We just kicked off another great summer of City Semester Pittsburgh — with six Penn State students living in Pittsburgh and learning about sustainability. This semester, we have students from the Colleges of Earth and Mineral Science, Liberal Arts, Arts and Architecture, and Agricultural Sciences, as well as the Smeal College of Business and Eberly College of Science. They meet each week at the Penn State Center Pittsburgh for a course on urban sustainability, and then spend the rest of the week interning with a local community partner. Let’s check in with one of the students!
Name: Hannah Kadrie
College: Arts and Architecture
Major: Architecture
Minor: Sustainability Leadership
Expected Graduation: 2025
City Semester Internship: Riverlife
What are your general responsibilities at your internship?
I am the projects intern. I work with the design team to collect information from the community as to what they would like to see in Pittsburgh’s public parks, but specifically the ones that are on the 15-mile trail that circles the three rivers of Pittsburgh.
What does your day-to-day look like?
Attending meetings and events that engage with the community of Pittsburgh. We work with all ages to really get an idea of what the people would like to see in their city. I interact a lot with people from around Pittsburgh and share what Riverlife does and try to get them involved in our designs.
What has been your favorite part of the program?
The most interesting part so far has been using the data we collect to get an idea of what are the most popular needs and wants of the people. I also enjoyed when landscape architects from dwg came to visit. They were very passionate about our project and were really inspiring to talk to.
What were your first impressions of Pittsburgh?
I am from Pittsburgh, so I have always loved the city. But through this program, I can see more sides to Pittsburgh than I saw growing up. It is making me fall in love with the city and what it has to offer all over again.
What’s your favorite sustainability hack?
My favorite sustainability hack is keeping your personal life simple and re-using whatever you can. You do not need every new thing at the store. Be creative with what you already have!