Inspired to serve: Family, sense of duty draw young and old to community leadership

Frequently inspired by parents who set an example, young people like Evangeline Cheyne are stepping into public service.

In Delmont, the 15-year-old Cheyne was sworn in Dec. 10 as the borough’s first junior council member.

“I heard about it at school,” Cheyne said. “I think it’s a really good thing to be involved in. People should have a say in their town.”

Cheyne also likely heard about it at the dinner table — her father, Stan, is a borough councilman who also serves on the borough’s recreation board.

“My mom is also on the Delmont library board,” she said. “We had a class my freshman year studying how different governments formed over the years, about democracy and how Roman and Greek society influenced the way government works today, and we also did a mock Congress. I thought it was really interesting.”

Cheyne attended Delmont council’s November meeting as an observer before being sworn in this month. She does not have voting power like an elected council member, but provides a unique perspective on the borough for adult members of the council.

“I like hearing different opinions,” she said. “Everyone on the council is older than me and it’s nice to hear their different perspectives.”

Fox Chapel junior council member Kabeer Chopra has a few months of public service and said the experience has been quite educational.

“Before this I wasn’t aware of how much work goes into running the meetings and a borough,” said the Shady Side Academy junior and Fox Chapel resident. “It’s a great opportunity to learn from leaders in my own community.”

Chopra decided to seek a junior council appointment because he wants to serve and to learn more about his passion —environmental issues.

He founded the nonprofit Green Bridge 412 last year and volunteers his recycling services to Fox Chapel residents, collecting glass, batteries and plastics free of charge weekly for his fellow neighbors.

Chopra is the newest junior council member and joins two fellow SSA student junior council appointees, Avery Litwin and Ethan Kolek, both appointed to council last year.

Merle Musick Jr., 23, of Latrobe also heard a lot about local government around the dinner table — his father, Merle Sr., was a member of the Greater Latrobe School Board for several years before his son was elected to serve on the school board in 2022.

“At Greater Latrobe, I took quite a few civics classes and the way government works has always been an interest of mine,” said Musick, who will enter the final year of his current term in 2025. “I think it’s fascinating how local, state and federal governments all work together.”

Musick can recall hearing his father talk about different issues that had come up at school board meetings. He said his time on the school board has helped him better understand those issues.

“Before being elected, I thought some situations were a little more black-and-white, and now I understand that some of the things we discuss are very multifaceted,” he said. “There isn’t always a cut-and-dried single answer to a difficult question.”

Musick said he enjoys interacting with the public the most.

“I’ve gotten to meet a lot of great people in Latrobe and Unity, and strengthened some great relationships through being on the school board,” he said. “It’s provided me with an opportunity to give back to the community and to the folks who’ve helped me along my journey.”

That journey is continuing. Musick is serving on the school board while also completing college at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, where he earned a degree in political science and is taking classes to work toward an additional degree.

“I always want to keep giving back to my community,” he said.

Long-term service

Public service, meanwhile, is old hat for Nick Petrucci.

He’s been a member of the Penn-Trafford school board for 45 years. He was elected in 1979, and since then has spent two evenings a month — and a whole lot more time outside of that — working in the realm of public service.

“I’m a Trafford native, and I wanted Penn-Trafford to be the Harvard of Westmoreland County,” said Petrucci, 81. “In order to make a change like that, you have to get involved.”

People like Petrucci choose to get involved in public service and are the people who serve on school boards, civic groups and municipal officers. Sometimes they are paid a small stipend or salary, but for the most part, they give of themselves to try and better their communities.

Those like Petrucci bring a wealth of experience to the table, but others are just getting their first taste of public service.

Public service can become a habit among its practitioners: Petrucci doesn’t limit his service to the school board.

“I’m also president of the Trafford Borough Recreation Board,” he said. “One of the things I learned in decades as a special-needs teacher is you have to roll with the punches and keep your focus on the goal.”

Sometimes that focus comes at a cost, he said.

“You aren’t going to make many friends on the school board,” he said with a laugh. “I even get the cold shoulder from a relative on occasion after some of the votes I’ve taken over the years.”

Petrucci also served on the board of directors at Central Westmoreland Career & Technical Center for more than two decades.

“I’ve always believed in the approach of low-key, high-performance,” he said. “You can’t go out there boasting and bragging, but need to make sure you perform at a high level.”

Penn-Trafford Superintendent Matt Harris said Petrucci’s knowledge is a valuable tool.

“Nick’s got so much experience and a true understanding of the history of our community,” Harris said. “He’s been through a lot and I think he understands that as long as you’re doing it in service of student achievement, it will work out. And he’s got lots of concrete examples of that type of success here in the district.”

Giving back

Andrew Pallus, 23, of Leechburg, was appointed to his alma mater’s school board while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in biology at Carlow University. Having obtained that, he’s currently serving on the school board while working toward a pharmacy degree at Duquesne University.

“I really want to give back to my community,” Pallus said. “It really helped shape who I am today, and I think it’s a great way to give back.”

And just like Petrucci, Pallus has a habit of volunteering, with Boy Scout Troop 553, the Rotary Club of Leechburg and the borough’s parks and recreation commission.

“I do it for the betterment of everyone,” he said. “I love going out and helping the community with whatever we’re doing that week.”

Kristin Hopkins, 17, is a senior at Penn Hills High School, and as president of her senior class, she is one of two student school board members who attend its regular meetings. They provide the board with an update on student activities and can bring information from board meetings back to their classmates.

“The board will ask us what’s new in the high school and what we’re planning,” Hopkins said. “It’s not how it looks in a movie. I was really nervous at first. It’s an interesting experience to be part of something that’s bigger than school. Being able to hear about things happening all across the district and being able to advocate for students? I love it.”

Both Cheyne and Hopkins said they’d like to continue with some sort of public service as they get older.

“I’m very interested in being part of student government when I go to college,” Hopkins said. “I think it’s very interesting.”

Musick said he’d encourage any younger person to get involved in public service.

“As an American, I feel like it’s my duty to give back to my country for everything it’s given me,” he said. “You can’t start too early. Change is made by those who take it into their hands.”