Zoe Schneider

Class of 2025
B.A. in Ethics, History and Public Policy and Literature and Culture, Minor in Gender Studies
Hometown: Atheron, California

What communities do you claim membership within?

Our fellowship community, Tisbert Sketch Comedy and Scotch'n'Soda Theater, the CMU community

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?

I'm passionate about harnessing community experiences into advocacy that promotes just policies, with special emphasis on the intersecting roles of race, gender and class. Policies on sexual health and education, bodily autonomy, and domestic and sexual violence are particularly important to me. Coming from a historical, theoretical and philosophical background, I see my understanding of social realities and liberation enhanced by an interdisciplinary analysis of the systems that structure our lives, and I'm interested in finding ways to use education as an accessible tool for empowerment.

Why did you choose to become a fellow?

While my time spent inside the classrooms at CMU has been incredibly personally fulfilling, I had been searching for a way to translate my theoretical knowledge into action and discover ways to convert my academic privilege into individual aid and systemic change. The Community Engagement Fellowship provides me with a structured and supportive space to activate my goals by facilitating teamwork, providing an informed and systematic way to reflect on Pittsburgh’s culture and history, and expanding my network of local mentors and organizations to inform the ways I channel my motivation for social justice. I see the Fellowship as a space to foster my growth as a community leader and member and help me develop practical skills through experiential learning that I can apply to a future career in the public interest domain.

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?

It's hard to say just one thing, but I've really enjoyed being able to meet and learn from all of the outstanding community leaders who have generously given us their time during our second Fellowship course this semester. It's been energizing seeing all the work they're doing in the community and being able to ask them questions with my cohort.