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Pursuing the American Dream
Life’s hard knocks were no match for Patel’s perseverance and even harder work
By Courtney Conover would take calls from her mother
Khushi Patel’s life thus far can be while she was in school if her mother
characterized in a myriad of ways. experienced a difficult customer, for
But easy isn’t one of them. example. “It’s a 24/7 job. If the bell
Born in Flint, Michigan, to par- rings at 4 a.m., you’re up; you’re de-
ents who immigrated from India in livering toiletries to rooms; you’re
the late ‘90s to make a living in the constantly aware of your surround-
motel industry, Patel,19, grew up ings. [This job] came with a toolkit
amid the unglamorous backdrop of of cultural competence because you
her family’s around-the-clock busi- learn—one, How do you operate a
ness. Now, juxtapose that image with motel that was my family’s sole
that of the sprawling, green land- source of income at the time?”
scape and stately, distinguished ar- At age five, Patel assisted in the
chitecture found on an Ivy League cleaning of hotel rooms. By age 19,
college campus: Patel is currently a she was proficient in checking cus-
junior at Rhode Island’s prestigious tomers in and out.
Brown University, where she’s major- Watching her parents provided
ing in Public Health and Interna- Patel with a constant reminder of
tional & Public Affairs. just how demanding the motel indus-
To know Patel, a member of try is.
Wayne Memorial’s graduating class And Patel dreamt of something
of 2021, is also to know that both ex- more. Much more.
periences—and everything in be- “I remember, back when I was in
tween—have played an integral role elementary, being so keen on build-
in the woman she is today. ing a sustainable career—one out-
side of hotel management,” recalls
Humble beginnings Patel. “Whatever that necessarily en-
Walk inside a motel anywhere tailed, I knew I didn’t want to do
here in the U.S., and one is likely to what I was doing at that age.”
find an Indian American family hold-
ing the reins. According to Smithson- Paving the Way
ian Magazine, at least half of Patel attended Taft-Galloway Ele-
America’s motels are owned by In- mentary and Franklin Middle School
dian Americans, and nearly 70 per- before moving on to Wayne Memorial
cent of these are owned by people High School where she honed her
from the same region of India—Gu- leadership skills by serving as presi-
jarat, where the roots of Patel’s fam- dent of the Student Council, captain
ily also reside. of the Ethics Bowl, member of Ro-
“My parents basically bounced Khushi Patel tary’s Interact Club, and co-founder
around to a bunch of different states Duke University graduate who is while their parents operated the of the Wayne-Westland Coalition, an
in America working as hotel house- now applying to medical school, Travel-Log Motel on Michigan Av- organization which advocates for stu-
keepers,” says Patel, who lived in spent much of their youth in this city enue, which they still own today. dents by bringing forth concerns and
Wayne for 15 years “It was like a built-in business,” proposals to the Wayne-Westland
prior to heading off to Patel says of the motel, which served Community School District
college. “They lived in as the family’s home as well. (WWCSD) School Board.
some of the most And working in such an industry Having spent her entire K-12
p o v e r t y - s t r i c k e n meant Khushi’s childhood looked a tenure here in WWCSD, Patel isn’t
cities in America— bit different than a conventional shy about the credit she bestows
Montgomery, Mem- one—sleepovers and idle summers upon the teachers who have guided
phis, you name it. with Slip ‘N Slides were in short sup- and encouraged her throughout the
They were sort of ply. years.
everywhere.” Patel’s youth may have lacked fri- “They pushed me and urged me
Eventually, Patel’s volity, but her parents’ livelihoods af- to consider different careers outside
parents moved to forded her the opportunity to absorb of hotel management,” says Patel,
Flint and then to De- invaluable life lessons, chief among who found her teachers’ guidance es-
troit before relocating them are when to take action and pecially impactful. “I want to [one
to Wayne. Patel, along how to make decisions. day] be able to give back to those
with her older “I learned the ins and outs of how
brother, Shivan, 23, a Khushi Patel with her parents. to run a motel,” explains Patel, who See Patel, page 4
The Wayne Dispatch · November 2023 · 3
