Please answer the following questions:
Who are you? (full identifying information, including your name, your age, your year/standing in school, your major)
What are you doing in this class?
Where are you from?
When did you arrive at Pitt Greensburg?
Why did you choose Pitt-Greensburg and your major?
How did you decide college was important?
Then add one surprising (fun) fact about yourself -- something you'd think others would be interested to know. Be specific.
Now, write three paragraphs. The first paragraph should include the who, the what, the where, the when. The second paragraph should include the why and the how. The third paragraph should include the surprising fact. Pay attention to precision. Spelling and grammar count. Use short sentences and active voice.
Post your introduction to the blog in the comments section below.
Nia Madeline Baton-Stawson is in her final year of studies at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. At 21 she is hoping to graduate with a major in English Literature and her minor in Writing. ENGWRT 0550 is her next step towards that goal. Coming from Pittsburgh every day is not ideal for her however, to make it to campus at ten. When asked about her decision to attend this faraway campus “the decision to attend this purgatory was not my own. I was sentenced to my time here after having just a little too much fun in high school.”
ReplyDeleteAs the third generation to attend the Pitt family of schools there was no option not to attend. Luckily her major is far more of a comfort to her. She laughs stating “as a severely dyslexic human the comfort that I find in books and printed text is well a comfort. There is safety within reading what others have written. The challenge for me is to become more comfortable with what I am writing. I like to keep my panic attacks due to writing to no more than one per class.”
When asked if she had any advice for new students she replied “don’t throw sticks at people. You will poke their eye out. If it wasn’t for the only ophthalmological surgeon south of Morocco in South Africa I would have more than scars to show for it.”
My name is Alayssa May Sarnovsky, I am a 23 year old English Writing and Anthropology major at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (U.P.G). I have no idea what year I am since I have changed my major entirely too many times. I am taking this class to fulfill the requirement for my English Writing major, and because I am interested in possibly pursuing a career in journalism. Originally from Latrobe, I recently moved to the middle of the woods in Ligonier, PA. I began studying at U.P.G during the spring semester of 2010.
ReplyDeleteI chose U.P.G primarily because the campus is not a far commute from my house. Positive feedback from several family members who also attended the school served to influence my choice as well. Choosing my major has not been an easy task, and after pursuing multiple paths, I decided a career in writing and anthropology was my best bet. English and writing have always been strengths of mine, and I have a passion for learning about foreign cultures. Hopefully I can combine these two fields, and someday work for National Geographic or a similar publication. The longer I am in school, the more I realize the importance of recieving a well-rounded education. Education not only helps ensure placement in the workforce, but also strengthens the mind, and opens doors of empathy and compassion that are often left closed by ignorance.
People may be surprised to know that I have been riding horses for over 13 years, and am training my current horse to compete in jumping. I bought him off the racetrack, and have trained him myself. I am a huge animal lover, and much of my free time is devoted to him, as well as my other pets. Between the two of us, my boyfriend and I, with whom I live, have four dogs, a cat, and a rabbit, all of which are rescues. I drove three hours to rescue my coonhound, Merle, the day he was to be gassed at the pound. Our pets are like our children, and are spoiled rotten.
My name is Kiera Mudry, I am 19 years old and a sophomore majoring in Communications. I am in this class because journalism is an interest of mine, I wrote for my high school newspaper for two years. I grew up in Somerset, Pennsylvania. I arrived at Pitt-Greensburg on Sunday, August 28, 2011, as a transfer student from Duquense University. I spent my freshman year enrolled in the Business School at Duquesne, but decided to transfer to Pitt-Greensburg after switching majors.
ReplyDeleteI chose Pitt-Greensburg because I knew it was a small campus within a good community. It also has a good program in Communications. Communications seemed a better fit for my personality, I enjoy all aspects of it and have never had a problem talking to people. I decided in high school that college was important because I wished to gain further experience in a specific area that I may one day have a career in.
