• Andrea ZrimsekNeighbor

  • Peters, PA

My love for journalism was a long time in the making. As an undergraduate at Duquesne University, I kept switching my major whenever I found out about something that sounded interesting. At the time I thought it was because I wasn’t interested in anything. Only later, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, did I realize it was because I was interested in EVERYTHING.

A few years later I left a career with the United States Postal Service to earn a master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Point Park University. After graduating I worked as a writer and editor for Gateway Publications and also contributed to numerous publications as a freelance writer. I also worked as the Public Relations Specialist for the Northern Allegheny County Chamber of Commerce.

In January 2006 I moved to Qatar to be the Publications Manager for Carnegie Mellon University’s new campus in the Gulf Region. Among my many tasks at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, I was the editor of <i>Akhbar</i>, the official campus magazine. Over my five years I transformed <i>Akhbar</i> from a 12-page newsletter to an 88-page, bilingual campus magazine that captures the innovative and interesting stories from the fledgling campus and shares them with a global audience. Along the way, I picked up some Arabic language and learned more about the nuances of cross-cultural communication and using new media.

What I love about being a writer is that I literally get to learn something new every day. Every story teaches me something, whether it’s something I want to learn or not. And you never know when a story is going to totally change your life or the life of someone who reads it.

The story that most changed my life was when I wrote about Going Home Greyhounds, a group that finds homes for retired racing greyhounds. Not exactly being someone who frequents the track, I didn’t know anything about greyhounds. Then I chatted with some  greyhound folks, met a few sweet dogs and totally fell in love. How many other jobs can have such an impact on your life?

After five years living abroad, I recently hung up my passport and moved back to Pittsburgh to resume life in America. When not working, I can be found knitting, cooking, geocaching, listening to NPR, traveling or attempting to grow things in my garden.

Posting Activity

Andrea Zrimsek currently has no active events