As my fellowship comes to a close, I have an immense amount of knowledge heading into my first year at Pitt. Overall, the past two weeks have been a dive off the deep end into the world of real life problem solving with a real organization on the line.  Although not every class or club will have that same time crunch and pressure, the skills I’ve learned of creative problem solving, active listening, and teamwork are transferable to any project in my future.  

Moving forward, I feel confident in my ability to meet and form connections with my peers.  Leaving this program, I alone already have friends I look forward to meeting in person.  I am more than excited to finally go down to Oakland and start creating professional and personal relationships.  I know between the class load, clubs, and social life I predict a stressful year.  Although intimidating, I feel confident in my ability to work in a group and meet deadlines, all while smiling and laughing through it.  I have faith in my ability to confidently go into any class or activity and start with “I don’t know” and end with a “here’s what I found out” or “now I know that…”, just as I did with this fellowship.

The greatest part of this fellowship to me was the ability to try something new.  I want to try everything before deciding what major or career to pursue.  Consulting is now something I can check off the to do list as something I’ve accomplished.  Rather than memorizing formulas or looking at data trends, consulting gave me transferable skills to when I will eventually have to start memorizing formulas and finding data trends.  

Overall, this fellowship has strengthened my goals and pushed me to succeed.  I now know that trying is the best way to find out.  Pitt is my school and opportunities like this ensure my personal and professional success.  With this experience under my belt, I never plan to stop exploring: Oakland first, then the world.