This morning’s tour of the Hill District with Terri Baltimore highlighted both the difficult history and the resilience of the neighborhood. One of the biggest themes from our discussion was that successful community development depends on putting the people who live there first. While the Hill District has faced many hardships, it has continued to…

Today we had the opportunity to visit Connellsville and learn about the work of the Fayette County Cultural Trust and its role in supporting economic development throughout the community. One of the key aspects of their approach is using local resources and attractions to draw visitors into the area while encouraging them to stay longer…

As part of our neighborhood scramble assignment, our class was asked to explore a Pittsburgh neighborhood using four different lenses: businesses, civic assets, community organizations, and public resources. The goal wasn’t just to learn about one neighborhood—it was to practice quickly understanding how a place functions. In a few weeks, my group will be traveling…

Millvale may not officially be part of Pittsburgh, but it feels like one of the city’s neighborhoods. It’s compact, walkable, and full of its own character. One of the biggest reasons it stands out is the remarkable series of murals inside St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, painted by Maxo Vanka in the late 1930s and…

For a first meeting with a client, it went okay. Not well, but okay. There are many things we can improve on, like making sure that they have a full understanding of the project that we have been given. And more specifically, what our group is focusing on and how we plan on achieving our…

Coming into this academic year, I felt pretty confident about the path I wanted to take. I had a plan in mind, knew what I wanted to study, and thought I had a good idea of how my time at Pitt would unfold. But as of today, I’ve realized that there isn’t just one path…

By: Austin Vernon At first, Pitt looked like this huge city with so many moving components. It was a bit overwhelming at first; however, spending time here has really opened my perspective to what life is like. The people are so welcoming and inclusive. Just the other day, a couple of friends and I went…

My name is Austin Vernon, and I am a first-year student at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Business Analytics and Finance. I chose this path because I enjoy solving problems, working with data, and understanding how financial decisions shape the success of businesses. My long-term goal is to pursue a career in corporate finance,…