Hi all! My name is Allison, and I am from Michigan, the Mitten state! I chose the University of Pittsburgh because I have family just outside of Pittsburgh and have grown up visiting PGH. I am a junior at Pitt majoring in social work, with a sociology minor and a certificate in sports studies. A few hobbies I have are hanging out with friends, listening to music, reading, cross stitching, and working out. I am also in a service sorority at Pitt and have learned that I love to volunteer in my free time. I was adopted as a baby, and this has pushed me to work in the realm of social work. I am hoping to work with children whether that be in the foster care system or a nonprofit organization. I will be graduating next year and am planning to get my master’s in social work in the next few years.  

To distract myself from the fact that I will be beginning my senior year I am studying abroad this summer! The program I am attending is in Mussoorie, India and is centered around leadership. I have not had much experience with leadership, which is why I was drawn to this program. Leadership is an important skill to have and can play a role in many aspects of life. Another factor I love about this program, is that it is very outdoorsy with a 10-day backpacking trek in the Himalayas. This past summer I was a camp counselor in Colorado, and I have really missed the outdoors this past school year. I am so excited to learn about leadership in a new environment with a hands-on chance to be a leader myself.  

From the program I hope to experience a lot of growth. On a personal level, I hope to get a better sense of myself and more confidence while making decisions. I also hope to see my confidence grow and independence while being a part of a team and at times leading it. Another area of growth I hope to see is the ability to become comfortable in situations that would have made me uncomfortable, in other words becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. On an academic and professional level, I hope to gain a better understanding of tolerance and patience while being a team member. While working as a team, especially on a trek, it can be easy to let your emotions get the best of you. Along with growing my patience I want to reinforce how to remain calm and collected when things may be going wrong. Also on a professional level, I of course, hope to learn what leadership style fits me best. This includes how authoritative I may be and how I will implement decisions and make decisions. Leadership is a lifelong journey, and I hope to get a solid start from this program that can be implemented into my field placement for my senior year and future career. I hope to return to Pitt more confidently and with a new positive perspective of the world and broader horizons.