Mt. Lebanon Magazine is excited to introduce our summer 2024 interns, Adrienne Cahillane and Tess Reinhart! The two women are Lebo grads heading into their third year of college, both studying a blend of writing, political science and journalism. For their first assignment, they interviewed and wrote profiles for each other. Keep reading to find out more about our new talented student-writers.
More than 100 Mt. Lebanon High School seniors got into the University of Pittsburgh this year. Despite decreasing acceptance rates and increased expectations, many Lebo students are regularly accepted at Pitt and choose to live only 15 minutes from the Bubble.
Adrienne Cahillane is a Lebo native and alumnus of Hoover Elementary, Jefferson Middle and Mt. Lebanon High School. After graduating in 2022, Cahillane became a Pitt Panther. Now an incoming junior at the University of Pittsburgh, she majors in both public and professional writing and political science, with minors in German and creative writing.
Even with Cahillane’s rigorous academic schedule, she still makes time for her passions. Her ideal day includes stopping at a coffee shop to enjoy whatever book she’s currently reading, as well as a nature walk through our community. Perhaps her love for reading was born here in Mt. Lebanon.
“I had Mr. Kavo for 10th grade English and creative writing. [He] encouraged us to read so we would become good writers.”
Initially joining Pitt News to meet people her freshman year, she ended up sticking around and discovered a knack for journalism.
“It kind of set off this chain of events,” Cahillane said. “I write for my school’s newspaper, now I can go intern at a magazine. It’s weird how one choice you make can lead to certain things.”
In the coming school year, Adrienne will be the multimedia editor of Pitt News. Her past work as a senior staff writer cover everything from student events on campus to promote education on reproductive rights [1] to Governor Shapiro’s higher education proposals for Pennsylvania [2].
“Pitt is a very eclectic mix of things,” she said. “You have nice, historical architecture and then you got these brutalist, ugly buildings. You also have all this green space. I really like the mix of energy and vibes the campus has and being close to home.”
Living full-time in Oakland now, it is no surprise that Adrienne also has become accustomed to the joys of urban life. Having just returned from a five-week study abroad program in Munich to fulfill her German minor and gen-ed requirements, Cahillane reminisced on the pedestrian streets, storefronts, museums and restaurants that almost reminded her of Uptown. Her two words of advice: don’t be the American who orders McDonalds abroad and don’t try the Mexican food.
While her plans to return to Europe in the future remain unclear, Cahillane sees herself staying in the Burgh in some capacity.
“Mt. Lebanon is one of the least suburban suburbs I’ve ever been in,” Cahillane said. “We’re so close to the city, and not a lot of other suburbs have public transportation, a central business or restaurant district that goes right through it.”
Cahillane looks forward to exploring more of the town as a magazine intern this summer.
Tess Reinhart, a Mt. Lebanon native, loves to write professionally and creatively. Her parents emphasized the importance of English classes and the humanities during her adolescence. Reinhart lives on Navahoe Drive and attended Foster Elementary, Mellon Middle School and Mt. Lebanon High School. A rising junior at Notre Dame University, Reinhart is pursuing an American studies degree with a minor in journalism, ethics and democracy.
“An American studies degree is a hybrid between political science and English,” Reinhart said. “I love the niche courses and being able to expand on my academic writing.”
Outside of class, Reinhart writes for The Scholastic, the student news magazine at Notre Dame. She was the humor editor during the 2023-2024 school year, which she particularly enjoyed because of the amount of creative direction she could take. Reinhart enjoys working for The Scholastic because of her fellow students.
“I’ve met a lot of unexpected friends,” Reinhart said. “It’s an intimate community and I’m glad I’ve opened myself up to this space on campus.”
She will be the managing editor of The Scholastic during the upcoming school year. Some of her favorite humor pieces include satires about SEC football culture [3] and a satire about college spring break trips. [4] Reinhart also enjoys writing about sports, arts and entertainment.
Not only does she write about the arts for The Scholastic, Reinhart also grew up performing in musicals and studying theater arts at the Center for Theater Arts on Mt. Lebanon Boulevard. “I loved performing as a kid, but now I want to be on the behind-the-scenes side of it and incorporate my writing skills,” Reinhart said.
Her previous theater experience, combined with her knack for humor writing, has inspired Reinhart to try and find a job as a television writer. She’s also considering a future career in law or public relations. Because her writing-heavy degree at Notre Dame is so versatile, she doesn’t feel boxed into one career path.
Reinhart is excited for the structure and work environment of a magazine newsroom. “I really appreciate the artistic element of a magazine,” Reinhart said. “I feel like you can collaborate with different people in a different way than at your typical newspaper.”
Reinhart said its a “strange, but good” feeling coming back to her hometown to intern at the community magazine. She will also be working as a lifeguard at the Scott Township Pool for the fifth summer in a row. Reinhart is excited to give back to the community she grew up in during her internship at Mt. Lebanon Magazine.