pop-Up Living Room, the People First Project, and Open Streets. Working on so many projects has its perks; we never get bored.

By 5:30, there’s a steady stream of people filtering out of TechTown. As we pack up to head back, we update Shamil on what we’ve accomplished and he gives us a rundown of what’s in store for tomorrow. 

At this point, I would usually grab my bike, hop on, and pedal the seven minutes it took to get back to University Towers. I’d have a smile on my face and the wind streaming through the holes in my helmet (I’m a safe rider). But plot twist: my bike got stolen over the past weekend. I’m a little salty at the moment.

Detroit loves its bikes. So much so that mine was stolen. :(

But I won’t dwell on that too much. After I get back, I’ll hit up  the gym (unless I’m feeling lazy) and come back to shower. I whip up an easy dinner (currently working on diversifying my cooking repertoire). Evenings are usually pretty relaxed, unless it’s one of those crazy weeks we have something planned every night (like group dinners, Human Scale barbecues, or mixers). 

I love how no two evenings are the same; sometimes we’ll go out to dinner (food options in Midtown are legit); other days we’ll huddle up for a movie or show.

Ben, Raymond, Mabel and I having a movie night. Ben's selfie skills on point.

Five weeks into Duke Engage and I feel like I’ve learned so much. From basic CSS coding to understanding Place Plans and everything in between, Joe and I have soaked in a lot of new information. These next three weeks have a lot in store and I’m excited to see where our projects take us!