My personal interest in this program is motivated by the fact that I have never traveled outside of North America, so traveling to Dublin for me will be a valuable international experience. The rest of the world has always fascinated me, and I am very interested to finally be able to begin to compare the United States with another country in person. From the comparison, I hope to gain insight in the cultural similarities and differences that are present between Ireland and the United States so that I can better understand interactions between the two countries in both the political and business worlds. As far as my professional goal for this program goes, I intend to pursue the Certificate of International Business in the College of Business Administration, and an early study abroad experience before my freshman year at Pitt evens begins will set me on the path to complete the certificate and encourage me to take part in other study abroad opportunities in the future. In addition to the certificate, I hope to see successful businesses in action here in Pittsburgh and Dublin to expand upon my knowledge of business and the business world alike.