Meet Autonomic’s Challenge Detroit Fellows

Mar 16, 2023

At Autonomic, enabling transformative change in the automotive industry isn’t our only passion. We’re also proud to support the success of our communities and the organizations working alongside them which is why we welcomed two Challenge Detroit fellows to our team this year. 

Challenge Detroit is a year-long community development fellowship program that provides individuals from a wide range of backgrounds with the opportunity to learn about and contribute to the City of Detroit while developing their professional careers. Fellows work at host companies, like Autonomic, Monday through Thursday and gather as a cohort on Fridays to participate in leadership development and to collaborate with local nonprofits on a series of challenge projects rooted in design thinking and focused on supporting a vibrant Detroit community. 

This year’s fellows are Eva Morlock and Megan Pham. Both Eva and Megan hail from Southeast Michigan and joined Autonomic’s marketing team as a graphic designer and content specialist, respectively. 

Check out Eva and Megan’s insights into their experience as Challenge Detroit Fellows at Autonomic: 

Eva Morlock, Graphic Designer

What’s been a highlight so far this year as a Challenge Detroit Fellow? 

Eva: My favorite moment as a Challenge Detroit Fellow has been seeing the outcome of the deliverables we build for nonprofit organizations during our challenge projects. Our work stems from ideating creative solutions, and it always amazes me how much our cohort can accomplish in so little time, as well as the variety of ideas everyone brings to the table. It is a very liberating experience! 

I have also very much enjoyed the opportunity to work at Autonomic as a graphic designer. Contributing to Autonomic’s brand development has been awesome, as well as collaborating with everyone else on the marketing team!

Megan: All of the people that I’ve met this year has definitely been one of the big highlights for me. I’ve had the opportunity to form new friendships with my amazing peers in the program,  engage with community leaders and change-makers in Detroit, and learn from my passionate and driven coworkers at Autonomic. I’m so grateful for the new perspectives I’ve gained from all of these connections. 

What are some learnings from the Challenge Detroit program that you’ve brought to your role here at Autonomic (or vice versa!)? 

Megan Pham, Content Specialist

Eva: So far in my role at Autonomic, the creative projects I have been involved with have given me further knowledge of brand consistency. Every company, organization, and individual has their own brand in some way. With this new knowledge, I advocate for brand awareness in challenge projects to ensure the tools we build will reflect the organization’s brand.

Megan: In Challenge Detroit we use a design thinking process to complete our challenge projects with Detroit nonprofits. I definitely find myself using elements of that process to approach new projects or solve problems in my role at Autonomic. I’ve also learned a lot about marketing tools and strategies here at Autonomic that I’ve brought to challenge projects, too! 

What drew you to Autonomic as a host company for your fellowship year? 

Eva: I saw that the positions Autonomic offered this year included being on a marketing team, and I thought to myself “Oh, that would be cool!” since I had yet to be on a marketing team in my career. I was also intrigued by Autonomic as a company because my knowledge of the tech industry was minimal, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn something new. 
My interview with Autonomic was also my favorite interview–everyone was very friendly and we had a great conversation. Thinking back, that moment was a preview of what was yet to come. Autonomic is filled with a ton of neat folks who do great work, and I am very grateful to be here as a Challenge Detroit fellow.

Megan: Autonomic’s emphasis on growth and learning really spoke to me – it was the perfect complement for the new experiences I was looking to gain through the Challenge Detroit program. As a young professional, I have so much to learn and explore, and I just want to soak up as much as I can! I appreciate how Autonomic creates space to try new things and has a culture that supports that development journey. 

Challenge Detroit is accepting applications for the 2023-2024 cohort year through April 4, 2023. Learn more on the Challenge Detroit website.