Gray Hemlock, in the words of Fitzgerald “Fitz” Robertson, is “the online marketplace for the most affordable women’s fair trade jewelry in the world.” The company sells bracelets, necklaces and earrings, all under $30, with the target market being college students and millennials. Artisans in Nepal, Rwanda, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Uganda, North Carolina and Texas make the products. 

The company, which began in December 2016, is run by two Seton Hill University seniors: Fitz, a business administration major with concentrations in entrepreneurial studies, marketing and human resource management, and Halie Torris, a graphic design major and entrepreneurial studies minor. Fitz and Halie are co-founders and they share the responsibilities of running the business.

What Makes Gray Hemlock So Special?  

In January 2017, Fitz and Halie watched “The True Cost,” a documentary that highlights some of the negative conditions in which people in the fashion manufacturing system work. After seeing that, the two were inspired to reinvent their business. They realized that the previous version of Gray Hemlock may have contributed in a small way to the system that the film highlighted. They decided that, going forward, any new organizations with whom they partnered were required to send a letter guaranteeing that products are made “with fair wages, proper working conditions and no child labor,” Fitz said.

Halie and Fitz want to make sure that the artisan groups they partner with benefit from the profits. There are pictures on the Gray Hemlock website to bring attention to them and show that they are real people who make the products. One of the organizations is Hands Producing Hope, which is based in Rwanda and Costa Rica. In addition, classes are offered to the artisans, focusing on topics such as financial literacy and healthy eating.

How Seton Hill Has Helped

Both Halie and Fitz said that classes and professors at Seton Hill have helped them “inside and outside of the classroom.” One professor who has had an impact on them was Jen Jones, Ph.D., who taught Organizational Leadership and Corporate Ethics and incorporated fair trade into her coursework. Various graphic design professors helped Halie with the creative part of the business, like how to design an eye-catching logo. Also, the Wukich Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunities has provided Halie and Fitz with advice, resources and opportunities.

Informing Others about Fair Trade

Teaching friends and family about fair trade has become important for both Halie and Fitz. “Most people don’t know unless it’s explained on a basic level,” said Halie, which is why they’ve taken it upon themselves to inform others. It’s not just a one and done thing, either; it’s a continued conversation. Clothes and jewelry are sometimes manufactured in horrible conditions, as are other products, even food. They prompt their friends to think about these issues and do something about them.

What Happens Next? 

Gray Hemlock started as a simple idea and transformed into a full-on online business. In May 2018, Halie and Fitz will graduate from Seton Hill. So, what happens next? “We want to solidify our customer acquisition strategy,” said Fitz, meaning they want to figure out how to share their business and their mission with more fair trade enthusiasts and acquire more sales. They have been speaking with and getting advice from their mentors and advisors about what they want to do, which is step off into this full time. 

Halie said the company has “gone through a lot of different iterations,” and surrounding themselves with positive friends, peers and professors has helped them succeed. “Finding someone that has the same goals and aspirations,” Halie said, is critical for any successful business, and Halie and Fitz have found that in each other.

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This story was researched and written by Alexandra Gipson, a junior creative writing major and Spanish minor, currently serving as a marketing communication intern at Seton Hill.

As someone who loves to travel, I was ecstatic when I learned there would be a trip to Spain through Seton Hill University. A group of twenty-three students and two professors from Seton Hill and one student from Saint Vincent College visited three cities in southern Spain: Seville, Granada and Córdoba. Most of our three-week trip was spent in Córdoba, as that was where Academia Hispánica, the school with which Seton Hill collaborates, was located. Faculty offered Spanish Study in Spain and City Study: Western Cultures in Córdoba, which fulfilled the language and liberal arts requirements of the Seton Hill curriculum. 

A different group of students traveled to Beijing for three weeks this past May. They studied Mandarin and participated in cultural activities at Beijing Union University. Excursions included visits to the Confucius Temple and the Great Wall. A third and final study abroad trip took place in Italy. Students visited the cities of Florence, Rome and Tuscany and took coursework in the History of Western Art and the Food and Culture of Italy.             

