Hello! My name is Natalie Frank, and I am a senior at Pitt majoring in Urban Studies and Anthropology, minoring in Political Science, and getting a certificate in Public and Professional Writing. Through one of my Urban Studies classes this past semester, I had the opportunity to work with a great group of fellow students on the Appalachian Teaching Project, a research program that supports college students in the Appalachian Region to develop economic growth for our surrounding communities. The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh campus, is one of 22 colleges and universities that participate in this program. 

For this project – which will span a 10-year partnership between the University, the Fayette County Cultural Trust, and the Appalachian Regional Commission – I, along with my peers, worked directly with the community in Fayette County, specifically in the towns of Connellsville and Uniontown. Working alongside the Fayette County Cultural Trust, a local non-profit organization, my group and I spoke with the community to identify the community’s desire for economic growth of their towns and how we can help spearhead these initiatives and deliver on the community’s goals. 

This project is especially important to me because I understand the significance and positive effects of investing in and working with the local community. I knew from the start of this project that I would be getting the opportunity to be a part of a very meaningful and impactful partnership, and this truly became known to me once our semester came to a close. 

Not only did this project create meaningful relationships and further the path down the 10-year partnership, but it also fulfilled many personal and professional goals of mine. As an Urban Studies major, I am passionate about sustainability and community engagement, two features at the forefront of this project. This project allowed me the opportunity to experience a level of community development that I had yet to experience and fostered even more my desire to continue this type of work. 

Through this experience, I learned more about what it means to partner with the community and foster economic development through these partnerships. Similar to the investment made into these communities by local leaders, community organizations, the University, and most importantly, the community itself, this project helped me to realize that I, too, want to continue investing my time and career into regional resilience.