a 9. 9 9 01 8C Wednesday, October 17, 2012 // The Statement w _: - . ,. Eli Day: A Detroit political junkie with a global eye By Adrienne Roberts Name : Eli Day Age : 20 Hometown : Detroit, Michigan School and year : Public Policy Senior What was it like to grow up in Detroit? It was always about trying to reconcile two realities for me. I mean the neigh- borhood I grew up in was aggressive, butI had a stable home life. Both parents were there but there was trouble. My dad was like this old hippie, he was part of the counter-culture, this old white guy from Ohio. Him and my mom met at this communist meeting in the '80s. I'm just now recognizing how tough it was for them raising a kid in inner city Detroit. I think it's the greatest founda- tion you could have. To get out of it, if you can, there's no greater start. So, I hear you have an actual "job" now with Congressman Hansen Clarke. I started off as intern the summer after freshman year. He was a state senator from Detroit's east side. That first sum- mer he was running for a congressional seat. I was fortunate enough to be the only campaign intern at the time. We beat a 14-year incumbent. The follow- ing summer they offered me a full time job. Wow, what exactly is your job title? When we're out in public, he refers to me as his policy consultant. But the titles are inconsequential because you end up doing casework, event coordination, a lot of consulting with him in terms of how to frame issues and if he's making a speech, who to tailor it to. I'm on the clock right now. Do you want to continue working for him after graduation? The tragedy is we lost our re-election. Without saying too much, it was hard. Not just the loss but the nature of the election. It was a bit disenchanting for me. As much appreciation as I have for it, it's sort of liberating to not have to deal with politics anymore. So I'm looking to create a space for myself outside it. Politics is just as nasty as you think it is. I heard you studied abroad in Cairo, Egypt. How did you like it? It's the best thing that's ever happened to me. My roots are in international policy, but I'm committed to working here. I think there's plenty to do in Detroit, in my city, but I'd love to do international work. I mean spending time in probably the most misunderstood region in the world with welcoming and accommodating people really made me want to transition into that area. On a lighter note, where do you like to hang out in Ann Arbor? I really bounce around a lot. Typically, you can find me at some random friend's house, I like a small group of people. I'm awkward' with large crowds. Who isn't? Any favorite restaurants? Any good Egyptian food in Ann Arbor? Egyptian food is miserable, so no. Q z w O Q a a w H } co O F- O d