The Polar Opposite Project, also known as POP, is a student-led organization that connects high schoolers (or students aged 13-18) around the world who have different beliefs, backgrounds, and identities so that they can have open-minded, respectful conversations. By participating in POP, students will get a chance to share their views, hear the perspectives of […]

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  1. The Polar Opposite Project

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    The Polar Opposite Project, also known as POP, is a student-led organization that connects high schoolers (or students aged 13-18) around the world who have different beliefs, backgrounds, and identities so that they can have open-minded, respectful conversations. By participating in POP, students will get a chance to share their views, hear the perspectives of others, and learn easily outside of the classroom, making them more cooperative, empathetic, and informed about global issues. POP aims to inspire teenagers to use their voices and work with other students from around the world to solve complex, worldwide problems.

    Any teenager who wants to participate in POP just has to fill out a short form that asks questions about their viewpoints and background, and they are matched with a group of three other “polar opposite” teenagers with whom they have very little in common. They are then free to message each other and start talking about whatever sparks their interest, from their personal beliefs to current events and everything in between.

    Already, POP is becoming a global phenomenon. POP has gained almost 200 participants from five continents and several different countries in just a few weeks, and there are no signs of that growth slowing anytime soon. And expansion beyond just discussion groups is coming in the near future; speaking events, larger discussion forums, and student-led projects fostering social change in their own communities are on the horizon. Anything is possible when POP has a powerful, important cause and passionate participants.

  2. RealTime Interventions

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    RealTime Interventions creates theatrical events and public experiences that depend upon the immediate nature of real time: events that come to life when people come together. We seek to generate human connection, curiosity and wonder, and to help audiences re-see their surroundings in new and unexpected ways. RealTime creates narrative art in conversation with a broad range of collaborators, from theater artists to scientists to rock bands to social workers to our neighbors down the street. We create vibrant “companies” with every new project, peopled by individuals from diverse walks of life and realms of experience who are bound by their stake in the story we are telling together.

  3. Kyle Gracey

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    Interdisciplinary researcher, communicator and manager, with a history of entrepreneurship. I have held positions in multiple parts of the U.S. government (including White House), nonprofits (policy analysis, management, fundraising, campaigning) and private companies (management, consulting, sales, technical analysis). My work broadly focuses on international and domestic sustainability, including climate change, energy, policy and technology. I am experienced in quantitative analysis, project and personnel management and working with senior corporate, U.S. government and United Nations officials. I have a strong set of technology skills and learn foreign & computer languages quickly. I am a seasoned communicator, with experience in speechwriting, media relations, copyediting, public speaking and public writing. I have substantial volunteer experience on nonprofit boards of directors and political campaigns.

    I seek challenging opportunities in companies, nonprofits, government and politics to help create a more just and sustainable world.

  4. Emma Schutzius

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    Hello! I am a recent graduate of Bryn Mawr College where I majored in International Relations and minored in both Film/Media and Sociology. My focus is on global engagement, advocacy, and women's issues. I also have a passion for media creation, and enjoy looking for ways to incorporate those skills into other projects. I believe film is an integral and accessible platform for project exposure, issue education, and empathy-building, all dire needs within both international affairs and the non-profit sector. I'm currently working at the Global Switchboard non-profit in Pittsburgh as a fellow with PULSE.

  5. Jessica Pickett

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    Jessica Pickett is the co-founder of Tomorrow Global, a boutique advisory firm dedicated to reducing health disparities worldwide. She brings fifteen years of experience bridging research and policy, including previous roles with the University of Pittsburgh, the Indian School of Business, and the Center for Global Development. Jessica holds a PhD in managerial science and applied economics from the University of Pennsylvania, where she explored the impact of uncertainty on household demand for primary care.

