Q: How did you find out about this premiere leadership program?
A: “When I volunteered for Student Alumni Association I often worked registration for events like the Wine and Cheese tasting during Homecoming and Family Weekend,” says Kaleigh, who volunteers for the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh. “Later, I decided to participate in the event. When I was there, I talked with Sean F. Mann ’16, who worked in the PULSE program and had a lot of good things to say about it! All three of us heard of the program through Sean.”
Q: What do you find most beneficial about participating in the PULSE program?
A: “It’s so easy to network in the program, specifically with former ‘pulsers,’” says Dan, who volunteers for the Hill Community Development Corporation. “It seems as though the city is filled with former participants. PULSE arranges for them to be at our weekly information seminars. Sometimes, the nonprofit partners even encourage you to engage with former members. For instance, I was doing research for a neighborhood grant, and part of an assignment required me to contact another nonprofit partner, which had a former PULSE participant on its board of directors. This person helped me a lot with my grant project and became a familiar contact.”
Q: What about PULSE stands out to you most?
A: “I absolutely love the service component, but what makes PULSE so unique is the intentional community it creates,” says Heather, who volunteers for the Pennsylvania Organization for Women in Early Recovery. “Figuring out life after graduation is scary. I moved to Pittsburgh, a big city where I don’t know anyone, but it feels like home to me because I live with seven other people who are also in PULSE. We cook, clean, and figure out life together. It’s such a supportive community.”