Most are surprised to know that I am a planning on completing college with a Communications degree, but will be going back for a masters at Pitt main in Library Science. I hope to one day work as a librarian in a university library, I would love nothing more than to be surrounded by books for a career.
My name is Kayla Strutt. I am 23 years young, ha. I am the youngest of three girls and taking the longest to finish college. At this point in my college career we can say that I am a junior. I am originally from Pittsburgh, born and raised, but I currently live in Cranberry Township with my mother. I came to Pitt-Greensburg in the fall of 2006 as a freshman, left for a few years and now have returned to finish what I started. I do not know what I am doing in this class; I am not particularly a writer, but willing to learn. I had originally chosen Pitt-Greensburg, (back in 2006) for immature, I am 18 and need to be near my boyfriend who I think I am going to marry reasons. That is no longer the case. I chose English Writing as a major because I enjoy structured sentences and reading. My father finished college late in life and he always said how important it was that I get a degree earlier than he did. This has made a lasting impression on me. Also, because working in retail and at an hourly rate is the worst. I have been told that I look like an unapproachable bitch; I’m quite the opposite, actually. Unless you butcher the English language, hurt my dog/mother/family, etc., then I am a bitch. On a more positive note I am a vegetarian and I like it, a lot.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kyle Holland, twenty-two, and I am an English Writing major in
ReplyDeletemy junior year. I began attending UPG in Fall 2009. I am taking this
class because it is directly related to my major and interests.
I chose Pitt-Greensburg so I would be able to transfer to the University
of Pittsburgh Oakland campus, and I hope to eventually write for a
magazine or newspaper, which is why I chose this major. I decided college
was important when I realized I would not be able to pursue this career
without an education.
A surprising fact about myself is that I went to Toronto, Canada over the
summer for the OVOXO concert featuring Drake, among other artists, and was
almost not allowed across the border due to certain legal troubles that I
had been told were expunged from my record.
My name is Kathryn Baker and I am a 19-year-old sophomore Archaeology major here at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Originally, I was a communications major that stemmed from two years of work with one of my high school’s publications, Serendipity. My original intent was going to leave me with an anthropology minor, but that has since changed and my new minor has brought me to this class to start fu-filling its requirements. I graduated from Greater Latrobe Senior High School in 2010 and I have always lived about two-and-a-half miles from this campus. Pitt-Greensburg has been my college since last August when I started my freshman year here.
ReplyDeleteWhen I chose Pitt-Greensburg, it was due to the relatively new journalism program and the convenience of its location. The idea of going to college has been stuck in my head for years. As I started to look at possible careers in high school, I began to realize what paths I needed to take in order to have the career that I desired.
During summer orientation last July, I realized that I archaeology was my calling. Currently, I have a little over four years worth of archaeological field work under my belt since both of my parents are archaeologists and they just happen to be self-employed. This past spring is when I realized that I missed writing articles for a publication and decided to get started on an English Writing minor, for now. I may intend to declare a double major at a later date, which has been a huge debate for me over the summer.
I am Allie Pliskaner, a 20 year old English writing major in my junior year. I am in this class to explore and learn journalism for UPG requirements of course, yet mainly out of my own interests as well. Although Pittsburgh is my home, I started commuting to Greensburg in the fall of 2009 to study.
ReplyDeleteI want my career after college to never feel like work and since I love to write, heading into this field and becoming an English writing major was the right choice for me. The Greensburg campus’s natural feeling, which other city-located campuses lack, is what also sold me when choosing which Pitt campus to attend. College in general is important to me because it is mandatory in order for me to achieve all that I want and will achieve.
Something more is that I have always loved acting and the whole theatre experience itself. Thus, I also took up a theatre minor at UPG. Whether it is writing the script, playing a character, directing, or even building the set, I like the theatre and hope to do more with it in the future. For now; however, I am concentrating on my writing.
