This past weekend, December 4th to December 6th, the sustainability, business and urban studies/political science cohorts represented the University of Pittsburgh  and Frederick Honors College at the 2025 Appalachian Regional Commission Initiative Research Forum in Washington D.C. We started our trip on Thursday, December 4th, in which we focused on finalizing our presentation. Although we used the Connellsville presentation as a foundation, there was still a lot of revision needed – especially with condensing a 30 minute presentation into just 15 minutes. After a long night of teamwork and collaboration, we refined our content that accurately reflected our key findings and goals. Friday morning we eased into the day with opening remarks before the University of Pittsburgh kicked off the first round of presentations. While I may be biased, I believe our team did an excellent job speaking and responding to questions, and I was personally very pleased with my own delivery. With the weight lifted off our shoulders, I was able to give my full attention to other schools’ presentations the next day and genuinely connect with the other students and their research.

My experience at this research forum was meaningful both academically and personally. Interestingly, the biggest lesson I learned came from outside the formal presentation. The first day of the conference, I experienced some severe complications with our hotel accommodations which forced me to pivot into rapid problem-solving mode. This taught me the significance of expecting the unexpected and remaining flexible when plans don’t go accordingly. From the conference itself, my biggest takeaway was the diversity of challenges threatening the Appalachian Region. It became clear that there is no single solution that can be applied uniformly across Appalachia. Instead, successful regional development requires individualized strategies that consider the social, economic and cultural differences across the region. 

Although I wasn’t present for the Fayette County presentation, my teammates shared their thoughts and it seems that the Washington D.C. presentation was more challenging. We had a substantial amount of material to cover, and the strict 15 minute time limit made it difficult to present our project holistically while conveying its depth. Our team also felt a significant increase in pressure since the audience was larger, more formal, and included representatives from the organization that funds our grant and the entire ARC. I’m very proud of our team for performing so well in such a high-pressure presenting environment. 

Going into the conference, I honestly expected the presentations to feel repetitive as I assumed most groups would address similar issues. I was quickly proven wrong after looking at the program and seeing a wide range of topics listed. Not only were the subjects different, but the nature of each project varied significantly. Some groups presented projects with a clear start and end, while other groups focused on long term research, some even building on work from previous years. This variety highlighted how each part of the Appalachian region has its own unique set of needs shaped by distinct social, economic and cultural factors. I was also surprised to see graduate students presenting; their work seemed to be more advanced and added a layer of depth to the forum. Overall, I can confidently say I better understand the complexity of community development in Appalachia and the diversity of challenges that communities across the region continue to face. 

My perception of the Appalachian region, and Fayette County, has shifted significantly through this semester’s work. Before this project, I knew nearly nothing about Appalachia and primarily understood the region in a broad sense. After engaging directly with community partners and reviewing local data, I now understand how nuanced the needs of Fayette County truly are. I also realized how important it is to approach regional development with compassion and context rather than assumptions. Overall, this experience helped me see Appalachia not as a monolithic region, but as a collection of distinct communities, each with its own set of barriers, and opportunities.

With the break and holidays approaching, I’m excited to share this experience with my friends and family—the highs as well as the lows. Even though the trip came with stressful moments, like unexpectedly dealing with bed bugs in my room, it ultimately contributed to meaningful professional and academic growth. As a psychology major aspiring to become a child psychologist, this project challenged me to think in ways I’m not typically required to and pushed my cognitive comfort zone. I had to analyze community needs, consider economic and workforce factors, and understand regional development—areas far outside my usual academic focus—which ultimately broadened how I approach problem solving. Professionally, this experience also gave me my first real opportunity to network and engage with work from other institutions. Speaking with students, faculty, and regional leaders has made me feel more confident navigating professional spaces and helped me see how interdisciplinary collaboration strengthens community-based work.

The Sustainability Capstone has been unlike any other course I’ve taken in college. While I’ve had classes where grades were based on projects, this was the first time I experienced a truly project-based course with very minimal lecture content. Unlike the research paper I worked on throughout a semester in my psychology Research Methods Lab, this project required extensive collaboration with outside stakeholders and partners, which made it feel much more like real-world work. I’ve also never had so much autonomy to pioneer a project from start to finish, nor have I ever taken a class so closely intertwined with another course. Working alongside the Appalachian Teaching Project seminar through the Honors College—and coordinating with the political science/urban studies and business groups—was a completely new and unique experience. The most challenging part was creating cohesion across what often felt like separate projects, but navigating that complexity ultimately made the work more meaningful and taught me how to collaborate across disciplines. It required constant communication, flexibility, and a willingness to adjust our approach as new information emerged from the other groups. Learning how to merge different perspectives into a unified final product pushed me to think beyond my own academic background and helped me better understand how interdisciplinary teams function in real community development work.

As the final component of my sustainability certificate, this course marked a meaningful conclusion to my undergraduate experience in this field. Although I plan to pursue a career in a different discipline, the skills I gained—particularly in directive work, project management, and professional communication—are ones I know I will carry with me moving forward. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside such knowledgeable faculty and engaged peers, and I hope to remain connected to the future work and impact of ACRI.