  6. Odeese M. Ghassa-Khalil

    Odeese M. Ghassa-Khalil

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    A passionate educator, a proud mother of two young men, a legal guardian to a beautiful young lady, and an aunt to almost 35 nieces and nephews, Odeese’s main goal in life is to inspire others, especially women, of all ages and all walks of life. After her arrival in the United States as a young adult, and while assimilating into the new society and tackling the responsibilities of a growing young family, Odeese earned an Associate degree in Civil Engineering Technology from the Community College of Allegheny County, a Bachelor’s Degree in Technology Education and a master’s degree in Education from California University of Pennsylvania graduating with highest honors. She also obtained two K-12, Pennsylvania teaching certificates in Technology Education and Arabic. Believing in her motto: “Different Can Also Be Very Beautiful,” Odeese strives to pay back to society through leading by example. Her excellent academic performance and outstanding service activities to students and professional communities helped her embark on a successful career as a faculty member at both of her alma maters, CCAC and Cal U, among other higher education institutions. She taught courses in engineering and Arabic language and culture, both in the traditional classroom and online. She also served as the academic program coordinator for the B.A. in Arabic program at California University of Pennsylvanian. While leading the development of the program, she also served as a point of contact, advised students, served on university-wide committees, and provided service to the Cal U community. A lifelong learner, Odeese is currently in the process of completing her Doctoral studies in Instructional Technology and Leadership at Duquesne University, while running her small business, Cross-Cultural, Career and Language Training, (C3LT) LLC, with a mission to promote cultural competency by offering tailored professional development solutions, language services, and cross-cultural training and workshops to diverse industries.

  7. Samir Lakhani

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    Eco-Soap Bank knows how to recycle soap. That’s about it, really. But maybe also social entrepreneurship, CSR advocacy, global health, working with governments of developing countries, international shipping and logistics, post-consumer waste stream recycling, large-scale hygiene campaigns, practical international development and principles, NGO management, and boring international NGO registration stuff. Yuck!

    While families in the developing world still suffer from hygiene-related diseases, globally it’s estimated that hotels discard 5 million bars of guest soap every single day.

    Globally, it’s estimated that 2 million children die every year due to hygiene-related diseases like diarrhea. Meanwhile, hotels discard over 5 million bars of gently-used guest soap every single day.

    Enter Eco-Soap Bank — a global soap recycling organization employing disadvantaged women in 11 developing countries to collect leftover hotel soap, recycle it, and redistribute it to people in need.

    This initiative makes powerful health, economic, and environmental impacts. We’ve provided soap and hygiene education to over 1,300,000 people. We’ve created green jobs for 147 women. We’ve rescued millions of hotel soap bars from being trucked to landfills. And they’re just getting started.

  8. Abby Wilson

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    Abby uses design practice to change how we all work & to help women lead. She’s been a senior member of LUMA Institute’s instructor community since 2011. She most recently served as Dr. Karen Hacker’s Deputy Director for Policy at the Allegheny County Health Department, where she spearheaded design-led policy & civic engagement efforts on healthcare access, substance use, vaccination & lead exposure.

    In 2014, Abby completed her term as founding director of the federal government’s first design-led innovation lab. She partnered with The White House, USDA, FDA, VA & many other federal agencies to develop more people-friendly policies & services.

    Trained as a cultural anthropologist & international lawyer, Abby has lived, worked and studied in Africa & Europe, observing the power of people & organizations to solve even the most complex problems. She has contributed research to international tribunals, built a policy network across the Rust Belt & conducted health fieldwork in rural South Africa. She is a practitioner of deliberative democracy & used this approach to guide discourse on issues including climate change, natural gas drilling & municipal consolidation.
 She was a Press Secretary at the New York City Council, where she developed expertise in education, housing & health policy. She supported the drafting of numerous pieces of legislation.

    Abby holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University, an LL.M. in Public International Law from Universiteit Utrecht & a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a professionally trained alto & seasoned theatrical improviser.

  9. Dr. Jennifer Petrie/ David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership / Women and Ethical Leadership Development in Ghana

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    Jennifer Petrie is Assistant Director and Adjunct Faculty at the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership at the College of Business of Administration.  She was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Center for the past two years and received her Ed.D. from Ohio University in 2015.  At the University of Pittsburgh, she researches global competency, leadership, ethics education and African development policy.  In Ghana, Jennifer’s current project focuses on understanding challenges and opportunities for ethical women business leaders.  Jennifer also performs dance as a member of Azaguno, a multicultural African performing arts ensemble, for the past eight years.

