In Port Allegany, turning passion for community into an opportunity to lead and grow

By Karen Price

Allie O’Shea’s love for Port Allegany goes back as long as she can remember.

Her mother grew up in the town of about 2,000 in north central Pennsylvania, and every other weekend the family would load up the car for the five-hour drive from Shippensburg back to visit relatives. The visits were short, but O’Shea loved every second. Her dream of moving to Port Allegany came true in the 10th grade when her mother got a job teaching in the school district, and the family relocated.

Now, at just 19 years old, Allie is helping to shape the future of the community she always longed to call home. The Port Allegany Heart & Soul team hired Allie as their project coordinator in the spring, and now she’s successfully balancing the role with a full-time class schedule at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford. The job itself requires her to coordinate volunteers and plan events, communicate effectively with people throughout the community and manage the data from the stories the team is gathering as part of the Heart & Soul process, among other things. It’s an unusual position for a teenager to be in — in fact, Allie is the youngest Heart & Soul project coordinator in the country — but she is showing that communities, nonprofits and other organizations may find new leaders in unexpected places.

We caught up with her to learn a little more about her experience as a Heart & Soul project coordinator and her passion for her home of Port Allegany. 

Q: What was the feeling like when you learned you were moving to Port Allegany?

A: It was so exciting for me because I just wanted to be here. I had such good memories of Port from when I was younger that I felt like Port was my home rather than where I actually lived for 16 years of my life. Mostly because of family, but when I finally did move I grew new attachments to the place. I have neighbors that I adore and friends that I have a stronger bond with than I ever did where I came from in Shippensburg. The past three years I’ve spent living here have been the best three years of my life and it’s just because living in a small town everything’s so much different and you learn to appreciate things more..

“I’ve learned a lot about the community that I didn’t know. Talking to people around the community of different ages, different backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, all of it has been eye-opening to different peoples’ experiences. … It’s good to hear what they have to say because it contributes to the community.”

Allie O’Shea

Q: What made you want to apply for the job as Heart & Soul project coordinator?

A: I received the description from somebody I knew and I was reading it thinking this sounds really good. The story that I have about coming to Port and always wanting to be here was kind of a good representation of the town and what it can mean to people. Then I looked into the Heart & Soul process and decided to apply. I didn’t honestly expect to get it at all because I was 18, turning 19 soon, and I’m in college. There are going to be other people with lots more experience who are going to know more than I do. But I just went into it with hope. It was just something that could develop my professional career, and it was a way for me to give back to my community. 

Q: What are some of the things you’ve learned about Port Allegany since taking the job?

A: I’ve learned a lot about the community that I didn’t know. Talking to people around the community of different ages, different backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, all of it has been eye-opening to different peoples’ experiences. And a lot of people do have around the same experiences, but there are always people who don’t, and it’s good to hear what they have to say because it contributes to the community. Not everybody’s the same and everybody treats Port Allegany differently. I’ve learned a lot of things I didn’t know about town. Like, we used to have a bowling alley and a movie theater and all these things, and that’s all stuff people want to bring back, too. 

Q: Are there skills you feel you’re building that will help you as you continue college and prepare for your career?

A: Working with the spreadsheet is a skill I’ve really built. Another one I’d say is communication. I talk to a lot of different people through just interviews with community members, through teamwork, through coaching with the Heart & Soul coach. It’s gotten me out of my shell more I’d say. And the last one I’d say is leadership. I was never really a leader, I would always be the one to say OK, someone else can take over and I’ll do what you say. But I’ve definitely come around to it and I feel more comfortable now in my leadership qualities, which is one of the biggest things for me because it’s going to be really important when I move on to further my career.

Q: Tell us about what you’re studying.

A:  I’m a business manager with a minor in marketing, and I had really wanted to get into real estate. But this has really made me question if real estate is maybe just more of a side thing I can do because I really like community engagement and community work. I’ve really enjoyed it and I think it’s something I’m going to consider coming toward my graduation and looking toward a permanent job. 

Q: What are your hopes for Port Allegany? 

A: One of my biggest hopes is something to draw younger people back to the area. People my age move away to college and have a great time at college, go for their degrees, and then move states away. They don’t stay in Port even though they grew up here and I know they love the community and love what the community has to offer. I wish there was something to some extent that was strong enough to hold them here, such as more job opportunities and things to do. Another thing I would say – and it’s always a big one with everybody – is to see Main Street lively. I’d like to see Port grow economically, and I’d like to see something to take advantage of our wildlife and our river and the open areas that we have that could be utilized for playgrounds for kids or biking trails, hiking trails, something where people don’t have to drive to find a hiking trail that’s easily accessible for everybody. I think that would pull in a lot of visitors. We live in a beautiful area. It’s small, but it’s so pretty because of all the hills that are surrounding us and we have beautiful seasons. I don’t think we take advantage of that enough here in town, and it could mean big economic growth if we did.”