Among the responsibilities of running a local newspaper is aiding in fostering a sense of community. The Globe already runs great stories about new clubs, star athletes, on-campus activism and more. Unfortunately, the stories of interesting, worthwhile individuals often fall through the cracks because of a lack of an obvious, pressing newspoint. Influenced by the work we both did interning at the Pittsburgh City Paper this summer, we’re starting a new print and digital profile series telling those stories, called Pioneer Public.

I, Carley Bonk, was the Multimedia Intern for the City Paper this summer. Every week, I had plenty of opportunities to cover summer events that made Pittsburgh the place to be. With the guidance of my editor, I learned from my mistakes and pushed myself to be better. I had more freedom than I expected, allowing me to gain more perceptive of my surroundings. My main goal for Pioneer Public is to encourage others to not only be observant of Point Park’s surroundings, but of the community. Highlighting our friends, neighbors and colleagues for what makes them unique harbors a student body that is accepting, welcoming and pushes each other to be better.

I, Matt Petras, was the Arts and Entertainment Intern for the City Paper this summer. For one of my weekly assignments, a regular feature called “Everyone is a Critic,” I went to a different art or entertainment event and interviewed an attendee about what their experience was like. Then, a brief excerpt from the interview, a headshot of the person and some basic information about them would get plugged into a neat, consistently designed graphic. I always enjoyed seeing a “critic” crack a smile at the prospect of getting this type of spotlight in the paper – I want to crack some more smiles, on campus.

While our time at the City Paper have certainly colored our approach to Pioneer Public, we think we’ve come up with something uniquely valuable and distinctive. We hope you enjoy.