Growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, I always found myself in the static situation of the “Wexford Bubble.” People often reference the community’s ability to encase residents within a few square miles. Wexford’s lure lies in its convenience and homogeneity; everyone shops, vacations, recreates, and works in a similar way. Certain outsiders, including teachers, would often tease my community for our lack of exposure to the urban setting, or “real world”. Even though I would call myself more city-acclimated than many in the North Hills, I have severely underutilized the city in my life. Here is how I know this: within two days of residence on Pitt’s campus, I have seen at least ten new buildings, crossed five new streets, and lost my way four times–just in the neighborhood of Oakland. This neighborhood in particular bears a very strong connection to my family, as my great-grandparents immigrated from Italy to Bates St. Oakland was also the lifetime home of my Uncle Pete, who passed away in 2025. Working within this neighborhood is made more meaningful by this connection. One of Pittsburgh’s unique qualities is the constant feeling of connection–it’s always a small world. For that reason, I am excited to have family connections and form new relationships synchronously.

Choosing the Business Development subspecialty was an easy choice for me as far as my role in the Carrigart consulting project. Our goal is to work our way towards increased entrepreneurship and foot traffic in the small village. I imagine the creativity and generation of ideas necessary for this small-scale project will transfer to the consulting projects I would like to do in the future. Carrigart reminds me of the small, isolated village my grandma’s family fled from in Italy, called Pizzoferrato. In both cases, there is a very clear need for economic stimulus, more people to stay and spend money. These European towns sustain very small populations, and tourism to the big cities diverts people from these lesser known spots. To that end, we plan to focus on the aspects of Carrigart that would make it favorable for families specifically, a retreat or vacation stay away from chaos. Specifics to come!