By Alicia Welsh

Why I joined Power of 32 and what I’ve learned. 

I became involved in Power of 32 a short five months ago in January during my second semester of graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh. When looking for an internship, I knew I wanted to work for an organization whose mission sought to make Pittsburgh a better place. Instead, I found an organization whose mission is to not only improve Pittsburgh but also the region that surrounds it. During my time at Power of 32, I’ve learned many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about because such things are not taught in school.

1) People from this region--whether in urban Pittsburgh, or rural Monroe County--want some version of change to come to the region.

2) Broadband internet is not available in many rural parts of our region. Living in Pittsburgh, I never thought that availability to broadband internet was something people in this region did not have access to. There are many rural parts of Greene, Somerset, Bedford and other counties where people still have to use dial-up internet.

3) There are not many north-south roads, especially highways to connect the southern part of our region to its northern counterpart. Just by the geographic location of its major cities, Pennsylvania has turned into an east-west centric state and as a result there is a lack of north-south freeways.

4) Politicians, business leaders, non-profit agencies, government officials and ordinary citizens see the importance of the Power of 32 project and understand the importance collaboration plays in creating a thriving region by 2025.