By Kay Nguyen
Voices

I’m from the Metro Detroit area, but I became a Detroiter this week.

That’s thanks to my experience as a Voices staffer. Before the AAJA convention, I looked at this city as a casual observer. As a journalist, I’ve now examined it with a critical eye and like what I see.

In my broadcast story about a group of houses on Moran Street in Hamtramck, I documented artists who turned previously abandoned homes into art installations. They make everything from found objects. In one home, a giant chandelier, made from glass bottles, pieces of fabric and knick-knacks, hung from the ceiling and filled an entire room.

Detroit is much like these old buildings: a blank canvas that’s ripe for something unique and beautiful.

On another multimedia assignment, the story of the success of entrepreneur Caroline Howard’s restaurant, Traffic Jam and Snug in Midtown, also resonated with me.

“You can actually make a difference in a city like Detroit,” Howard said. “There is so much opportunity here compared to cities that are already built up like Chicago or San Francisco and you can be successful with much less money.”

That statement made me think about the rebirth of the city. People think there’s nothing in Detroit, but I’ve found out this week that might be the best part.

Because of Voices, I’ve been able to add to the blank canvas that is Detroit. I’ve become a part of it all.

Until now, I’ve been a stereotypical suburbanite – from Rochester Hills, about 30 minutes north – who would identify with Detroit as a hometown. But I never really went into the city.

People would ask me about “8 Mile” and wonder what Detroit was really like. I’d fervently defend “the D” against the misguided conceptions people had about it, but couldn’t exactly tell anyone why Detroit was worth visiting.

But as I started college, I began learning about the Michigan Cool Cities movement, the state’s efforts to keep talented people from leaving. Around that same time, Detroit began revitalizing its image in the aftermath of events surrounding former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s corrupt administrations.

I want to stay in Detroit and make a difference. (Please take note, Free Press and News editors!)

Being able to see my hometown in a new way has been the most gratifying thing about my week-long experience. I’ve been able to see the city in a different way through Voices.

I’ve still only been to one Detroit Tigers game and have never been to Ford Field. I’ve been to the Opera House once. I haven’t been ice skating at Campus Martius Park or experienced Hockeytown.

These are obvious ways to get engaged with Detroit. But I hope to dig deeper to find more stories about the city’s revitalization.

Follow Kay Nguyen @kaynguyen.