Category: Uncategorized

Mindfulness, Does it Really Matter?

by Christina Pettinato, contributing writer RING! BUZZ! RING! BUZZ! There is a moment when you realize the sudden pulsing light is not part of your sweet, slumbering dream. Grasping at the air with foggy uncertainty, you reach out in a …

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Meet Our 2022 Luminari Scholars

by Patrice Lee, Operations Administrator It is not merely enough to gain knowledge and understanding of another’s position, but rather to view it from their perspective, this is the essence of diplomacy. Luminari from its inception, has strived to provide …

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Emerging from the Pandemic

by Beth Dolinar, Contributing Writer Maybe this is what a bear feels like when waking up after a long nap each spring. To me, it feels like I’ve been hibernating for two years, not so much asleep as tucked away …

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Congratulations Cara!

Congratulations to Cara Leonardi, 2019 Luminari Award Scholar and Ambassador camp alumna, who has been accepted for early admission to American University in Washington, DC, where she will be majoring in legal studies and political science. Now, “Cara is one …

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A Camp Like No Other

by Debbi Casini Klein, I Want to be an Ambassador Camp Director I Want to be an Ambassador!… a camp like no other in  Western Pennsylvania! Exciting speakers. Learning about leadership. Meeting amazing people. Making new friends. Traveling to Washington, …

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Cousins Cooking for Community

Story by Sofia Jahn and John Paradise, Camp Delicious! Alumns Hi! Sofia Jahn and John Paradise here to talk about our amazing experience cooking for the Neighborhood Resilience Project (NRP) on January 19, 2022. First, a little about Neighborhood Resilience …

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Seasonal Blues or Something Else

by Don Laird, contributing writer February is the shortest month on our calendars. However, psychologically it is also the longest month – especially in the shadow of a continuing pandemic. Leafless trees, barren landscapes, minimal sunlight, a low cloud ceiling …

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SNO Thanks

It wasn’t even officially winter yet, and there I was, stuck in a little motel waiting out the snowstorm with a lot of truckers. This was not how I’d planned to spend my Sunday night.  After a weekend with friends …

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Welcome Patrice Lee

by Sheila Hyland, Operations Manager, and Patrice Lee, Administrative Coordinator Patrice Lee brings her focus and passion for education, goal setting, and youth development to Luminari. She has spent the better part of her life engaged in the education process …

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What’s Wrong with “Yinz?”

by Aaron Zvirman, contributing writer   Pittsburgh, we have a problem. According to some folks on the Internet, the city of Pittsburgh has “the ugliest accent in America.” Or, at least those who voted in a 2014 contest on the …

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