Hello! My name is Owen, and I am a sophomore Industrial Engineering student at Pitt. Along with Industrial Engineering, I am also a pre-dental student, and I ultimately intend on being a dentist one day. Outside of school, I play a lot of sports including soccer, basketball, and pickleball. I work out and run often, read, and I love to create 3D prints or different laser cut woods in the OpenLab at Hillman library. 

Within the University setting, I am a part of many different clubs, and I am quite involved on campus. The one job that takes up most of my time is being a Resident Assistant (RA), which is probably the most fun job I have ever had before. I also founded a club recently called Blood Initiative at Pitt, which is still in its beginning stages. The club focuses on blood drive advertisement, education on the need for blood donation, and providing more incentives for students to donate. Some clubs that I am in but that I do not hold an executive position in are Pre-Dental Science Club, Triathlon Club at Pitt, Special Olympics Club at Pitt, and Chi Alpha at Pitt. Along with jobs and clubs, I also love to volunteer my time doing Crisis Counseling at the Crisis Text Line or helping the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank.

I chose the Leadership in the Himalayas program because of the amazing experience (a twelve-day backpacking trip in the Himalayas!) and the educational value. Not only will I be able to see breathtaking views, experience new foods and cultures, and build great friendships with other students and guides, but I will be challenged as a leader. I hold many different leadership positions, but most of the time, I am not challenged to understand the reasoning behind my actions, to think about how I can do a better job, or to be in such close proximity for such a long time with the people that I am leading. This program will challenge me in every one of those ways and many more as we trek through the backcountry sleeping in tents, having no connection via the internet, and being pushed to my limits mentally.

I am so excited to embark on this journey of leadership development, and I cannot wait to see myself grow personally as well as have a great time doing it. I also cannot forget the amazing views and wonderful pictures that will undoubtedly come out of this experience.