My name is Andrew Weiss (he/him) and I am a fourth-year student studying political science with minors in public policy and theatre arts. I transferred to the University of Pittsburgh in fall 2024 after I completed a year of service with AmeriCorps NCCC during which I became interested in the political and policy issues that affect people’s lives and, by extension, a career in public service. On campus, I work as a Pitt Impact Ambassador in the Office of PittServes where I connect students to volunteer opportunities that align with their personal and professional goals. I also serve as an undergraduate teaching assistant and research assistant.

This project presents the opportunity to build on the success of the partnership between Pitt, the ACRI, and Fayette County through community-engaged research. The project for this cohort is promoting economic development through individual business research. We will be collaborating with business owners in Fayette County to gauge the viability of their business plans. These business owners are either looking to open new businesses or expand existing ones. By compiling and analyzing factors relating to market feasibility specific to each business, we will hopefully be saving the owners resources and preventing future headaches.

Many students in the cohort, including myself, are not business students. Instead, we will be expanding on our interdisciplinary knowledge base as we each assume the role of business consultants. To ensure we do right by the Fayette County community, we have the support of a group of faculty from across the University who have seen this partnership through each iteration. Effective programs in service learning that integrate with a classroom experience, like this one, facilitate learning about politics and make it more likely that information is retained and connected to other concepts.

I decided to participate in this project because I think partnerships like this can be real assets to rural communities who might benefit from the resources of a large, regional university. Though we are only a small part of this long-term partnership, our participation gives us valuable exposure to the nuances and benefits of a sustained, asset-based approach to economic development.  Additionally, this project adds value to my education through the opportunity to learn from students across disciplines and to improve upon important, transferable skills. This project will promote research skills, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to collaborate across differences. As a politics and policy student, I am always seeking opportunities that have the potential to ground my education with perspective gained through practical experience. As my graduation looms closer, I hope that engaging in this project will provide some more clarity as to what I want to do with my career.

Being largely unfamiliar with the region prior to the start of this project, I am mindful of the fact that business owners and community members understand the area much better than we will be able to. Moving forward, I intend to connect with the and learn from the people of Fayette County, which I expect will be the most valuable part of this project.