When Megan Fahey, 29, graduated from West Virginia University in 2017 with a degree in creative writing, she discovered she would have to wear a hard hat if she wanted to take the only position offered to her in the field after applying for almost 70 jobs.

“[The job] required me to work in the advanced technology center, basically a trade school,” Fahey said. “My office was supposed to be in the facade of a house so that students could work on aluminum siding and do underground wiring stuff, and I would’ve had to worn a hard hat to work every day. So this is a little bit different.”

When Fahey realized she wasn’t fit for the jobs she was applying for, she began to look for other ways she could impact the lives of college students by using her skills. That’s when Fahey discovered an open position at Point Park for a Center for Inclusive Excellence coordinator.

The center was previously known as the Center for Teaching Excellence before switching its title and focusing more on diversified learning and the idea of inclusivity in the classroom when it changed in August of 2017.

This semester, Fahey steps into her role as director, which she says isn’t that much of a stretch from her position as coordinator.

“A lot of the job is going to stay the same,” Fahey said. “[I was] lucky to co-create what this position is gonna be. Stuff I planted the seeds for in my coordinator position, those things will just grow.”

Those things involve initiatives like the dual and concurrent enrollment high schooling program which requires Fahey to visit high schools and do recruiting so when the students get to campus they have a resource to help them out with any issues they may have.

Fahey is also looking to involve those outside of Point Park by talking to outside members from companies like PNC so they can see what it’s like to “hire the next generation of students coming out of Point Park and how inclusivity can help those students see what the next version of their job looks like.”

Another one of Fahey’s goals is making sure that people know what the office is and what they do so students can come to the office with their own ideas.

Fahey and Assistant Provost Dr. Jonas Prida attended the academic welcome at Pioneer Experience last fall where they pitched their office as those that love to plan “kooky schemes” and branded themselves as “idea people.”

This sparked student interest.

“Later on we were walking back and a new student stopped in our office and said ‘You’re the idea people,’ and then pitched us an idea for a denim drive on campus,” Fahey said.

Fahey also involved Point Park involved in the Inclusive Innovation Summit that’s going to be on campus from March 28 to March 30. She says they are looking for a push from young people, and would love to see the ideas from Point Park students.

Fahey knows that every university has their own version of a Center for Inclusive Excellence, but wants to make Point Park’s different by looking at old ideas through a new lens.

“The same story has been told for centuries so you’ve got to figure out a way to make it new,” Fahey said.

She still gets a chance to flex her creative writing muscle by teaching a class on campus this semester and by working on writing outside of her job.

When she’s not writing, she rocks out with Dr. Prida in a band whose style she describes as “thrash grass.” Fahey melds her country roots with Prida’s punk background through guitar.