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This senior knows positive change starts with conversations

Sam Podnar knows if she’s going to make her city a better place, she can’t shy away from difficult conversations.

The Pittsburgh native and graduating senior is deeply invested in advocating for the interests of her neighbors, at the polls and on the national stage. Sometimes the best way to get to know someone, Podnar said, is by first knocking on their front door. She’s led canvassing efforts and voter registration drives in support of multiple campaigns.

A service dog opened doors for this senior

For Emma Levick, a dog made all the difference; in this case, a service dog named Zia.

In 2022, just a week before starting classes her first year at Pitt, Levick was paired with a golden retriever-Labrador mix from Canine Companions, a national nonprofit that trains and supplies service dogs at no cost to people with disabilities. Levick, who uses a wheelchair, described getting her first service dog as “life-changing” and the key to living independently from her family.

Dietrich School History Students Visit Monticello for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution

This spring, The Dietrich School's Department of History faculty took 29 students to Monticello, Virginia — Thomas Jefferson's plantation home and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — for an immersive day of engaged learning tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Students enrolled in courses spanning the breadth of the department made the trip, including the Introductory Seminar on the Enlightenment, the Capstone Seminar on Slavery and Abolition in the Atlantic World, the American Revolution History Survey, African American History, and Introduction to Public History.

Picksburgh: The story of how Pittsburgh saved the NFL

When Rob Ruck moved to Pittsburgh in 1960, Pittsburgh was still the Steel City. But not for long. By the late 1970s, the city was struggling to maintain its identity as the mills began shutting down. Steel production and morale were at an all-time low, but during the 1970s, a transformation took place that would redefine Pittsburgh for generations to come.
 

GES worked alongside the Frick Environmental Center to help clean up our parks

The Department of Geology and Environmental Science, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, hosted an impactful volunteer day at the Frick Environmental Center in Frick Park. Participants worked alongside Parks Conservancy staff to manage invasive plants and maintain ecological restoration sites, which directly contribute to the care and stewardship of Pittsburgh’s treasured park system.