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…
Category: Experiential
Why spend time in the Appalachian Region?
Hello, My name is Finnian Sieg and I am a part of the business team for Pitt’s ACRI team this semester. I am majoring in finance with a minor in economics. A fun fact about me is I am the Finance Lead for our university’s FSAE team. This past June, we were awarded sixth place…
Reflections on ACRI and Fayette County
Growing up in Fayette County, there was nothing I wanted more than to leave my small town and venture into new cities that were filled with opportunity. Often, I felt that there was nothing I could do in my town. I had this lasting perspective that my hometown was simply a temporary place to live…
Final Word
Pitt has now completed its fourth year of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative, or what we have been calling the ARC-ACRI. Our sustainability group, consisting of me, Rebecca Jalboot, Katherine Fazzini, and Kelly Nguyen, was one of four that made up this year’s cohort. At Pitt, students get involved with the ARC-ACRI…
ACRI Final Reflections
Growing up in the Appalachian region, I believed most counties within it shared similar qualities, particularly in their economies, landscapes, and community cultures. I assumed Fayette County would be much like my hometown in Tioga County. However, that assumption was challenged when I visited Fayette County and saw the nuanced realities of life there. I…
Final Reflections: ACRI and Fayette County
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,…
An ACRI Semester- Takeaways and Reflection
This past semester, I spent a lot of my time each week focused on the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) as a member of the business cohort. Going into the semester as a transfer from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, I had many anxieties and uncertainty surrounding what this fall would look like…
Reflection of the Semester – ARC ACRI
Now that the end of the semester has arrived, it only feels right to reflect on the work we have done and the project as a whole. I will begin by putting it simply; I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work on this project and would not trade this experience for any other….
Final Presentation in Uniontown and Connellsville
Since I’ve last posted here, our project has had some major developments. For one, we made the complete shift to having the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Uniontown as our stakeholder. As I mentioned before, our sustainability group had another site visit in Uniontown in late October to gather information for our new project…
Last visit to Fayette County
On December 6th, my group and cohort went to our last site visit to Fayette County to present our findings and deliverables to the Fayette County Cultural Trust Fund and Uniontown City Council. This journey would not be possible without the support of our professors, stakeholders, and other community members who took time out of…