{"id":28680,"date":"2023-03-01T00:08:36","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T00:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/?post_type=blogpost&p=28680"},"modified":"2023-03-01T00:08:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T00:08:36","slug":"fellow-spotlight-megan-pham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/fellow-spotlight-megan-pham\/","title":{"rendered":"Fellow Spotlight: Megan Pham"},"content":{"rendered":"

Megan Pham is a 2022-2023 Fellow. She is a Content Specialist at Autonomic. Learn more about Megan below.<\/em><\/h4>\n

5 Moments of Joy as a Challenge Detroit Fellow\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In my application video for Challenge Detroit, I said that because I\u2019m small (4\u201911 \u00be\u2019\u2019 tall!), I appreciate the small things in life \u2013 a joke, but nonetheless true: the most ordinary moments often bring me so much happiness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And so in the same way I\u2019ve found myself grasping onto and cherishing those small moments that have filled me with joy during my time as a Challenge Detroit Fellow. Here are a few:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Rock, paper, scissors, whoooo!<\/b><\/p>\n

The very first day of orientation was overwhelming with all of the new information and names and faces, but one activity helped cut the tension: A rock, paper, scissors tournament.<\/p>\n

Whether from nervous energy, too much coffee, or something else entirely, I found myself getting into the game and having fun, regardless of how few names and faces I actually knew. And by the end, even though we\u2019d only just met earlier that day, we were all cheering and shouting without embarrassment \u2013 it was contagious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. The \u201cYes, and\u201d party plan<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"

Year 11 Challenge Detroit Fellows practice using \u201cyes, and\u201d to plan an awesome birthday bash.<\/p><\/div>\n

Later during orientation, we dived into the design thinking process. As a cohort we walked through and practiced each of the stages, but my favorite, by far, was learning about Ideation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing in a big circle on the grass outside of TechTown, we planned the most outrageous birthday party as a way to practice using \u201cyes, and\u201d to generate more and more ideas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The cherry on top for this moment was that it was also the most perfect September day \u2013 from the crisp air and stunningly blue sky to the warm, beaming sun \u2013 reflecting the refreshing feeling of letting our imaginations run wild.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Did someone say \u201crecommendations report”?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Our first Challenge Project with Detroit at Work definitely lived up to its name of being a \u201cchallenge\u201d \u2013 it was our first time working with one another on teams and using the design thinking process to complete a project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I never would have thought something like a recommendations report would bring me joy, but the moment when the pieces started coming together for our team\u2019s deliverable was when I began to realize that we\u2019d really done it \u2013 we\u2019d pushed through all of the uncertainty and obstacles and had created something real.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Congregating\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

It was surprising how quickly our cohort of fellows developed a camaraderie with one another. This made for amazing Fridays together, but also fun times outside of the program, like when we went to The Congregation after the kickoff of our second Challenge Project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was jam packed that evening, but from the yummy, warm drinks and easy-flowing conversation to the somehow simultaneously cozy <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> spacious building, it was the perfect moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. A sled, a turtle, and a sun\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Those are just a few of the drawings I contributed when our cohort decorated bags for Brilliant Detroit\u2019s winter clothing giveaway.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On our last Friday together before a holiday break, we brushed off our artistic skills and went to work drawing on paper bags, writing cards, and curling ribbon. The whole room resembled Santa\u2019s workshop leading up to the holidays, but my favorite moment in all the bustle was getting to embrace the simple joy that comes with brightly colored markers and a large space to draw on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When I look back at the end of my fellowship year, I\u2019ll likely find myself thinking and talking about the big highlights \u2013 the projects, the speakers, the accomplishments\u00a0 \u2013 but I\u2019m grateful for the small moments because they\u2019ve made this journey joyful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

About Megan<\/b>: Megan Pham is a graduate of Wayne State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English. Her hometown is Canton, Michigan where she currently resides. In her free time, Megan enjoys exploring new perspectives through books, crocheting (or at least trying to), running, and spending time outdoors\u2013especially camping at Michigan State Parks during the summer!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Why should someone apply to be a Challenge Detroit Fellow?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChallenge Detroit has exposed me to so many new ideas, incredible people, and exciting opportunities. It\u2019s a program that will push you out of your comfort zone in different ways and show you just how much more there is to learn about the world, Detroit, and yourself.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Megan Pham is a 2022-2023 Fellow. She is a Content Specialist at Autonomic. Learn more about Megan below. 5 Moments of Joy as a Challenge Detroit Fellow\u00a0 In my application video for Challenge Detroit, I said that because I\u2019m small (4\u201911 \u00be\u2019\u2019 tall!), I appreciate the small things in life \u2013 a joke, but nonetheless […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":286,"featured_media":28695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,15,17,12,18,11,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-givedetroit","category-leaddetroit","category-livedetroit","category-playdetroit","category-workdetroit","category-fellow-spotlight","category-y11-fellow-spotlights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/286"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}