  10. Elena Facchini

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    Elena has just returned to Pittsburgh, her hometown, after many years working abroad in Africa and Europe, mostly in public health, international development, sustainability, education, and social enterprise. She enjoys exploring cultures and languages, sharing ideas and knowledge, and is passionate about the potential of collaboration across borders, sectors, cultures (and other barriers, real or imagined) to bring about an improved quality of life and healthier, happier, more prosperous people and planet.

    She is currently consulting remotely part-time and volunteering, but is seeking her next challenge here in Pittsburgh. In her spare time, she is enjoying being back with family and old friends, and tries to hike, read, see movies and live music, workout, try new restaurants and recipes, and practice her photography skills as often as possible.

    Please contact me via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-facchini-8841266/

    Summary of Skills and Background: Partnerships, Business Development, Public Health, Non-profits, Capacity Building, Grant-Making, Social Enterprises, People-centered Management, Sustainable/Inclusive Business Practices, Adaptable, Agile problem solving in diverse and challenging environments

    Education: Master of Public Health (MPH) – Health Promotion, Post-Graduate Diploma (PGDip) – Global Business, Bachelor of Science (BS) – Pyschology/Sociology.

    Languages: English, German, Italian, French; Basic Spanish and Swahili.

  11. Elisabeth Udyawar

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    Elisabeth is well versed in answering why she loves Pittsburgh. That is because as a SoCal native, it’s the first question always asked of her when meeting someone new: “Why are you here??” She holds an MA from George Washington University and a BA from University of California, Riverside in English Literature with a specialization in Postcolonial Literature from South Asia. After graduating from GWU, she moved to Pittsburgh due to two important factors: 1) its high volume of universities and nonprofits per capita and 2) it was where her heart already resided with her husband.

    Her six plus years of residence in Pittsburgh has been spent working for Carnegie Mellon University in various roles in the College of Engineering. Throughout her tenure at CMU, she has focused on aiding professors with administrative support for their innovative research in climate and manufacturing at both the local and global levels. Her professional skills include: project management, grants administration, event planning, Oracle systems, MailChimp, and html coding. In 2018, she also took the opportunity to use her academic training to begin teaching Comp 101 at Allegheny Community College and has specifically designed her syllabi to focus on women authors with 70% of her works represented by minority authors as well. In her creative pursuits, Elisabeth has begun a series of personal essays related to her journey through sobriety and hopes to start a project highlighting the stories of women’s everyday #resistance through the ages.

    Through The Global Switchboard, Elisabeth hopes to find new volunteer opportunities and to connect others with her vast academic network.

  12. Immigrants & Internationals Initiative

    Allegheny County Department of Human Services Immigrants and Internationals Initiative

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    The Immigrants and Internationals Initiative works to further the Allegheny County Department of Human Service’s mission of creating an accessible, culturally competent, integrated and comprehensive human services system for all residents of Allegheny County. It does this by efforts to meet the unique needs of immigrants and internationals living in Allegheny County through a combination of capacity building, research, information exchange, and community-empowerment activities.

    Our Advisory Council is the heart of the Immigrants and Internationals Initiative, actively participating with DHS in efforts to create accessible and culturally appropriate human services, and advance access for immigrants in healthcare systems, education, employment, public safety and others.  Members include immigrant community leaders, immigrant and refugee serving organizations working collaboratively.

     

     

  13. Jennifer Novelli

    Jennifer Novelli

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    Jennifer is the Development Manager at Global Links, a Pittsburgh based medical relief and development organization, where she leads the fundraising and communication team. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of Building New Hope from January of 2015- 2019. In January 2019, Jennifer returned to Global Links where she had previously worked for ten years. Jennifer also previously worked in the field of international education for over six years at the University of Pittsburgh Study Abroad Office.

