Hello! My name is Desmond Green, and I’m incredibly happy to be participating in the Haller Global Fellowship Program. For some introductory information about myself, I plan to major in Marketing, and am undecided in regards to double-majoring, academic minors, and certificates(though I plan to seek them out!). I visited Pitt for an Admitted Students Day several months ago, where I was immediately struck by the beauty of many university buildings and warmed by the positive energy of the city. I graduated from Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School(PALCS) under its University Scholars Program(USP), which I had been attending since sixth grade. PALCS and USP are special because PALCS itself is a fully online charter school, but USP has participating students attend in-person classes two to three times a week before being given loads of digital homework to do the following day. I have two Miniature Schnauzers back at my home in Wallingford named Ada and Ellie(Ada is Ellie’s aunt!), and two brothers both of whom are older than me. My hobbies include playing strange and niche video games, reading, listening to an eclectic menagerie of music, and painting my Warhammer miniatures.

Professionally, I have never had a paid occupation. However, I have volunteered at Helen Kate Furness Free Library for about one year and been a part of several clubs at USP. Volunteering at a library desk allowed me to build skills like interacting with patrons and communicating clearly with my coworkers and managers, skills which will no doubt go on to be key in my professional development. As part of both the USP Interact club and PALCS’s chapter of the National Honors Society, I helped to plan, organize, and participate in fundraisers and events. I believe this program will give me the necessary experience to work towards getting an internship during the academic year to further my career goals!

With all that said, those unfamiliar with it may be wondering about the Haller Global Fellowship Program itself. The full name of the program is the Haller Global Fellowship Program: Ireland, as me and my nine compatriots will be going to both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland after two weeks staying in Pittsburgh! While at Pitt, we will be learning essential business skills through a “Managing in Complex Environments” class that will be critical to our success in the latter half of the program. Our time will also feature explorations of the business ecosystem of Pittsburgh. This will lead into our ten-day stay in Ireland, where we will be working alongside the non-profit organization AllPeopleBeHappy, who seek to use global experiences and sustainable, community-driven projects to aid local communities in Pittsburgh and abroad. Our group will be spending most of our time in the city of Carrigart in the north, where the skills the team learned during the two weeks in Pittsburgh will immediately be put to use, acting as consultants for the town and local businesses. 

If you recall that first paragraph and think I probably don’t get out much, you’d be right! This program will be a huge step forward for me. By stepping out of my comfort zone and getting hands-on experience in unfamiliar situations, I hope to get a great head start on the development of both my academic endeavors in business but also my own career. I will be able to get an Honors credit in my first semester of college(an “honor” to be sure!) and gain greater familiarity with the city itself. As for Ireland, it will also be both my very first time outside the country and my first time on a plane in over four years!