Community Activism Starts at Chatham—and Goes Beyond Graduation
Members of the Foster Love Project pose with employees of American Eagle and Aerie for their 2023 bag drive. (Courtesy of Foster Love Project)
The newly assembled Planned Parenthood Generation Action Chapter at Chatham (PPGEN) had a busy first few months on campus.
From karaoke nights to goodie bag packaging, the club hosted a slew of events aimed at bringing reproductive centered relief and awareness to Chatham’s campus.
“We kicked off with a karaoke night event where we raised donations for breast cancer awareness,” said Olympia Giannakopoulos ’27, president of PPGEN. She said it was a huge success.
“We followed with a more recent event where we made period packages for the campus restrooms and dorms,” she said. “Menstrual products are very expensive and can be hard to buy on a college student's budget.”
“Everyone should have access to them, and PPGEN wants to make sure of that.”
“Unfortunately, female healthcare is controversial and heavily discussed in a negative light,” Giannakopoulos said. “Chatham PPGEN has joined this fight and will work to keep our rights in place while also working to keep information and healthcare access readily available on campus.”
President of PPGEN, Olympia Giannakopoulos ‘27, poses for a photo outside of the Carriage House. (Lyn Bigley)
For many Chatham students, this devotion to making a difference doesn’t stop at graduation. Jina O'Neill ’05, proud Chatham graduate and current vice president and chair of Chatham’s Alumni Association Board, has carried these values with her. Now, she is the director of development at the Foster Love Project.
“Foster Love Project shows love in action to children impacted by foster and kinship care through the provision of goods and services,” O’Neill explained. “We do this through our seven programs which all run out of our Wilkinsburg facility.”
The Foster Love Project works with Chatham’s alumni on their annual bag drive. On Nov. 22, student and alumni volunteers will gather at their center in Wilkinsburg to package and sort care bags for children entering the foster care system. These care bags cater to the individual child, taking into account their age, gender, and life experiences.
“Supporting local youth has always been a passion of mine,” O’Neill said, “particularly youth that are under-resourced.”
O’Neill and Giannakopoulos both embraced the opportunities for activism at Chatham. With their passions and hard work, they carved out a space for social justice on campus.
“I remember being a first-year student at Chatham and having the opportunity to do service projects throughout the city,” O’Neill said. “Chatham has always done a great job at encouraging students to get involved both on and off campus.” This led her to choosing a career in non-profit service, and she continued her work for almost 10 years.
“Chatham Women's Institute has been a large connection for me,” Giannakopoulos said. “Getting involved in the women and femme-aligned LLC got me in touch with these wonderful women and people. Due to this connection, my VP and I got in contact with Planned Parenthood. This is what got the ball rolling and brought the chapter here.”
Community and civic engagement are two vital facets of the Chatham community. According to its mission statement, Chatham exists "to prepare students to build lives of purpose, value, and fulfilling work: by preparing graduates to be informed and engaged citizens in their communities; to recognize and respect diversity of culture, identity, and opinion; and to live sustainably."
O’Neill and Giannakopoulos have taken this mission statement to heart, embracing social justice and activism on their journeys as college students and beyond. Through their work and others’, Chatham students make way for change.
Lyn Bigley ’26 is currently pursuing her BFA in creative writing alongside a BA in psychology. She currently works as a library aide and a digital content creator for Chatham University. In her downtime, she enjoys looking at pictures of animals, playing video games, impulse buying, and watching reality TV.