Prior to joining the ACRI project, I knew very little about the Appalachian region and far less about Fayette County. I grew up in a large, populated suburb outside of Philly, where a majority of Pitt students are from. It is not surprising that Pitt’s in-state students are from mainly the Pittsburgh or Philly area, since the counties in these areas are densely populated and make up the majority of Pennsylvania’s population. However, I did not realize how much smaller all other counties in PA were. The average graduating class in a high school in these areas is around 100-200, whereas my school was about 450-550. Half of Pennsylvania is considered part of the Appalachian region, stretching diagonally from southwest PA to northeast PA. The opportunities that these smaller schools have are minimal and slim compared to my high school. I have never heard of Fayette County until taking on this project, particularly because I am not familiar with West Pennsylvania. I also mainly considered the Appalachian region to be West Virginia and parts of North Carolina. I did not know it stretched further north to PA and south to Mississippi. The image shown here is a picture of our second site visit to Uniontown to discuss and obtain research from executives and officials about funding and other government affairs.

This is my second capstone I have completed from college and it has been a very different and fascinating experience. Fayette County has unique historical, cultural, and geographical aspects that distinguish it from other Appalachian regions, such as being the home of Fallingwater. The famous house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built over a waterfall in the 1930s to display Connellsville’s beautiful scenery and nature. Even though Fayette County does share some economic struggles that are associated with Appalachian regions, they benefit from being close to Pittsburgh, which allows for many industrial influences and tourism to bloom down to this county. There is a large historical importance in this area in early American history. During World War II, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, played an important role, primarily through its industrial contributions and military service. Fayette County’s position along the historic National Railroad made it a key corridor for moving goods and materials during the war. While railroads and industrial centers dominated wartime transportation, the county’s infrastructure supported the logistics needed to sustain the war effort. All these unique aspects of Fayette County had to be taken into consideration when addressing sustainable economic development.

Because our cohort does not want to disrupt or invade any cultural importance and traditions when creating any solutions to enhance Connellsville. Community support is vital in this project. Possibly by the time that I have grandchildren, many of the issues that Appalachia has now will be resolved through government and community efforts. My group hopes that economic development will grow exponentially by the time we are old and be able to tell our grandchildren about it.

To summarize this experience, it was full of ups and downs and struggles, but my group managed to create multiple deliverables curated to Uniontown’s needs. The stakeholder, in our case Simmons, must determine the project’s direction to ensure it aligns with Uniontown’s needs. For example, our attempt to create a grant-writing internship failed because we anticipated what our group thought were needs instead of consulting them directly. Ultimately, our work is beneficial to not only The Redevelopment Authority of Uniontown but for upcoming groups working on this ten-year project, and we could not be prouder. Our focus shifted drastically halfway through the semester, but that did not discourage us. We finally landed on improving Uniontown’s government efficiency rather than other issues we felt were unrelated currently or not of the most prioritization. While we do not know how next year’s group is going to lay out their project, our work lays the groundwork for future students to build on and create lasting value. By partnering with local stakeholders Michael Edwards, Daniel Cox, and Crystal Simmons, we learned to understand and solve pressing economic, social, and environmental issues. We had to reconsider how we were going to add value to Fayette County after speaking with Crystal Simmons, Executive Director of the Uniontown Redevelopment Authority. We thought that we might be better off concentrating on their government after learning about her concerns and issues. Uniontown and Fayette County as a whole are dealing with more urgent problems than what we intentionally came up with-space and acid mine drainage. Therefore, these problems must be resolved in order to establish a solid basis. Crystal is mostly worried about capacity. In particular, Uniontown lacks the capacity required to operate. As a result, for the rest of this semester, we started to set aside our efforts to determine public opinion regarding the reclamation of abandoned mines and the viability of bringing the space industry to Fayette County.

The ACRI Pittsburgh collaboration differs significantly from traditional college courses by looking at community engagement, experiential learning, and real-world impact over lectures and exams. Unlike many academic courses that remain confined to a classroom, ACRI integrates students directly into Appalachian communities to address real challenges. For Pitt in particular, we look at Connellsville and Uniontown because they are in close proximity to our university. Other schools will look at other Appalachian towns near their own schools. This interactive approach allows students to apply their knowledge in meaningful and impactful ways while learning from these lived experiences of local residents. The conversations we had from local government officials to community members reminded us of the strength and resilience of Uniontown’s people. They generously shared their time, experiences, and insights, helping us better understand the realities of life in this community. Their passion and determination to create a better future inspired us and guided our work.

ACRI also emphasizes long-term sustainability over short-term deliverables, which would encourage students to think long and intensely about these issues. Many traditional courses focus on solving singular, isolated problems, but ACRI wants to challenge students to address foundational challenges like government stability, environmental sustainability, and economic resilience. The initiative recognizes that building a solid foundation is essential for meaningful change. We, the students, engage with diverse fields such as urban planning, environmental science, public education, and focus groups, applying these perspectives to complex and complicated challenges. We additionally regularly interact with stakeholders through interviews, site visits, and community luncheons. These engagements provide continuous feedback, enabling students to refine their projects in real-time. Unlike a typical course with dued assignments, ACRI projects evolve based on community input, making the experience dynamic and flexible.

A people-first approach is essential for sustainable development. We prioritized clear communication with Simmons and the redevelopment authority, focusing on deliverables that directly address Uniontown’s needs and gathering diverse perspectives to guide our work. My group discovers topics we have never heard of prior to meeting with Uniontown. None of us were familiar with government affairs, but we felt that was the point of our project—to branch out from what we know as well as research and learn new topics for our deliverables. Physical site visits were very important for our project, since we were able to see this region more closely than images or videos online. It made the project more sincere and genuine to the community, and this experience is not as common as other college projects I have done. We conducted multiple interviews from multiple different professions throughout the semester, which were knowledge and a good foundation to where we needed to start a base for our project.

Throughout this semester, we’ve encountered the complexities of working in an area steeped in history yet grappling with the persistent challenges of economic instability, government inefficiency, and environmental degradation. Our early efforts, from exploring the potential of new industries to addressing environmental concerns like acid mine drainage, shifted over time as we realized the foundational issues Uniontown faces. Ultimately, our focus turned to the importance of stabilizing local government as the cornerstone for sustainable development. This shift taught us that real progress requires first addressing systemic issues, even if the work is less visible and slower to yield immediate results.

As my final semester of college comes to an end, it is bittersweet to say goodbye to all who have helped and supported me throughout this project and my other classes. As the cohort concludes on our work, we leave with a deep sense of gratitude, growth, and hope for the future of Uniontown and everyone else that we have had the privilege to engage with. This journey has been as much about learning as it has been about contributing, and I am proud to have played a small role in addressing the challenges faced by this region.I recognize that the challenges facing Uniontown will not be solved in one semester. However, my group hopes that the groundwork we have laid—whether through identifying key areas for improvement, compiling resources, or engaging in meaningful dialogue with stakeholders—will serve as another stepping stone for future groups. Each step contributes to a larger vision of progress for Uniontown and Fayette County, and I will look ahead at future groups and what they incorporate into this project in the next few years.