My name is Rachel Elizabeth Mende. I'm a 20 year-old second semester sophomore at Pitt Greensburg, majoring in Communications. I arrived here last year after transferring from Ohio University, and plan to transfer to Oakland next year.I've joined this class because I've
ReplyDeletealways had an interest in journalism. During high school, I did a job
shadow with a journalist at the Sewickley Herald, which is the local
newspaper where I'm from. I really enojoyed the experience and
immediately considered journalism as a possible career.
I chose Pitt-Greensburg because I plan to transfer to Oakland and I
want to stay in the area that i grew up in. I chose communications as
my major because I love to write and I'm very good at communicating
my point through writing. I've always known that college was an
important part of life. Without it, I wouldn't be able to land a
successful job or support myself.
I have a family full of comedians. One surprising fact about myself
is that my two older brothers, my father, and myself were all voted
class clown in high school.
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ReplyDeleteMy name is Matthew Kochasic and I am 19 years old. I am a sophomore and I am a communications major. I took this class because I am looking to minor in English Writing and would like to see if a career in journalism would interest me. I grew up in Harrison City about 20 minutes from Pitt Greensburg. I arrived at Pitt Greensburg the fall semester of 2010.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for me deciding to attend Pitt Greensburg was for many reasons. I grew up close by so it allows me to commute and stay local. Pitt Greensburg also gave me the opportunity to play baseball while in college. I decided to come to Pitt Greensburg mostly for the diploma from the University of Pittsburgh. My parents both went to college and instilled that school would be my first priority. My parents taught me that schooling and college was important and to take it seriously.
A surprising fun fact about me would be that I have worked at Sam’s Club in Greensburg in the produce department for almost a year. I got the job so that I could work with my brother who this past year went to Iowa to get his masters in meteorology from Iowa State University.
My name is Ashley Catone, and I'm a nineteen year old sophomore at Pitt-Greensburg. Although I started out as a biology major, I decided
ReplyDeleteto follow what I've always loved to do and become an English writing major
instead. Intro to Journalism is my second introductory class that I've
taken. In high school, I wrote and help with graphical design for the school newspaper and yearbook. I live in a really tiny town called Manor, near Penn Trafford. I
started at UPG fall 2010 as a commuter.
Picking a college was an easy task for me. Different schools offered me
different things, but UPG always stuck out to me. I don't live too far
away, so I was happy to be able to stay at home but still go to a great
school. It did help that my dad loves Pitt as well. My family supported
every choice I made when it came to education. My sister will be graduating as a graduate student in fisheries biology this fall from Penn State. She is my biggest influence in every aspect in life. With her constant push
for learning and excelling, I knew that I had no choice but to further my education. Luckily, UPG seemed like the perfect fit to do just that.
This summer, I spent most of my time chasing after my family's new
maltipoo puppy. She's a tiny little ball of white fur named Maisie. With a
Great Dane and tabby cat also in the house, it has been quite a circus.
Maisie rarely listens to anyone, enjoys pulling the unripe tomatoes off my
mom's plants, trying to catch the cat's tail, and watching Animal Planet.
It's a full-time job chasing after her, but she hasn't driven me too crazy
(yet).
My name is Cherie McAlexander, and I'm 19 year-old sophomore majoring in Communications. I arrived to Pitt-Greensburg last fall, and was born and raised in the heart of Pittsburgh. I chose this class to help me get a better understanding of my future. I've enjoyed writing a lot since high school, but I'm not really sure if it's really right for me. I'm hoping this course broadens my horizons and straightens out my career path.
ReplyDeleteI chose Pitt-Greensburg for three simple reasons: I didn't want to live at home, I didn't want a big campus and I didn't want to be too far. Sometimes I regret that decision because there's nothing to do here after seven at night, but in all reality my time here has been good. I chose to be a Communications major mainly because my adviser was pushing declaration on me. I was always between a few ideas, but was never able to really decide on one thing to do for the rest of my life. I chose Communications because I feel like it takes all my interests into consideration and gives me a lot of options and opportunities. However, I'm still taking basic courses to help me decide if it's the best decision for me. A post-secondary plan was very important to my high school, and I decided that college was going to be the best decision in the long run, even if I was miserable.