Experiencing a Different Culture

When you study abroad, you get to experience another culture. You see how people in other parts of the world live; how some aspects are similar to our culture and how others are different. You can introduce others to your culture, too. In Córdoba, we stayed with locals in their homes so we could get the full immersion experience. I told my host mom that Americans typically eat lunch at noon and dinner at six. She was shocked, as Spaniards eat lunch at two-thirty and dinner at nine at the earliest. 

“I visited a country I’ve always wanted to explore, made new friends, learned about Spain and its people and culture and felt my understanding of the Spanish language increase.” 

Meals are a sacred part of Spanish culture, and also of Italian culture. Marisa Valotta, a junior English – Creative Writing major, went on the trip to Italy. She noted that, “no one ever seemed to be in a hurry, especially while eating meals.” Dinner is an opportunity to relax and catch up with family and friends, and there is no rush to finish. In Seville, our group ate out for every meal, and even after we finished dinner we would stay and talk, enjoying each other’s company.

Study Through Seton Hill

Seton Hill offers trips to various countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America that can last from one week to an entire semester. Students who are apprehensive about the experience can dip their toes in by taking a one-week trip. If they enjoy the trip, they can participate in a longer trip later on. Places students have visited in the past include:

• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Dublin, Ireland
• London, England
• Paris, France
• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• Cuernavaca, Mexico
• Krakow and Oswiecim, Poland
• Brest and Minsk, Belarus

When you travel abroad, you can earn college credits by taking classes. If you visit a country whose native language is not English, you can also learn a bit of a new language. Immersion is the best way to understand a new language, as you are constantly hearing it. Seton Hill can even help you acquire your passport through the Passport to the World Program. 

The Experience of a Lifetime

I’ve traveled to other countries in Europe as well as Canada and the Bahamas before, but this was certainly my favorite trip. I visited a country I’ve always wanted to explore, made new friends, learned about Spain and its people and culture and felt my understanding of the Spanish language increase. 

The trip to Italy was the first-time Marisa had left the United States. Visiting Italy was a top priority, as she wanted to visit the country where her father was born.  “I was nervous at first,” she said, “especially because I had never been out of the country before, but I’m so glad I made the decision to go.”

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Alexandra Gipson is a junior creative writing major and Spanish minor, currently serving as a marketing communication intern at Seton Hill. 

By: Alexandra Gipson

November 29, 2017

“What is there that’s fun to do in Greensburg?” was the topic of conversation between Vandye Nelson and Brian McCollum in the summer of 2016. The two friends met during their time at Seton Hill University, where Vandye majored in business with a focus in human resources and accounting, and Brian majored in computer science. Brian, a fan of solving puzzles and riddles, convinced Vandye to participate in an escape room. The two signed up to be “locked” in a room and were given an hour to solve various puzzles to crack the code and escape.

“Seton Hill gave me the opportunity to be involved in a lot of things, and I realized I could flourish in that type of environment.”– Brian McCollum (SHU 04)

After that experience, they talked about how fun it would be to be a puzzle designer for an escape room. At that point, Brian said they both had the same thought: “We could do this.” If they opened one in Greensburg, they could tap into the college market and be close to their alma mater. In the end, that’s exactly what they did. Vandye and Brian opened 60 Minute Missions, an escape room located at 116 East Pittsburgh Street, Greensburg, PA.

During their time at Seton Hill, 2000 to 2004, both were involved in various activities on campus. Vandye was a resident assistant and, during her senior year, class president. She talked about how Seton Hill helped her “build relationships… and a sense of community.” Brian was the first male president of Seton Hill Government Association (SHGA), and was also the first to serve Seton Hill University.  (Seton Hill transitioned from a women’s college to a fully coeducational university in 2002.) Now, Brian works for Concurrent Technical Corporation. In 2012 he started Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, and most recently, in 2016, launched 60 Minute Missions with Vandye.