    Jennifer received her Master of Public and International Affairs in International Development with a focus in environmental sustainability in 2003 from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA).  

    She also holds a B.A. from Juniata College in Anthropology and International Studies. Jennifer received a Fulbright Scholarship to Germany in 1995/1996; and studied alongside German students at Phillips-Universität Marburg, Germany in 1993/1994 during her junior year.

  14. La Roche University Office of International Admissions

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    A private, Catholic, co-educational university north of Pittsburgh founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence, La Roche welcomes students of all religions, ethnic origins and talents.

    The international engagement of La Roche University is based on a mission statement that clearly articulates a strong global commitment and dedication to peace and justice. With these values at the core of who we are, we continue to seek and implement new and innovative strategies that are rooted in that mission.

    International Admissions

    International Outreach

    English As A Second Language

     

  15. Athena Study Abroad

    Athena Study Abroad

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    Athena Study Abroad puts a personalized and customized focus on study abroad. They are a boutique partner, helping students from the U.S. study abroad. Athena was created to work with and help universities achieve their goals across the spectrum of study abroad – from customized programming to short term offerings to semester and year long personalized immersive programs – they have worked diligently to answer the needs of their partners. With over 50 years experience in international education, their US team (as well as their overseas team) support and guide their partners through all the stages of the process. They know that each university has unique needs and they aim to determine which Athena programs are the best fit for each institution’s student body.

  16. Repair the World

    Repair the World Pittsburgh

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    Repair the World works to inspire American Jews and their communities to give their time and effort to serve those in need. We aim to make service a defining part of American Jewish life.

    Our work focuses on mobilizing Jews of all ages and backgrounds to serve with integrity and authenticity, ensuring that we leave the world a better place. We work with existing and emerging organizations — Jewish and secular — and with American Jews — engaged in the community and not — to develop high-quality service opportunities and build an inspired Jewish community engaged in service.

    We’re focused not just on bringing more people into service, but also on making the service more meaningful with long-lasting results. By providing more — and better — opportunities to serve, we aim to unite American Jews in this shared value.

  17. photo of Laurel S. Murray

    Laurel S. Murray

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    Laurel Murray is currently working towards a dual B.S.B.A degrees in Accounting and Finance, along with a minor in Data Analytics. She spent her summer 2017 working as an intern in Berlin, Germany for a start-up business intelligence and acceleration company, and also traveled to various countries during her summer abroad. She is looking forward to studying in London for her Spring 2018 semester, as well as backpacking Southeast Asia upon completion of her semester in London.

    Laurel’s passion is economic development and giving back to her community, which she feels accounting and finance will enable her to pursue in her future. Upon graduation in May 2019, she hopes pass her CPA and enter into an economic development project in the Peace Corps and pursue a master’s degree in Urban and Economic Development.

  18. photo of Lois Larson Johnson

    Lois Larson Johnson

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    Lois Johnson has designed and implemented educational programs for institutions of higher education, designed and developed two private schools, and spearheaded new initiatives for organizations. She is interested in and conducts research in international education and works to improve curriculum strategies for international education and faculty for international programs. Infusing curriculum with globalization and inspiring faculty and students to catch a global vision are her passions.

  19. photo of anupama jain

    anupama (anu) jain

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    anupama (anu) jain, PhD, is Principal Consultant for Inclusant diversity and inclusion consulting and the inaugural Executive Director for the Gender Equity Commission of the City of Pittsburgh. She spent more than a decade in higher education conducting original research, teaching varied topics, and supporting diversity initiatives. More recently, anu has focused on collaborative community organizing and public humanities initiatives in Pittsburgh, partnering with diverse local groups and designing original programming. All her work is informed by a passionate commitment to understanding structural barriers to equity, facilitating community partnerships, encouraging experiential learning, and practicing inclusion as an ongoing ethical project.

  20. Switchboard Stories

    Switchboard Stories

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    The Switchboard Stories project is a series produced by Amizade that profiles members of the Global Switchboard and other organizations and initiatives from across the global engagement landscape.

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