CarrieDaway

Detroit is gritty, it’s vibrant, it’s whatever you want it to be.

Flourishing, empty. Friendly, dangerous. Diverse, segregated.

It’s a city of contrast and that’s what makes it interesting.

Detroit is transforming at an unfathomable rate. In many ways it’s going in two different directions. The city center is bustling and the neighborhoods are struggling. There is a lot of opportunity for life-long residents and newcomers but how do you reconcile the two?

Detroit is like the Wild West. There are natives but it’s new territory. Technically there is infrastructure, but it doesn’t always work. People come and claim their destiny, but it’s not for the tender heart.

For all those reasons and more, I love this city and I love sharing my passion for it with others – it’s the reason I started this blog!

My professional career has been tied to Detroit. My first post college job was working for Senator Carl Levin downtown. From 2009 to 2015, I witnessed the birth and growth of ‘New Detroit’. These past two years I’ve had the exciting, humbling and rewarding opportunity to work in the city’s neighborhoods at two of the Detroit’s most prominent non-profits. I’ve learned about new communities and met so many amazing people.

I’ve learned a lot and I’m excited to bring those lessons with me as I start a new professional journey. I’m heading back downtown, to the heart of the city to work for After 5 Detroit. In what feels like a dream come true, I will be spending my days learning and sharing about all the great people, places and events in and around Detroit.

If you needed proof that’s anything is possible in this city – this is it.

I look forward to sharing more about Detroit here and on After 5. Sign up for updates from After 5 and get the latest news about programs and events first hand. I’ll share more about After 5 and the work I’m doing in the weeks to come. In the meantime, wish me luck!