A FastTrack Benefit Not Listed in the Promotional Literature

It was love at first sight, said Pitt FastTrack student Vinny Alascia, who met his wife, fellow FastTrack student Jamie Weisenstein, during one of the program’s on-campus sessions. The couple was married in August.

By Ron Cichowicz

From its inception, the School of Information Sciences’ (SIS) FastTrack degree program was designed to encourage the building of relationships among cohort members so that individual students could support each other in the learning process. Student after student from that first class, which graduates today, attests that the effort was successful and that numerous friendships were formed.

But it’s doubtful any can rival the one forged between FastTrack students Vinny Alascia of Delaware and Jamie Weisenstein, a Pennsylvania native.

“To all those who say ‘love at first sight is a myth,’ I say, ‘ha,’” said Alascia. “Jamie and I started FastTrack hoping for a professional degree, and we wound up married to each other. At first it was difficult because we were relegated to online chat or net meeting sessions and seeing each other every three or five weeks on extended weekends.”

Alascia and Weisenstein were married in August and now live together in Delaware.

“Now we look forward to our lives together,” added Alascia. “Jamie has begun a job as librarian at William Henry Middle School, and I will begin my new position as technical services librarian at Wesley College shortly.

“I don’t know if they (SIS) can market FastTrack as a way to meet really attractive librarians and live happily ever after, but that is what happened to us.”