The purpose of the Appalachian Teaching Project (ATP) is to get students involved in a ten year community-based research to discover the effects of out-migration patterns from rural Appalachian communities. Through this, we would learn about some of the core causes of the dreaded “brain-drain” in these communities and propose solutions to bolster local communities and their major assets. While doing this, us students engaged in ethical practices and collected necessary skills to co-produced academic research. To me, this project was more than another thing to add to my resume. Having grown up in small town Appalachia, I feel I have a deep connection with these communities. Through this project, I hoped to gain a better understanding of why these communities are experiencing brain-drain and how we can combat it to keep small towns, like my hometown, alive and thriving. This is my passion and, for my career, I hope to work with or alongside an organization like the Appalachian Regional Commission to improve the quality of life for those living in rural areas, more specifically, community development and healthcare reform. Rural Appalachian folks have some of the most shocking disparities in their healthcare, especially low income families. This is even more prevalent for people of color living in these areas. The work I have done with the ATP is an irreplaceable experience that has strengthened the skills required to begin my career after my time at Pitt. Some things that immediately come to mind are the skills required to talk to people you do not know. The ability to do this seamlessly when researching communities is essential. The most important thing is to keep an open mind for every single person interviewed. Moving forward, doing such a hands-on project will help in every aspect of the community development I wish to pursue in my future as a graduate.