Chelsea Vecchiarelli

More by Chelsea Vecchiarelli

Behind the Scenes of Half the Sky: Turning Women's Oppression into Oppurtunity 10/17/2012	On October 1, 2012, roughly 100 University of Pittsburgh’s Panhellenic Sorority women gathered in the O’Hara Student Center Ballroom. The objective? Support Panhel’s philanthropy, Circle of Sisterhood, by watching an abbreviated version of the PBS documentary, Half the Sky: Turning Women’s Oppression into Opportunity. “As I watched Half the Sky I felt sad and angry. My eyes become full of tears at many parts, and at the same time I felt compelled to do something more,” said Panhel President Kirsten Meenan. The documentary represents the movement labeled “the moral challenge of thiscentury” by New York Times journalists, Sheryl Wu Dunn and Nicholas Kristof. This husband and wife team felt compelled, after years of reporting, to tell the stories they uncovered, first through a book and eventually the film. Half of our world’s population is left to the wayside, through acts of violence, rape, exclusion from education and consideration as citizens’ with political rights. Countries all around the world suffer because women are not granted political and social equality. “This is the unfinished business of the 21st century,” says Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in the film. Half the Sky documents the story of incredible women from 10 different countries: Cambodia, Vietnam, Somaliland, Sierra Leone, India, Liberia, Kenya, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States of America. Each story depicts the reality of gender inequality through women’s personal accounts of rapes left unpunished, girls sold into sex slavery, heinous acts of violence such as female genital mutilation, young girls forced to marry and left with no choice to bear children before their bodies are ready – all this, simply because they are, well, female.
Gabe Sreisfeld '13 9/19/2012	Two weekends ago I was watching a Giant’s football game at a friends house, when in walked a fairly jacked young man wearing those funky barefoot running shoes. As a young lady who tries to maintain a fairly fit lifestyle, I was curious. What did this guy did to maintain such great physical condition? Turns out he founded Pitt’s Parkour Club. Not to shabby. This week’s Campus Cutie is Gabe Sreisfeld. Gabe is a senior Rehab Science Major with a Certificate in Pathokinesiology. Gabe and Aidan Gallagher founded Panther Parkour. Never heard of Parkour? Check out this video of Gabe doing some “basic” moves. Gabe said, “I didn’t come to Pitt looking to start a Parkour club or start a club at all. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time. And I definitely didn’t expect to be teaching as much. I was kind of thrown into the position. But really, for anyone who wants to start a club its not a hard thing to do and it really puts you in that leadership position.” What sparked your interest in Parkour? A friend of mine and I were looking for new things to do in high school. We were looking things up online and saw some Parkour videos. Since we were into physically active things we started fooling around at first and then got seriously into it. Are there Parkour competitions? Parkor is not about competitions. It’s about improving your own movement. Everyone’s built differently and everyone has different level of physical strength. It’s about preparing yourself for emergency situations. So it doesn’t matter the preparedness of the guy next to you. It’s about improving your personal level.
A Super Senior Reflects: Who Are You and What Do You Want To Be? 8/28/2012	Who Are You and Who Do You Want to Be? A super senior’s reflections on what college can begin to teach you. Fresh Starts and New Faces This year Pitt welcomes over 18,000 Undergraduate students to campus. Each one full of hopes, desires and reservations for what the semester will bring. By this time most of us are ready to commence the Fall Term and the rhythm of college life. After four years at Pitt, (I’m a fifth year senior looking to graduate in December), I relate to the complete spectrum of emotions, highs and lows that coincide with the fall semester-return. Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Skyline, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Lagged2Death’s photostream Last Thursday night, I finally arrived in Pittsburgh at 1:00 a.m. Cruising down an empty Forbes Avenue my gaze swept the speckled glowing windows of the Towers and Quad dorms. After three spectacular months in South America I surprised myself: was I feeling warm and homey from this first spotting of Pitt’s Campus? A quote from a summer reading of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of two Cities crept into my mind. In the language and rhythm that is so markedly Dickens he writes, “A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret, that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it!”
What's the best way to de-stress? Why a friendly Schenley Plaza pillow fight, of course. 4/9/2012
Last Chance to See Beauty with a Historical Purpose 4/6/2012	This weekend is your last chance to see Teenie Harris: Photographer and American Story at the Carnegie Museum of Art Journey back in time to an era of Pittsburgh’s unique history and discover Pittsburgh’s Hill District of the early twentieth century, through the camera lens of Charles “Teenie” Harris. The original soundtrack produced by MCG Jazz sets the mood as six projectors roll through life-size black and white images. Bordering on an image intake overload, I advise taking a seat and picking a side displaying three screens. Pittsburgh’s history of a vibrant black community during the Jim Crow and Civil Rights era unfolds as the surrounding stills encompass everything from everyday life to famous individuals including Jackie Robinson, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Upon stepping into the exhibit's second room one discovers what makes this exhibit especially unique. Behold beauty with a historical purpose, for the completion of a web-based interactive chronology. Visitors are encouraged to scroll through the images presented on numerous computers filling out forms that identify people, places, and events that lack the proper labeling.
Sim Mellinger '12 10/23/2011	Name: Simmeon (Sim) Mellinger Major: Exercise Science Graduation Year: 2012 Hometown: Lancaster, PA Sim Mellinger is a driven, yet, down to earth guy who knows how to have a good time and is truly passionate about his goals in life. He loves his major because he says he gets to promote healthy lifestyles in other individuals. Photo: Sim (left) with friend Sam Englander (right) as the celebrate Sam's 21st birthday. HC: Why Pitt? Sim: I fell in love with the urban atmosphere that still had some greenery. It’s a good transition from Lancaster. And it’s the furthest from home, while still paying in-state tuition. HC: How would you describe yourself in five words? Sim: Honest, easygoing, “out of the box”, dedicated and motivated. HC: What is your favorite TV show? Sim: Dexter HC: Why? Sim: The plot is awesome and keeps me hanging on the edge of my seat. And I love that Dexter is the bad guy you have to love. It’s like nothing else on TV. HC: What are your hobbies? Sim: Well, I’m big into fitness and I’m an officer of the Exercise science program, which is great because we have a lot of fun and promote health life styles. I like creative writing too and social media networks/technology in general. Also, I love trying new things even though they may scare me. In the end I’m happy I did it (most of the time) :smiles:. HC: What do you look for in a girl? Sim: A girl that is easygoing, knows how to make me laugh and is genuine.
Michael (Mike) Ploetz '12 4/9/2011	Mike is a true gem. The kind of friend you ask, “How does this dress look?” and without a doubt he’ll tell you his perspective. A conversation with Mike is always stimulating and full of unrelenting, honest sarcasm. He will brighten your day with his persistent lust for knowledge and his interest in the people of the world. I’m glad this cutie is in my life and now you can be too. Hometown: Springville (Buffalo), New York Year: Junior Major: Global Management Describe yourself in 5 words: Smart, funny, rude, bored, and honest. What has been the most influential person or experience thus far that has made you who you are? Hmmm that’s a good question. I don’t think there is anyone in particular that has influenced me. But where you come from influences who you are a lot. So, for me overcoming a small town and family that didn’t really accept my being gay has made me who I am. And coming to Pitt, I’ve met so many people that have made me who I am. Good friends have influenced me. Growing is about realizing you’re going to change and develop and good friends will be by your side through it all. Describe your dream man? Let’s see.. he is.. really passionate about whatever he does. I don’t care what it is. He is good person but he doesn’t mind sarcasm. So I could be rude around him and he wouldn’t think I’m a bad person. He wants a family. He doesn’t have a problem moving and living in different places. He loves other cultures. The best date you’ve been on?
Ana Paula Carvalho: A women with a vision – bringing Brazil to Pittsburgh 4/9/2011	“I always encourage my students to get out of their comfort zone. You learn so much, I know I did.” Ana Paula speaks from experience as sixteen years ago she broke out of her comfort zone and moved to the United States. She wanted to attend graduate school for linguistics, with a focus on teaching, but a barrier stood in her way – she barely spoke English. Ana Paula laughs as she reminisces, “I knew how to say, I’m from Brazil and my name is Ana Paula.” But she didn’t let this stop her. She spent two years in a language program to perfect her skills and then, with the aid of a fellowship, she attended graduate school.
Serena Qing Mu '13 3/16/2011	Get ready for a treat with this week’s Campus Cutie, Serena Qing Mu. I thought it was about time to mix things up and feature a female campus cutie (after all, who said the cutie had to be guy). The luck of Pitt random housing introduced Serena and myself last year in PA-Hall. She never ceased to amaze me with her upbeat attitude, excitement to learn about American culture, and self-confidence to laugh off any confusions brought on by our initial language barrier. Her bravery to tackle studying in a foreign culture, country and language gave me the courage to take on my own study abroad adventure. Every Serena-encounter is a good time – so do yourself a favor and get to know this week’s Campus Cutie! Major: Double major in Business and Music. Serena said, “I just made up my mind about the music major because I want to learn about something fun that will broaden my mind.” Hometown: Beijing, China Describe yourself in 5 words: Passionate, fun, active, generous, and easy-going. Favorite Pitt Experience: Pledge experience with business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I want to work in Public Relations in Los Angeles, California or in NYC. Dream Date? OMG that’s a great question... [contemplative moment of silence] I think first of all you need to have a dream person. The ideal person. So a really flexible person because it matters more about the person and not so much what you do.

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