Developing Leadership Through Service

CMIST Students in The Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship

What does community-driven social change look like? And how are Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) students learning and contributing beyond campus? Undergraduates in the Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship dedicate two years to exploring such questions through a combination of academic and experiential pursuits. Recognizing the program's appeal to Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST) students, interviews with six participants explored the program's impact, revealing their perspectives on service and engagement.

Before arriving in Pittsburgh, Evans Toviave, a junior studying international relations and political science (IRPS), sought meaningful community connections, and the fellowship fit his aspirations. "I saw it as the perfect opportunity to explore the complexities of community development in a city that was new to me,” Toviave said. “It also felt like a chance to give back to Pittsburgh, a city that had already started to give me so much through Carnegie Mellon.” 

Launched in fall 2022, the program includes five stages of learning. In their first year, fellows take two courses exploring models of community development, social justice and activism, power structures and systems, and ethical considerations of engagement while simultaneously creating connections to Pittsburgh area leaders. Together with an emphasis on cultural humility and social perspective taking, these courses prepare students for a community-based experiential learning internship or research project over the summer. To improve accessibility, the fellowship provides stipends for summer or capstone projects.

The program resonates differently with each student. Rana Fotouhinia, a sophomore studying political science, security and technology, found mapping Pittsburgh neighborhood assets during a community walk to be a favorite experience. For sophomore Israa Belbaita, an IRPS major with an additional major in statistics, applying classroom concepts while connecting with community leaders was a particularly valued aspect.

The culmination of the program is a student-designed capstone project that serves a community external to CMU. Elizabeth Zapanta, a senior IRPS major, is working with VisitPITTSBURGH to expand student economic activity in the East End neighborhoods adjacent to the CMU campus. Her project aims to expand the Burgh101 student discount pass program to include more neighborhood community organizations. Meanwhile, Toviave is working with Youth Enrichment Services (YES) to develop a mentor training curriculum to help expand the organization’s outreach to underserved youth. Fotouhinia, early in her fellowship, is already planning to explore inequities related to voting rights and representation for her capstone. She seeks to bridge online information with real-world experience to increase political engagement in Pittsburgh.

Although student-designed, the capstone project is a collaboration between the fellow and the community partner aimed at making a positive change based on the wants and needs of the community itself. Each student works directly with a community mentor. Chloe Kinnahan, a program manager at Open Field, acts as a mentor for the Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship. She shared that “as a small but growing non-profit, it's invaluable to have the opportunity to work with such a driven, focused, and curious student in a way that benefits both her education, and our organization by providing well-researched feedback and evaluation—all tailored to our needs.” This reciprocal exchange underscores how CMU students are not just learning, but also significantly impacting the greater Pittsburgh community.

Fellows also build meaningful connections with and gain valuable insights from each other. Warisha Khan, an IRPS major with an additional major in environmental sustainability studies, views her cohort as kind of a found family. “Surrounding myself with such passionate individuals that prioritize storytelling and representation was a beautiful way to learn about campus diversity,” she noted. Mary Urso, also an IRPS major, reflected on the impact of her experience thus far, sharing, “My time in the fellowship gives me an intentional space to think about the Pittsburgh community surrounding campus and encourages me to be more aware of the effects and privilege that I as a university student have.”

Fellows consistently report that community engagement enriches their academic understanding. Belbaita added, “Studying international relations, it's really easy to get caught up in bigger issues that seem very far away from us, but in reality, there are issues that are a ten-minute bus ride away that we can work to address.” Zapanta echoed this sentiment, saying, “It is a great foil and complement to my interests in my major and primary area of interest—allowing me to understand the community level as I think about the big picture in other aspects of my studies.”

The fellowship offers students the unique opportunity to go beyond the classroom in pursuit of a passion for leadership and service. As Toviave expressed, “This fellowship has greatly strengthened my connection with the Pittsburgh community, which has made my experience at CMU even more meaningful. Through this experience, I have developed a deeper understanding of the human impact behind complex political issues, allowing me to create more holistic solutions that genuinely benefit the communities we aim to serve.” The experiences of students in the Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship illustrate their commitment to applying academic learning to promote ethical social change in the broader community.

For more information about the Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship, please reach out to Kimberly Piatt, director of experiential learning, with any questions. She can be reached via email or by scheduling a meeting.

(Image 1, CMIST's Evans Toviave speaking with other fellows at a Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship event; Image 2, CMIST's Elizabeth Zapanta at a Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship event; Image 3, CMIST's Warisha Khan with fellow Eric Moreno at a Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship event; Image 4, Evans Toviave and Elizabeth Zapanta in a Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship course, Image 5, Image of a volunteer engagement from Warisha Khan's service project; Image 6, Fellows participating in a Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship course)