Ahead of my semester in London, I held nothing but excitement in my heart. As I packed my bags, I looked forward to a semester full of travel and new friendships. More than that, I was excited to experience a country with a different government. I fantasized about strong public transportation systems and social welfare….
Final Thoughts for Florence
While I studied abroad in Italy, some of the biggest learning moments I experienced were outside the classroom. For the first time in my academic journey, I balanced an internship working 20 hours a week with a full course load. On top of that, I also maintained a social life, visited museums, and attended special…
Listening Before Leading: ACRI, DC Presentation
Early this December (2025), my team and I found ourselves in the heart of DC, awaiting to present our findings and recommendations for Fayette County to the funders, external stakeholders, and other participants of the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI). The Annual ACRI Conference, hosted by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and East Tennessee State…
Grappling with Anxiety, Fear, and Pride: ACRI, Connellsville Presentation
The Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative presentation in Connellsville this past November (2025) served as a vessel for many firsts for me, and presumably for some of my colleagues. Until now, I’ve never had the opportunity or privilege to stand before a room full of relevant stakeholders and present to them findings and recommendations pertaining to…
Classroom to Conference: Takeaways from the ACRI Research Forum
This past weekend, December 4th to December 6th, the sustainability, business and urban studies/political science cohorts represented the University of Pittsburgh and Frederick Honors College at the 2025 Appalachian Regional Commission Initiative Research Forum in Washington D.C. We started our trip on Thursday, December 4th, in which we focused on finalizing our presentation. Although we…
Trip to DC
Our trip to Washington DC last week was incredibly informative and meaningful. The opportunity to take the work we had been doing around Fayette County and put it in conversation with projects from across the entire Appalachian region was the perfect culminating experience. Our presentation itself had been tightened up and polished a lot between…
11/14 Presentation Day
I would consider the Connellsville presentation we gave to be an overall success, with a few reminders of where we can strengthen our project. Each group arrived prepared and informed on their topics and on the research they had been doing. The area we still needed to work on was our sense of cohesion and…
Representing Fayette County in Washington, D.C.
After months of community-engaged work in Fayette County, Pitt’s team took off for the 25th-annual Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative conference last Friday, December 4th. From the beginning of the semester, I had highly anticipated this portion of the project, and it did not disappoint. Pitt was the second of 13 schools from all across Appalachia…
Visit to Connellsville
Some of Connellsville’s strongest assets are not only its physical infrastructure, but its social infrastructure. Connellsville does have beautiful buildings, new bike infrastructure, and access to outdoor adventure spaces. Yet it’s the people who make the place what it is and are the strongest source of potential for growth. At the town’s Canteen, we spoke…
About me
Hi! My name is Daryn Kaplan, and I’m a Urban Studies and Religious Studies student in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences graduating in the spring of 2026. I’m also pursuing certificates in Sustainability and Jewish Studies. I’m passionate about transportation and infrastructure, as well as studying Jewish texts and music, and I plan…