Pitt Study Abroad Experience

For more than a decade, Tilting Futures has championed a new model of global learning that centers lived experience, cultural immersion, and meaningful contribution. Instead of focusing only on what happens inside a classroom, Tilting Futures invites young people into real communities, real questions, and real responsibility.

Now, that approach is entering the heart of higher education in a new way.

Beginning in the January 2026 semester, students who complete Take Action Lab: Human Rights in Cape Town, South Africa, will be eligible to earn 12 university-level academic credits from the University of Pittsburgh. This partnership integrates Take Action Lab directly into undergraduate degree pathways, aligning immersive global learning with a rigorous academic experience.

Many students who are drawn to Pitt study abroad opportunities are looking for more than travel. They want to grow, contribute, and build skills that matter for their future. This collaboration between Tilting Futures and the University of Pittsburgh is designed for exactly that kind of student.

A New Pathway for Future Ready Students

The world students are stepping into is complex, interconnected, and rapidly changing. A degree remains important, but classroom learning alone is not enough to develop the kind of mindset and skill set that employers, communities, and our shared future now require.

Tilting Futures and the University of Pittsburgh share a belief that students need:

• Deep cultural immersion, not just short term visits

   

• The chance to practice leadership, not only study it

   

• Opportunities to work alongside local leaders on real issues

   

• Space to reflect, question, and grow in community

   

By bringing Take Action Lab into credit bearing pathways, the University of Pittsburgh is helping to set a new standard for experiential education. Students can earn a full semester of Pitt credit, while also engaging in a carefully designed global learning experience that blends program benefits and curriculum with hands-on practice.

Tilting Futures CEO Erin Lewellen describes it this way:

“Together with Pitt, we are demonstrating a distinctly new approach to building the uniquely human skills young people need to be future ready, skills like empathy, cross-cultural collaboration, and ethical leadership that no technology can replace.”

Why This Partnership Matters

This partnership aligns closely with Tilting Futures’ mission to equip young people to create meaningful impact on global issues. Students who enroll through the University of Pittsburgh can now participate in Take Action Lab and receive 12 university level credits, recorded on an official University of Pittsburgh transcript.

This collaboration recognizes immersive, experiential learning as academically rigorous and worthy of full credit. It creates a clear and supported pathway for students to earn credit while abroad, rather than treating these experiences as add-ons or extras. It also opens the door for more students, from more backgrounds, to access impactful global learning opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach.

For students comparing traditional study abroad Pitt options with this new pathway, the difference is not only where they spend the semester, but how they learn and who they become in the process.

What Take Action Lab: Human Rights in Cape Town Offers

Take Action Lab is the flagship program of Tilting Futures. It is an immersive learning program that combines structured curriculum, individualized mentorship, and real-world apprenticeships with community-based organizations.

In the Human Rights program in Cape Town, students:

• Apprentice with local organizations working on issues such as education equity, public health, refugee support, gender justice, and community development

   

• Participate in weekly seminars that strengthen cross-cultural communication, systems thinking, and ethical leadership

   

• Engage in reflective practices that help them integrate their experiences into a clearer sense of purpose and direction

   

This is not a typical study abroad Pitt experience centered mainly on lectures in a different city. It is a semester of learning by doing, supported by a research-backed curriculum and a dedicated staff team. The apprenticeships are carefully matched to each student’s interests and strengths, helping them see how they can contribute in thoughtful, sustainable ways.

Tilting Futures’ impact research shows significant growth in areas such as agency, empathy, and leadership among alumni. These are the kinds of skills that travel with students long after the semester ends and into their careers and communities.

More Than a Pitt Study Abroad

Students seeking study abroad Pitt opportunities are often looking for more than a change of scenery. They want their time away from campus to count, both academically and personally. Take Action Lab, in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh, offers a way to transform that desire into a structured, credit bearing, high impact experience.

When students complete Take Action Lab, they do not only earn credits. They return with a more grounded sense of who they are, what they care about, and how they want to contribute. They join a global alumni community that spans more than 3,000 young people and continue to build connections across borders and sectors.

An Invitation to Explore

This partnership between Tilting Futures and the University of Pittsburgh is about reimagining what it means to prepare students for a world that needs thoughtful, courageous, globally minded leaders.

For students who want a semester that counts as much for who they become as for the credits they earn, Take Action Lab offers a powerful path forward.

Explore Take Action Lab Today!