My name is Nishka Abraham, and I am a rising senior majoring in marketing with a minor in economics at Pitt. I am an out of state student from New Jersey. I enjoy playing soccer, being outdoors, and spending time with my friends. This summer I will be participating in Pitt’s International Internship Program (IIP) in Dublin. I am super excited to leave for Ireland at the end of May and cannot wait to start my time abroad.

At Pitt, I am actively involved with several student organizations on campus and work part time. Some of my favorite campus memories so far have been American Marketing Association regional conference, Pitt Dance Marathon fashion show (H2Kids!), working on my sorority’s website, and going to football games. While I cannot believe my final year at Pitt is coming up, I am looking forward to this summer and making more memories during the school year. If you have not already this is a reminder to buy your football student tickets!

I always wanted to study abroad, but since I switched majors at Pitt, I did not think I would be able to. I figured that in order to complete all of my graduation requirements this would be more challenging. It was one of those moments where I did not specifically look for the IIP, but found out about it randomly. After hearing more, I immediately thought this is amazing. The IIP checked so many boxes by allowing me to go abroad, get academic credits I needed, and gain internship experience. On top of that, as a summer program, it fit really well into my schedule. I am so happy I decided to apply.

I decided on Dublin, because there is so much to do there. Not having a language barrier was also a big plus. You get to be in the city while being close to nature. From museums and restaurants to the beautiful coastline and national parks there is really no shortage of areas to explore. I have already started making a list of the places I want to visit in my free time!

During my time in Dublin, I will be interning at Odyssey International DMC. Odyssey plans incentive trips for top performing sales executives. I am definitely looking forward to working on their events and getting to see them in action. Interning with Odyssey will give me the opportunity to learn about event marketing, event planning, and develop other transferable skills. Since this is my first internship, it will be a major learning experience for me. There is a great deal of work involved with planning trips for clients, and the planning process starts about a year in advance. Keeping track of all the itinerary details, building research proposals, overseeing events, and contacting suppliers will be some of my main tasks. All of which require strong attention to detail and effective communication within my team.

Aside from growing professionally, there will be a lot of room for personal growth. Navigating cultural differences and a new environment comes with its own set of challenges. I will have to step back from what I am familiar with to adapt to Irish cultural norms. Even basics, like shopping for groceries or my commute to work, will be an adjustment. After a couple of weeks, everything should be easier to manage as things will start to feel more familiar.

I think most new experiences can seem rather daunting at first. It is easy to run through a bunch of “what if” scenarios that are not productive. For example, “what if” I miss my bus or it gets delayed and I am late for work. There is not much I could do to address that scenario now, as it has not even happened yet. However, taking a leap and going all in forces you to focus entirely on the present moment. That if and when something comes up I will be able to take it as it goes. That is one of my main goals for this summer. I want to be able to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way with an open mind. Along with all of the exciting experiences, setbacks and challenges will always be there.

After living in Dublin for about two months, I am sure I will walk away with lots of stories to tell. Through amazing moments, less than ideal ones, and ones that I can laugh about later, I am beyond thrilled to go to Dublin. Hail to Pitt!