{"id":1487,"date":"2014-05-11T15:49:08","date_gmt":"2014-05-11T21:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.challenge.dev2.formbox.biz\/blog\/?p=1487"},"modified":"2014-05-11T15:49:08","modified_gmt":"2014-05-11T21:49:08","slug":"fellow-spotlight-roy-yewah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/fellow-spotlight-roy-yewah\/","title":{"rendered":"Fellow Spotlight | Roy Yewah"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this week\u2019s Fellow Spotlight, we are checking in with\u00a0Roy Yewah<\/a>. He fills us in on what he enjoys most about living in the city, and his host company, the\u00a0Crestmark Bank<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Roy, tell us about your move to Detroit?<\/b><\/p>\n

My move to Detroit was \"ROY1\"<\/a>tiring and nerve racking, yet exciting.\u00a0 I moved to my Detroit home on the riverfront in mid- August, the anticipation that I had built up for this date was unreal.\u00a0 It was going to be my first year out of college, in the biggest metropolitan city I\u2019ve ever lived in, I would be starting my career in the finance\/business world that I enjoy, and I would be a participant of one of the nation\u2019s most influential fellowship programs.\u00a0 Growing up in East Lansing, Michigan (middle of the state) and attending Okemos schools, I had experienced the rather typical suburban life, but I knew I wanted more.\u00a0 Deciding to attend the private liberal arts school of Kalamazoo College (on the west side of the state) was a decision that would eventually open my eyes to many different topics that were foreign to me back at home.\u00a0 My four years at Kalamazoo College helped shape me into the young man I\u2019ve become today, and really widened my perspective on outside topics such as issues in urban economics.\u00a0 But, after college when I got accepted into the Challenge Detroit fellowship and decided to explore the east side of the state, the different cultures and experiences I\u2019m faced with help mold me even further.<\/p>\n

What do you enjoy most about living, working, playing, giving, and leading in Detroit?<\/b><\/p>\n

What I enjoy most about the \"ROY2\"<\/a>five program pillars: living, working, playing, giving, and leading in Detroit is that they\u2019re all aspects that help shape a person holistically.\u00a0 In order to be a fellow you can\u2019t do one without the other, and this fellowship has really helped engrain that into my life.\u00a0 Living here is great- there\u2019s always something to do (even with the record breaking winter we had), and more importantly the diversity in this city is huge, people are coming from all walks of life here.\u00a0 Working with the non-profits here has been an experience I don\u2019t think I would\u2019ve endured had I not been in this fellowship.\u00a0 To do rewarding work for non-profits that are trying to do good things for this city brings a smile to my face every time, because seeing the impact our work has is priceless.\u00a0 I play here as much as I can.\u00a0 The limitless amounts of activities to do around the city and region are everything young professionals could ask for to release some steam.\u00a0 From the recreational leagues and city events to the bars\/restaurants, clubs, and markets, Detroit has a little bit of everything for people to enjoy.<\/p>\n

Tell us about your host company, and what you do?<\/b><\/p>\n

My wonderful host company is \"ROY3\"<\/a>Crestmark Bank<\/a>, a commercial bank head quartered in Troy.\u00a0 I am doing a financial rotational program with them, where I get to learn from different departments within the bank to get a more holistic understanding of what they do and where I see myself fitting in the most.\u00a0 Lately, I\u2019ve been working with the auditing department and am a field examiner where I do exterior audits for our clients, but I\u2019ve also done auditing on potential clients who are looking to choose us for their financing.\u00a0 The exposure to how the businesses operates and knowledge I am gaining from this company are something that I think is key to my professional career growth.<\/p>\n

What makes working at Crestmark Bank unique?<\/b><\/p>\n

Being an entrepreneurial enthusiast, the bank opens my eyes to the different types of businesses out there and the nitty gritty details of what it takes to be an entrepreneur, in which I am very thankful for the opportunity.\u00a0 Crestmark is unique because their \u201cwe help\u201d mentality and \u201copen door\u201d policy creates one of the best work environments I\u2019ve ever experienced.\u00a0 Not only are their customers satisfied, but they\u2019re leaving traditional big banks and spreading the good news to other small-medium size business owners.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite part of the Challenges?<\/b><\/p>\n

My favorite part about the \"ROY5\"<\/a>challenges has got to be the connections and people I get to meet along the way.\u00a0 Where can you find\u00a0 31 people who are all smart, driven, down-to-earth, innovative thinkers and from all different backgrounds in the same room working to improve non-profits in one of the nation\u2019s most influential cities? Nowhere but Challenge Detroit.\u00a0 Yea, sure, every now and then intelligent people butt heads because everyone thinks they\u2019re right about everything, but overall we all understand the big picture and are willing to put aside our egos for the bettering of Detroit.<\/p>\n

What are you most looking forward to in Detroit?<\/b><\/p>\n

What I am looking most \"ROY7\"<\/a>forward to is the summer in Detroit!\u00a0 With so many festivals, concerts, and activities coming up I can\u2019t wait to enjoy them all.\u00a0 Warm weather will also lead to construction and renovation all around the city.\u00a0 The restructuring and boom in industry of the city are what I am looking forward to as well.<\/p>\n

Check out Roy’s personal blog\u00a0here<\/a>,\u00a0and his spotlight video below.<\/p>\n