Going Home

Highland Park residents on Highland Park

While cruising down Woodward Avenue on my way to Highland Park, I happily sang along with the lyrics to the song "Paradise" by Madonna.

Before I left for my first visit to Highland Park, people warned me not to go. I had always passed through the city but never went in it, and I chose this city because I thought it would be interesting to see how it really is.

When I entered the city, I slowly ceased my singing. I started to get tense, and I became really serious. I saw groups of men hanging out in front of homes, grass that looked like it hadn’t been cut for months, and abandoned buildings that looked eerie.

All I could think was what did I get myself into? I felt out of my element. I'm not familiar with neighborhoods like this. I don’t know what to expect. I began to doubt myself. Maybe I shouldn’t have picked this area.

However, I believed that I should give this community a try for some reason.

As I looked around, I wondered what did the residents think about their own community? How would they describe Highland Park?

Read more! »

Highland Park, MI

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4 NIV

Just mention to your friends and family members that you will be spending a semester of school getting to know the residents of Highland Park, Michigan, and they will incite fears in you before you even take one step into the city.

"There’s a lot of crime there," they say. "It’s not safe."

While this statement must have some credibility, no one is ever completely safe in any neighborhood. Even if all of the hype about the city of Highland Park being a high crime area is true, no one ever states exactly what type of criminal activity is prevalent.

Read more! »