Brian credits Seton Hill with helping him balance multiple activities at once. “Seton Hill gave me the opportunity to be involved in a lot of things, and I realized I could flourish in that type of environment,” Brian said. The two are still connected with their alma mater via the Griffin Advantage Program, which provides discounted prices for 60 Minute Missions to Seton Hill students. 

Katelyn Stebbins felt “a bit apprehensive about sharing personal stories with someone” she had just met. It was fall of 2015 and she was a Seton Hill University freshman participating in the university’s brand new partnership with Narrative 4, a global organization that works to build empathy through the exchange of personal narratives. She had been paired with a student she didn’t know and encouraged to share a story from her life. To her surprise, Katelyn enjoyed the experience. 

Another freshman, Julia Natalia, first learned about Narrative 4 in her Seminar in Thinking and Writing class. She participated in a story exchange with the people in her class because she “wanted to get involved with something that promoted bringing people together.” 

Fearless Hope Through Radical Empathy

“Fearless Hope Through Radical Empathy” is the vision of Narrative 4. To achieve that, people are put in pairs and asked to share a story from their past in response to carefully designed prompts; it can be funny, embarrassing, or life-changing. The group of participants comes back together and each person shares their partner’s story aloud as if it were their own. It seems nerve-wracking, but there’s no judgement or pressure from other group members. 

“Learning empathy through Narrative 4 allows you to explore a piece of everyone’s lives.”– Seton Hill student Julia Natalia

Christine Cusick, Ph.D., associate professor of English, director of the Honors Program, and Narrative 4 liaison, said that those who participate “slow down and take time to listen to each other… when people are heard, they feel safe.” A bond is formed not just between partners, but between members of the whole group.

How’d It Get to Seton Hill?

Cusick first learned about Narrative 4 after reading an interview that featured Irish author Colum McCann, who is also the president of the organization. She emailed with the Director of Programs, Lee Keylock, about what it would mean to bring Narrative 4 to Seton Hill. After Keylock came to Seton Hill to train a small cohort of faculty, staff and students, Cusick met with faculty members to discuss how Narrative 4 could meet certain course objectives. Since then, groups throughout campus have participated in Narrative 4 story exchanges; the organization’s values inspired a new Empathy and Storytelling class, and students of the Musical Theatre Vocal Performance and dance classes have chosen people whose stories they thought were worth sharing and created performances about them. 

At the beginning of the school year, Seton Hill welcomes students into its mission and introduces the values of Narrative 4 as one of many ways to live the mission. Cusick said that, “we need to be mindful of welcoming students from all backgrounds and perspectives into our Setonian community.” Narrative 4 is a way in which new students can feel more comfortable and get a sense of community.

Katelyn, a biology major and psychology minor, is now a senior at Seton Hill. Last year, she participated in Narrative 4 again, but this time as a student leader. She taught freshmen about the purpose and goals of Narrative 4, explained the story exchange, and led a discussion afterwards. Julia, a junior English literature and secondary education major, was a student leader two times and has participated in multiple story exchanges, including the most recent one in October 2017. “Everyone has a story about them and learning empathy through Narrative 4 allows you to explore a piece of everyone’s lives,” she said.

Hopes for its Future

Narrative 4 has only been at Seton Hill for two years now, but that doesn’t mean Cusick isn’t already thinking of long-term goals. She believes that “we’re at a place where we’re ready to move outward.” The first stop is the city of Greensburg, which is where Seton Hill, the first school in Western Pennsylvania to participate in Narrative 4, is located. 

After that, Cusick hopes that Narrative 4 can reach the city of Pittsburgh and be incorporated into other colleges or even high schools. This can build empathy and stronger relationships between the people of these cities, and in turn help form closer-knit communities. Part of Seton Hill University’s mission is to transform the world, and Narrative 4 is a way to do just that.

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Alexandra Gipson is a junior creative writing major, Spanish minor and marketing communications intern at Seton Hill University.