From the lens of a small town in North Carolina, Detroit seemed like a very daunting and somewhat worrisome setting to conduct my summer experience within. I am satisfied with the fact that I chose not to give into these precursory fears because Detroit is not what the outside world looking inwardly sees it as. Yes, Detroit is struggling. Yes, poverty does not just exist on one block here and one block there, but rather many of the blocks that provide infrastructure to the buzzing city. These things do not, however, define the city of Detroit. Detroit is defined by the little boy biking in downtown with his Tigers hat on. Detroit is defined by the people strutting down the sidewalks in their "motor city" t-shirts. Detroit is defined by the architectural innovation that is GM's Renaissance Center that would not have existed had it not been for the blood, sweat, and tears of multiple generations of Detroit natives. These things define the heart of American blue collar mentality. I am just blessed to have the opportunity to immerse myself in such a cultural melting pot that I most likely would not have otherwise. I do not just want to be a bystander to the prevalent issues that overcast Detroit on a daily basis. I want to become part of the solution. If that means helping just one family open their first small business, help just one family properly organize their financials, tell just one small entrepreneur's story, then it will all be worthwhile. Beyond those things, I would love to meet people in Detroit. I want to hear what their daily struggles are and how they compare to mine. I want to know why they chose to stay when so many others felt that their opportunities had run completely dry. I want to know what they predict the future of the motor city holds and what their impact is going to become. If I have learned anything in my first ten days within this city, its the fact that the people who have stayed during the recession have done so because they wanted to. They foresaw this rebuilding process and wanted to help. That is simply something that I do not believe any other big city in the United States can relate to. That is why I think Detroit is such an incredible place to accompany my genuine growth as a person.
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