“I’m learning that I am a better leader than I’d anticipated; I don’t have to have all the answers, and I can be a conduit for others’ thoughts and ideas to affect positive change.” -Kit Stookey
A graduate of St. Olaf College, Kit Stookey majored in English and Women’s and Gender Studies. They were heavily involved in community service at St Olaf’s, including their work as an inclusivity advocate, where they planned programming focused on intersectionality for Residential Life. They were also an Editor for the Manitou Messenger and a Public Relations Officer for Sigma Tau Delta. Prior to PULSE, they served as a Communications intern with Life Source, a Publications and Magazine intern for the Human Rights Campaign, and a Web Design intern with Chadds Ford Township. Kit’s hobbies include acting, writing, recording podcasts, and running. They are a part of the East End cohort, and is serving at Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank.
Kaitlyn Roth: What has been the most valuable part of the PULSE experience so far?
Kit Stookey: I like having the opportunity to explore different interests, not only through my nonprofit but through my role in Leadership Committee, as a member of book club, attending different events and exploring the city.
Kaitlyn: How has PULSE inspired you to live/think/act differently?
Kit: I am more mindful of the choices that I make and how they affect the people immediately around me and those I live with. I am thinking more about gentrification and my role in lessening its negative impacts.
Kaitlyn: Tell me something you are learning about yourself through PULSE.
Kit: I’m learning that I am a better leader than I’d anticipated; I don’t have to have all the answers, and I can be a conduit for others’ thoughts and ideas to affect positive change.
Kaitlyn: What do you enjoy most about your nonprofit partnership?
Kit: It surprises me, but I enjoy the lab work a lot – we work together to accomplish a common goal and it is satisfying to see the outcome each day.
Kaitlyn: What have you enjoyed most about living in community?
Kit: I love our potluck dinners!
Kaitlyn: Describe a typical day at your nonprofit partnership.
Kit: I go to the office, check my email and then head back to the lab to homogenize and pasteurize milk. That takes me until about lunch. After that, I help log in milk or send out certificates to retired donors or work on personal projects, like a podcast on milk donation. It all depends on the needs of the day. At a nonprofit as small as mine, everyone does a little bit of everything.
Kaitlyn: What surprised you most about Pittsburgh?
Kit: I was surprised by how entrenched the neighborhood identities are.
Kaitlyn: What is the most interesting/fun adventure you’ve had in Pittsburgh so far?
Kit: One Saturday, I woke up early and attended the Rad Day (free attendance) events at the Carnegie Art and Science Museums and the Andy Warhol Museum.
Story by PULSE Fellow Kaitlyn Roth.
Read more Fellow Stories about their experience in PULSE. If you would like to learn more about the PULSE program, please visit our Serve with Us page.
Also, check out other Stories of Transformation: