I’ve discovered that I like being in situations where I have a responsibility to get to know people and can contribute to making them feel comfortable and valued where they are. In my placement at Green Building Alliance – and, occasionally, when I’m involved in PULSE recruitment activities – I enjoy opportunities to make those personal connections.
Brendan Erb has spent many years working to get to know the people around him. A native to Harrisonburg, Virginia, (born in Ontario) Brendan graduated from Eastern Mennonite University, where he received a degree in English and a license in Secondary Education. Brendan has spent his summers working as a camp counselor at Camp Hebron along with other opportunities to impact people around him. One way that Brendan can impact the city he now lives in is by partnering with the Green Building Alliance where Brendan is serving as Programming and Communication Coordinator. In this role, Brendan is responsible for planning and promoting GBA’s programs and integrating continuing education requirements for several licensing organizations. When he isn’t working, you may find Brendan riding his bike to many different Pittsburgh events. Brendan’s dream Saturday in Pittsburgh would start at Pamela’s for pancakes, include games with his housemates, and end with finding tickets to see the Penguins play hockey.
What do you love about Pittsburgh?
I love how easy it is to get around by bike, and I like hearing Pittsburghers talk about their city. The people who stuck with the city through its reputation as a dirty, depressed steel town have the most complex views about how Pittsburgh can grow in healthy ways.
What is the best part of the PULSE experience?
The PULSErs. We share a lot of values, but we also come from different backgrounds and work in different fields, so there’s a lot of good discussion. Finding and naming those similarities and differences within a small community has been a great growing experience.
What is something about Pittsburgh that has surprised you?
I was surprised by the strong neighborhood identities.
What have you learned about yourself in PULSE so far?
I’ve discovered that I like being in situations where I have a responsibility to get to know people and can contribute to making them feel comfortable and valued where they are. In my placement at Green Building Alliance – and, occasionally, when I’m involved in PULSE recruitment activities – I enjoy opportunities to make those personal connections.
How has PULSE inspired you to live/think/act differently?
On the whole, I believe more strongly than ever that individual initiative can lead to positive change. Despite an autumn full of news about daunting, systemic inequality issues in Pittsburgh and the U.S., I hear stories and experience firsthand how people work within systems to change the way their community operates, and I find that incredibly hopeful.
Story by Anna Wildermuth, PULSE Alumna ’10-’11, ’11-’12.
Read more stories about the Participant experience with PULSE. If you would like to learn more about the PULSE program, please visit our Serve with Us page.