An interesting story about me is that I completed a service-learning trip to Costa Rica with my high school in April of 2010. We did a lot of volunteer work in the city and rain forest, and even interviewed local politicians. It was hands-down the best experience of my life, even though I faced major culture shock when we were expected to eat rice and beans with every meal.
My name is Colin Gabauer, I am nineteen years old and I am a sophomore
ReplyDeletestudying English. I am in this journalism for a few reasons. One is that
I had a journalism class I high school that really got me interested in
writing, and the second would be Hunter S. Thompson. I was a big fan of
the books I have read by him, especially The Rum Diary, and they kind of
inspired me to want to take journalism a little further. I am from the
McKeesport area and I came to Pitt Greensburg last year.
I chose Pitt Greensburg simply because I did not get accepted into the
main campus. I always wanted to go to Pitt so I figured I would just
transfer down to the main campus when I was able. The reason I chose
English as my major is mainly because of the English teachers I had in
high school. I was originally going to school to become an English
teacher but then decided that I was not excited about teaching high
school students. Since I like English, I figured I would still take on an
English degree but use it to do something that interests me more. I
decided college was important to me in early high school. I never liked
any of the trades like electrician or plumbing etc. I knew that without a
degree in something, I would not get a decent job and make enough money.
College was then my only option.
An interesting fact about me is that I play a lot of music. I have been
playing guitar for about seven years and a more interesting detail about
that is that I taught myself. I never went to one guitar lesson. I also
played the saxophone a few years ago and I am currently trying to teach
myself how to play piano. Most of the things that I do are musically
influenced.
My name is Amanda Morrison. I am 20 years old and a junior communications major at UPG. I am a Greensburg native, and I arrived at Pitt Greensburg in the winter of 2010 after completing a semester at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I am here because I love writing and I want to learn a new style.
ReplyDeleteI chose Pitt Greensburg for two simple reasons—it was close and cheap. My major because I couldn’t decide on anything else. I’m lucky because I’ve come to love them both. Before I started college, I thought school was important purely to find a good job and make more money. Now I believe that having a solid education is essential to open students’ eyes to a world that they would otherwise be blind to.
I am probably one of the few college students that can honestly say that they love their job—and I have a t-shirt to prove it. I spend my nights and weekends serving “hearty hand-cut steaks” and “fall-off-the-bone-ribs” at Texas Roadhouse in Greensburg. I work with amazing people who make waiting tables, singing embarrassing birthday songs at least 7 times per shift, and line dancing every hour on the dot, enjoyable.
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ReplyDeleteI am Jennifer Geiger and I am a junior at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg. I am majoring in English writing with a minor in sociology. I am 20 years old. I grew up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and moved away from home in June. I now live in North Huntington. Not much of a change, I know. I transferred to Pitt this fall from Westmoreland County Community College, where I was taking general courses. I am enrolled in this course because it is a requirement for my major. I am also very interested in learning about the techniques of journalistic writing.
ReplyDeleteI chose to transfer to Pitt of Greensburg because it is so close to home for me. I've always been interested in the University of Pittsburgh, but this seemed like a better fit for me than main campus. I like the small class size. This way I don't feel like just a number. The reason I chose English writing is because I finally had to settle on something after changing my major 6 times. Writing is something I truely enjoy doing and I feel like it is a way for me to truly express myself. My sociology minor will aide me in persuing my interest in fashion journalism. College is an important step toward my career and it has always been important to my family, so I am very excited to be attending Pitt.
Something interesting about myself is that I am totally and completely obsessed with New York City. I have spent every summer there since my junior year of high school. I plan to move there as soon as I graduate and look for a job in the magazine industry. Hopefully I will be living right in Manhattan. I know I'm a dreamer but who says I can't be?