In daydreaming about the promising future that a lot of us have, we often think about the amazing places that we might go one day — New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the list goes on.

Seldom on that list, however, is the city that many of us know best: Detroit.

For a large portion of our lives, we have been brought up with the idea that Detroit is simply bad news.

We have all seen the news reports, the annual rankings of most dangerous cities in the U.S. and the negative attention given to Detroit by the media. We have all had the slight feeling of nervousness as we cross into the city limits.

With that said, many of us have also had the pleasure of getting to know the side of the city that is rarely spoken of in opinion columns and news articles nationwide.

For many of us, Detroit is where our earliest memories stem from. Our first Tigers game, our first Red Wings game, our first hotdog from Lafayette Coney Island. I could go on and on.

All over campus, we proudly represent the sports teams that we live and die for. Endless Tigers hats are seen on a daily trip to class, Red Wings jerseys, even shirts that proudly boast, “made in Detroit.”

With all the Detroit pride we proudly project to our peers on campus, it is time for us to give something back.

Detroit has given us a reason to boast of our sports teams for many years now; it has given us a reason to speak highly of various concert venues throughout the city, the DEMF, or Detroit Electronic Music Festival, each summer and the Detroit Institute of Arts, a museum filled with works of Warhol, Picasso and Van Gogh.

Now it is up to us to make the nation speak highly of our city.

The concept of revitalizing Detroit is complicated, yet at the same time, it is truly simple. It is up to us, the younger generation, to take the torch from our elders and truly leave our mark on this city.

As long as younger generations continue to move out of state, to neglect the city, to overlook the opportunities one might find in Detroit, we will never get back the city that our grandparents so proudly reminisce over.

The true key to Detroit’s revitalization is bringing us college kids into Detroit to work and play. Many employment opportunities are becoming available.

Dan Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans, moved his company’s headquarters downtown and is looking for bright college kids with fresh ideas for employment as his company continues to grow.

I have had the true pleasure of spending time downtown the past few summers. Never once have I felt unsafe in the downtown area.

In fact, in my adventures downtown, I have come to make acquaintances with people that I like to refer to as “street characters.”

Just a few months ago, my father and I attended a Tigers game against the New York Yankees. On our walk over to the ballpark, I stumbled across an aspiring rapper whom I had once bought a CD from outside of the Third Judicial Circuit Court.

Almost every single time I went into the courthouse, I ran into this man. The warm embrace he gave me (one of his few customers) outside the ballpark was truly profound.

To think that I, a mere kid, had left such an impression on this man for simply giving him the time of day really made me proud.

With that, I say that it is time that we, the young talent of Michigan, give Detroit as a whole our time of day.

I am flat-out sick and tired of having to drive over to Chicago, one of our closest bustling cities, for a fun weekend.

There is no reason why Detroit can’t be the same or at least similar. With a little time, a whole lot of money and a helping hand from our generation, I fail to see how Mission Detroit is impossible.

Now, of course, I am not so naïve to think that after reading this article, Detroit is going to jump up to the top of your list for potential future homes.

However, I ask you to simply take a look at what the city has to offer, and determine on your own whether or not you wish to play a role in the potential comeback we may see in the near future.

Matt Fagan is a guest columnist at The State News and a international relations senior. Reach him at faganmat@msu.edu.