Hello, my name is Elizabeth Conroy and I am a senior at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a certificate in Sustainability. After graduation, I hope to pursue opportunities in sustainable energy and electrical engineering. I am currently the fundraising chair for Epsilon Eta Delta, the University of Pittsburgh’s Environmental Honors Fraternity. Over the past three semesters, I have helped raise more than $3,000 for local and national environmental initiatives. I also started a personal environmental activism fundraising campaign, “Calm, Cool, and Collected,” in which I created sustainability-focused designs for clothing and donated over $1,000 to Greenpeace. Aside from academics and environmental activism, I enjoy learning to cook new dishes (especially from my Nunny and great uncle) and documenting them in my recipe journal. I have also recently begun learning Italian.  

This semester, I am participating in the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) as a member of the sustainability team. The ACRI, led by the Appalachian Regional Commission, is a student research program intended to support economic development and community revitalization initiatives across Appalachia. Fayette County, a largely rural area in Appalachia, has been facing a general population, manufacturing industry, and economic decline since the late 1930s. Just two weeks ago, my team and I visited Brownsville, a town in Fayette County. This visit reinforced the importance of the ACRI: Appalachian towns like Brownsville are warm and welcoming yet face continuous decline, underscoring the need for sustainable development that supports both environmental health and long-term community vitality. 

My team and I are primarily working with the Fayette Chamber of Commerce and the Fayette County Business Education Partnership, as well as a manufacturing firm located in Brownsville. Our challenge is to design a scalable and sustainable model that unites diverse educational partners, such as various community colleges and technical schools, to train students in technical skills – such as robotic welding – for high-priority occupations. Our initial goals include fostering interest in technical skill development throughout K-12 education, as well as identifying ways to strengthen the skilled technical workforce in the region. The intention of these initiatives is to enhance the skilled technical workforce pipeline primarily within and beyond regional high schools, encourage relocation of workers to the area, and generally strengthen the regional economy with the expansion of well-paying manufacturing employment opportunities. Ultimately, this approach aims to maximize economic opportunities while minimizing strain on the community, laying the foundation for a stronger, more resilient regional economy. 

I decided to join this project because it highlights the role of community engagement in shaping sustainable economic growth. Too often, development projects overlook the perspectives of those most affected, resulting in initiatives that fail to gain traction or provide lasting benefits. By engaging directly with local leaders, businesses, and residents, our team is working to ensure that the solutions we propose reflect the community’s vision for its own future. In practice, this means holding conversations and feedback sessions with stakeholders to better understand what kinds of growth are both wanted and sustainable. Strengthening Fayette County’s workforce within existing structures not only reduces the “growing pains” of economic change but also ensures that expansion is inclusive, scalable, and financially viable. By centering community voices and sustainable practices, the ACRI project has the potential to create not just economic revitalization, but a model for how communities across Appalachia can grow while preserving their identity. 

My current professional goals center on advancing my knowledge of sustainable power systems and supporting the transition of manufacturing industries toward green-collar jobs. While my economics studies have focused primarily on efficient and equitable resource consumption and allocation, my academic goals moving forward are to explore sustainable power system efficiency and accessibility, as well as engage with initiatives aimed at transitioning traditional blue-collar jobs to green-collar jobs in the energy sector. I feel that working on the ACRI project will give me the opportunity to develop my technical and interpersonal skill sets, helping me pursue my professional goals while strengthening my commitment to being an impactful environmental steward. As I collaborate with my team on this project, I will be developing my public speaking skills and my technical writing skills. Clear and approachable communication is essential for sustainability initiatives to resonate and result in action, and I aim to develop these skills through our various presentations, community engagement opportunities, and creating deliverables. By working with ACRI and within the communities of Fayette County, I am not only practicing community outreach, communication, and collaboration, but also beginning to think about how technical solutions, like renewable energy systems, must be integrated within broader economic and social contexts.