This past semester, I spent a lot of my time each week focused on the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) as a member of the business cohort. Going into the semester as a transfer from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, I had many anxieties and uncertainty surrounding what this fall would look like for me. Like any three months, there were many ups and downs, but my time working on this experience was a key player in what turned out to be a successful semester for me.
When I first learned about this opportunity, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of sustainable economic development in Appalachia. I made an effort to adjust my schedule around taking this course to ensure I could attend weekly meetings with my groupmates and collective meetings with all the cohorts.

Perceptions of Appalachia

Going to the class initially, I would say I had a pretty open mind. I knew some things about Appalachia like the general history of the region. This course was an interesting way to dive much deeper than my surface-level understanding at the start of this semester. We got more exposure to the unique history behind Fayette, in particular, as well as the more modern history of the region. Meeting with Michael and Dan of the Fayette County Cultural Trust helped to shed light on the many interesting roles Connellsville, particularly, had played throughout history. One fact I thought was especially interesting is the Connellsville Canteen that is run by the two. Now, it serves as a history museum with a locally constructed train set, but in the past, it was a place many soldiers from all over the country had stopped at when heading into WWII. Aside from the history aspect, the culture and sense of community were very strong. Heading into the semester, I knew that people from Appalachia hold a strong sense of pride and community within the region, but getting to speak with people first-hand about their community was invaluable.
Appalachia is often portrayed through a misleading lens to people outside of the region. Even through sporting events, I have seen how these negative stereotypes are perpetuated. West Virginia is a state within Appalachia that I have heard many people use these stereotypes to describe. With the University of Pittsburgh’s rivalry with West Virginia University, I have seen how stereotypes are normalized through sports. Attending and leading up to the Backyard Brawl (a sporting event between the two Universities), I often heard students using themes of illiteracy, incest, “hillbillies”, and incompetence to describe our competitors. These comments are rooted in stereotypes from the media that ignore the rich history and beauty of the state and the people that inhabit it. While people may say these comments are all in “good fun,” they fail to understand that these examples perpetuate stereotypes and continue to ostracize people from the Pitt community.
When reading an article on stereotypes of West Virginia and how there needs to be a shift in dialogue, a young West Virginia resident describes these stereotypes’ effect on “brain drain” and how because of these stereotypes, she wanted to go to school out of state and never return. (I recommend you check out her story titled “More than a Stereotype: A Young West Virginian Wants a Different Conversation” on the 100 Days in Appalachia website.)
Therefore, while Fayette is doing lots of amazing work within the community to grow economically, there is also lots of work to be done by people outside of Appalachia to do their role in ending this cycle of stereotypical portrayal of these communities. This makes me think back to a discussion throughout the semester on obtaining grants with members of the County Commissioner’s Office. We talked about the difficulty of being able to show outsiders the wonderful things happening in Fayette unless they come there themselves. While I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with and learn more about Fayette through this course, I think this type of communication and sharing of experiences needs to be more broad moving forward starting with the community at Pitt and our neighbors.

When I’m Old and Gray…

I would describe this experience to my grandchildren one day as something I am very happy to have been a part of. I will say, that it seems to me, that the ACRI is a project that will reveal its true effect on me as time passes. The longer I have to sit and reflect on this past semester, the more I realize the effect this course has had on me.
The urban-rural divide is something that we addressed throughout the course. The ACRI was a way for me to begin to address this issue within my own life. I was able to speak with community members and discover many things that unite us despite the differences in where we live. This semester has helped me look at my everyday life through a new lens. Often, differences are highlighted throughout the news and in discussions. However, I feel there is a much more positive way of communicating and carrying out our lives that starts with finding the commonalities between things.
I would also tell my grandkids that it is important to gain as many perspectives as possible. The community-based aspect of this course requires understanding the community’s wants to make sure we are best serving our clients. Through this, I feel that there is an important lesson for life in general that one perspective is not a tell-all. Everyone has unique stories and experiences within a community that can shape and form their own opinions and viewpoints. We should learn ways to seek out numerous perspectives and find methods to ensure that a broad variety of voices are heard.

ACRI Course Reflection

This course was far less guided of a class than I am used to taking thus far at the University of Pittsburgh. It is very student-led with faculty available to provide feedback and facilitate discussions between groups of students. This structure is beneficial to preparing students for job structures after graduation when entering the workforce. At first, I think I found it slightly difficult to know what to expect as the course progressed because of the unfamiliarity, but as time went on, I started to get my footing and learned how to navigate this structure.
Additionally, the project building on itself each year was unfamiliar to me going on the first day. This required a type of forensic research to look back at past deliverables and try to form a solid understanding of the previous work that had been done. Similarly, it forced me to formulate my own research in a way that would be digestible to those who would have very little background information going into the project. This helped me to view sharing information a bit differently, and I feel it has helped me improve my communication skills throughout the course by looking at things through a new lens. The most comparable experience to this, I would say, is those activities where you try to explain making a PB and J to an alien. You have to assume they have little to no background knowledge of what you are talking about to ensure they understand the best they can.
Another unique aspect of the course was the human-centered design element. As a business student, most of my classes are content-heavy with not as much application of research so far. The experience of getting to hear their stories and experiences within their communities was crucial to ensuring we were helping create sustainable change in the community. Additionally, this helped me grow my working understanding of Appalachia and made me much more comfortable asking questions. Outside of the classroom, I have had more and more discussions with people about Appalachia, and understanding people’s connections to their hometowns and their stories helps me to have deeper connections with my neighbors.
Even outside of an Appalachian lens, I have noticed myself talking more to strangers in my day-to-day life since beginning this course (something I used to have a lot of anxiety surrounding before taking this course). Community is something invaluable that is becoming increasingly difficult to find in our digital age. Interactions with cashiers are dwindling with kiosk ordering options. In-person offices are replaced with Zoom calls. Authentic storytelling is replaced by social media stories. A moment recently that stands out to me was a conversation I had with a stranger this past week at a coffee shop. He was drinking a unique soda brand, and I asked him his thoughts on it. In hearing his reflection and asking a few follow-up questions, I got to see a real moment of humanity that I fear is all too rare in our busy society. He passionately shared a memory of a trip with his mother in his childhood. It made me wonder how much of our stories are lost to ourselves without the outlet to share them.