“Through our friendship, I fell more in love with Pittsburgh and its communities. Sometimes, all you need is a little push from a friend to open your eyes and really see what is around you. “
2016-17 Alum Ivy Keen shares about falling in love with Pittsburgh during her time with PULSE and the adventures she had with co-fellow Jimson Mathew.
“My PULSE placement was at the University of Pittsburgh, so I was already familiar with the area. Jimson and I were both trying to experience as much of Pittsburgh as we could, and he discovered there were free concerts on Sundays in the chapel behind the Cathedral. We started going to those, as well as a Spring Festival of the Egg event sponsored by a few of the Cathedral’s nationality room committees. We also went to the Campus Superstar singing competition held by the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh.
The best times were going to random events around Pittsburgh that I probably wouldn’t have gone to by myself. I also went on a weekend retreat organized by the church Jimson went to. I really enjoyed getting to know the parishioners and being welcomed into their community. The most difficult times were balancing living in the moment and figuring out what our next steps were. Both Jimson and I were applying to graduate schools, and the uncertainty of the future was stressful at times.
For me, community is a combination of the people and places you surround yourself with. When entering a new community or place, I am usually drawn to that which is already familiar to me. Right from the start, I saw that Jimson was adventurous, as well as someone who cared about his faith. This served as a starting point to our friendship, and as we got to know each other more, we explored together and both fell more in love with the city of Pittsburgh. For me, I fell in love with the Cathedral of Learning because I not only saw it outside my office window every day, but I also had many fun experiences there with Jimson (including going as high up as we could go and looking out the window at the amazing view!) Through our friendship, I fell more in love with Pittsburgh and its communities. Sometimes, all you need is a little push from a friend to open your eyes and really see what is around you.
Right from the beginning, PULSE emphasized the importance of finding community and engaging with the people and places around you. Through the weekly seminars and other PULSE events, I had the opportunity to really get to know the other PULSErs. I think Jimson and I connected because faith was important to both of us. As we got to know each other on a more personal level, it became fun exploring the city together. But, without PULSE programming and events to help us in starting our friendship, I don’t think we would have taken the steps needed to become friends.”