Hi! My name is Andrew Lavin, and I am a fourth-year Media and Professional Communications major with a certificate in Sport Studies and Fundamentals of Business Management. Throughout my time at Pitt, I have been involved in community engagement through Best Buddies at Pitt as well as philanthropic work within my fraternity. These experiences helped me understand the importance of finding ways to create a positive impact within the communities around me.

The ACRI Project is important to me because I believe it is increasingly important to recognize and support grassroots communities whose identities and traditions have been passed down for generations. While large corporations and major communities often receive significant attention and resources, smaller communities like Fayette County can be overlooked or written off as less important than areas facing more immediate issues.

I am extremely excited to bring my own experiences and expertise to the Fayette County region while learning from the people who live there. Coming into this project without prior knowledge of the area has allowed me to approach Fayette County with curiosity, and our first class trip has made me eager to learn more about the deep history behind each of its communities. Hearing the profound stories that residents shared with me gave me a greater appreciation for the area and its way of life.

Through the STEPP Forward Program’s collaboration with ACRI, our class has been given the opportunity to conduct secondary research for businesses within Fayette County. I will be working with Rolling B’s BBQ, a small pop-up business that is currently figuring out how to navigate its upcoming expansion while balancing the demands of its employees’ full-time jobs. I am excited to learn more about the business and its challenges and use my skills and research to provide useful information and recommendations to support the business.

My current professional goal is to work in Corporate Partnerships, particularly in the sports, entertainment, or music industries. This project will help me pursue my goals through real-world experience with client work and building relationships. Working directly with Rolling B’s has allowed me to understand how to better communicate with a client, identify their needs, and ultimately provide useful deliverables. So far, working with a smaller business has shown me how factors such as family life and other existing responsibilities can influence business decisions. This has made the project feel especially meaningful and has encouraged me to approach my research with the client’s specific needs in mind.

Ultimately, I decided to join this project because I wanted to be part of a team that creates a positive impact within a community and its surrounding areas. Throughout this experience, I hope to refine my research and presentation skills while becoming a more effective collaborator and communicator. Most of all, by the end of this experience, I hope to walk away from the ACRI program with the feeling that I helped the Fayette County area with thoughtful ideas, research, and deliverables that will be genuinely useful for its community members.