Amber Sestilio (she/her)

Dietrich College

English / Master of Rhetoric

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

1. What are your academic and/or professional goals? Coming from middle school ELA education, I would like to maintain my roots as an educator and/or working with young people. For instance, I am currently working with Arts Greenhouse, Dietrich’s afterschool arts and humanities program for 5th-8th graders, and I hope to continue doing that after I graduate. I have also thought about continuing nonprofit work or equity work. I currently help with Queer programming at the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, and I truly love it.
2. Tell us about a significant moment in your academic journey at CMU so far. Coming from a politically charged climate in Florida, I felt really desperate to build community here at CMU, especially among LGBTQIA+ folx, and working at the Center has played a big part in that. I was working with Queer youth back home, but it was not a safe place for me to be my authentic self. Finding the Center has fostered connections I would not have made otherwise, even initiating conversations with my family to support my coming out over Fall Break. While the Center has supported me in learning about resources or being a student on campus, it also has had an unimaginable impact on me as a person. More academically focused, I’ve really enjoyed learning about applied methods to incorporate into my equity work through Dr. Joanna Wolfe’s Research Methods in Professional and Technical Communication.
3. What do you like to do in your time away from academic work? When I have the time, I really enjoy being creative. I got into Botanical Lego sets over the last few years and always like working on bouquets. I also love to craft with my Cricut (although I’m running out of room in my dresser for all my glitter tees).
4. Tell us about your last memorable meal. What was it, where did you have it, and who were you with? Recently, I was able to go to Atlanta for a conference, and bring my spouse with me. We’re both vegetarians and miss some of the food from back home, so it was nice to enjoy some veggie-forward Southern cooking at True Food Kitchen. My favorite dish was a bowl with eggs, Brussel sprouts, onions, and sweet potatoes. It was sauteed, caramelized, and has a bit of hot sauce, too. Lately, we’ve actually been making it a few times a week!
5. What's your favorite thing about Pittsburgh? I’ve really enjoyed the changing colors of leaves since that’s a new experience for me. Most of all, my in-laws live around here so it’s been a nice change getting to spend time with my nieces and nephews. For instance, this was the first Halloween I’ve gotten to go trick-or-treating with them! Being in Pittsburgh makes the holidays fun because of the weather and my extended family.