Frank Zielinski
Born: March 14, 2005
Current Vocation: Student (major History and Psychology), part-time bartender extraordinaire
Does anyone else think it’s awkward to generically introduce yourself to random people who may or may not be looking at this “About Us” section? I guess that’s the price you pay for starting an old-fashioned internet blog instead of a full simulation on the virtunet like everyone else does these days. But that right there tells you something about me—I’m cheap. 
So, here are the basics: I’m 22, a senior at Pitt, and I have no idea what I’m going to do after I graduate. Like a lot of other people these days, I wasn’t born in Pittsburgh, but my parents were. I was born in Alexandria, VA, and my family and I moved to the Burgh in 2012 when opportunities started popping up. My dad started out playing gigs part-time, and then after a few years bought some space and turned it into a recording studio. My mom is a software developer, so she has no problem keeping herself busy around these parts. I inherited neither musical ability nor technical savvy, but at least I do look like my parents so they can’t claim they took the wrong baby home from the hospital.
I did the Pittsburgh Promise thing, so I obviously went to Pittsburgh Public Schools, but I did delay for a year before starting college so I could do a Pittsburgh Service Year. I was in the youth tutoring program, and that was one of the best years of my life. Although I don’t know exactly what I want to do after college, that experience did show me that I want to do something good for the world.
Gretchen Parker
Born: April 16, 2004
Gretchen Parker is a writer originally from New Wilmington. By day, she works for a feminist organization in Squirrel Hill; by night, she pounds away at her keyboard writing her first novel. She graduated from Carlow University in 2026, with a dual degree in writing and women’s studies. Her other interests include: Pittsburgh, feminism, politics, drinking wine, and growing things in her garden. You can catch her at her favorite place in Squirrel Hill, the 61C Cafe, sipping tea and eating cupcakes.
