Alumni

Pitt alumni and students are doing their part on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, both at home and abroad. Hear their stories.

When Justin Carter (A&S ’12) started his journey to become a TV journalist, he promised his parents his first Emmy. It now sits on their mantle.

It was March 2020, and Meghan Hodgson (NURS ’03) was working a regular night shift in the emergency room at her suburban New Jersey community hospital. But for the registered nurse, nothing about this night was normal.

A new book co-authored by Ryan Rydzewski (A&S ’09) captures the lingering lessons from Pittsburgh’s favorite teacher and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Diego Chaves-Gnecco, Carmelo Mesa-Lago and Vyasa Sai (ENGR ’13G) are working toward equality in health care and STEM fields.

Vjosa Osmani (LAW ’05, ’15), a respected voice in Kosovo’s political circles and around the globe, is the new president of her native land. She’s the second woman to hold the position.

Book excerpt: Pitt alumna Paria Hassouri’s (A&S ’94, MED ’99) memoir, “Found in Transition: A Mother’s Evolution During Her Child’s Gender Change,” weaves her story of growing up as an immigrant and outsider into her daughter’s story of gender transition.

Activist Wangari Muta Maathai (A&S ’65G) was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

As the first Black woman on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Doris Smith-Ribner (CGS ’70, LAW ’72) ordered a series of reforms that created a roadmap for equity in K-12 education. Another Pitt alumna paved the way.

Sisters Margaret and Stella Stein were the first women to attend the University of Pittsburgh, then known as Western University of Pennsylvania. They blazed a trail for all future Pitt women to follow.