The year in review; seeking a spring intern; student aid & scholarship webinars

The year in review; seeking a spring intern; student aid & scholarship webinars – and more!

Rep. Abigail Salisbury January 6, 2026 | 4:23 PM

A year of progress – and more to come!

Happy New Year! As we embrace the year ahead, I wanted to offer a quick look at some of what we accomplished in 2025 with the help of our talented staff. We’re excited to roll up our sleeves and continue that progress in 2026!

We closed out the year with new funding to the borough of Wilkinsburg, which secured nearly $270,000 for a project to replace the signal at East Swissvale & Wallace avenues. Visit this page to read more.

Seeking a spring intern!

Our office is seeking an intern for a paid 10-week position offering up to 20 hours per week at $15 per hour. Please contact our office at (412) 273-3400 to learn more!

Around the District

District Officer Director Aaron joined the Rankin Christian Center’s Kwanzaa celebration of Nia (Purpose) as the community shared food, music, dancing, and fellowship.

Swissvale and Braddock Hills boroughs have shared policing duties for years. Last Monday, that partnership became official as Judge Lisa Caulfield administered the oath to the officers of the new Swissvale-Braddock Hills Regional Police Department. The police canine may not have been able to repeat the oath, but he looked just as excited as his human officers to continue serving our community!

Webinars offer tips on securing student aid, scholarships

Students and families will want to check out these upcoming PHEAA webinars:

“Searching for Scholarships” will cover types of scholarships, tips for creating scholarship resumes, and how to pay any remaining balance after all free aid is applied. It will also highlight available resources, including current scholarship opportunities. You can register for the Jan. 13 webinar here or the Feb. 12 webinar here.

In “Advanced Planning for Financing Higher Education,” members of PHEAA's PA Forward and Keystone Student Loan teams will discuss the costs of higher education and what help is available to lower the costs. Visit this page to register for the Jan. 22 webinar and this page to register for the Feb. 17 webinar. You can also visit pheaa.org/virtual to learn more.

Finding funding & help with state services

Please remember that our office can help with a wide range of state-related matters—from filing a Property Tax/Rent Rebate or obtaining a Senior ConnectCard, to navigating state benefits and more. Contact us to find out how we can help!

If you’re searching for a state grant, you can find a list of the latest program openings here and a state grant-finding search tool here.

You can read my e-newsletter in a way that’s preferable to you by visiting my legislative website here and clicking on the accessibility icon in the lower right corner.