Hi, I’m Kylie Norris, and I’m a rising junior finance major with a certificate in Business Analytics at Pitt. I’m from Maryland about twenty minutes outside DC, and in my free time, I enjoy playing drums, listening to music, dancing, volunteering, watching football (J-E-T-S, Jets Jets Jets!), exploring new places, and spending time with friends and family. I’m super excited to participate in Pitt’s International Internship Program (IIP) and begin my journey abroad in Dublin, Ireland!
While at school, I’m a member of the Girl Up club and Women in Business organization. I am also a member of a sorority, where I served last year as the Associate VP of Philanthropy. Many of my favorite college moments so far have come out of these on-campus commitments and the people I have met through my involvements. However, I’m ready to make more memories while in Dublin and engage with a whole new set of people.
Even though I’ve been solidified in my decision to enter the College of Business Administration since I enrolled at Pitt, I was always relatively undecided about what I wanted to do with my future career. International Business? Banking? Non-profit work? Wealth management? Marketing? Corporate law? Throw all caution to the wind and become a waitress again? It’s all so much to think about.
Despite this uncertainty, I’ve been set on making these four years count, both socially and professionally. I don’t have to know my destination in order to carve a path for myself. When I found out about the international programs at CBA, I was sold on the unique opportunity to have an international internship and wanted to learn more. Looking through the summer programs, Dublin and Madrid stood out to me the most. I had heard so much about Ireland from my dad, and my cousin did her study abroad in Spain. I decided that since this was my first office job, and I’d already need to adapt to an office setting, adding a mild language barrier to that could end in disaster. My mind was made up on applying to spend eight weeks surrounded by the lush greenery and mystical castles of Ireland while working internationally.
When I received my placement at Sweete, Ltd, I was thrilled at the prospect of working at a rewards and loyalty program company, something I had never thought of before. They are a B2B, or business-to-business, firm that has developed reward incentives for Schweppes, Coca-Cola Hellenic, Snickers, and several insurance and banking companies. Their offerings range from free dining packages for clients, free European flights, as well as physical gifts available through their business-to-consumer branch, Gift House. There are about ten employees who work there, and many have been on board for more than five years. I look forward to joining and learning from such a close-knit team of innovative and creative individuals. This internship will give me the chance to learn about data entry, customer relations, product development, design of microsites, finance and budgeting functions at a small company, organization management, and how concepts from my Pitt Business classes apply to future jobs. I will also pick up business communication techniques while working with suppliers, coworkers, and clients.
In addition to professional growth, I will have a lot more personal responsibility and must adapt to a new lifestyle. While being away at university forces me to take accountability for myself, now I will be an adult in an unfamiliar place. Ireland is similar to the US in several ways, but I will have to navigate small cultural differences, like food and minor slang adjustments. I will also have to find grocery stores and use the public transport systems correctly to actually get to work on time – something I perpetually struggle with no matter where I am!
As the departure date gets frighteningly close – read: I have to actually stop procrastinating on minor tasks that need to be completed before I leave – I’ve started to think about how my perspective of the world and of myself will change post-Dublin. Every country I have visited has gifted me an appreciation for different types of scenery, fresh songs for my playlists, cuisines I continue exploring at ethnic restaurants, and/or daily rituals I keep close to my heart. From Aruba, my love of Latin and Caribbean beats was reborn, and I no longer viewed summer as sweltering, sticky, or uncomfortable, but happy, peaceful, and celebratory. From London, I experienced Indian and European cuisines and open street markets in a new way and gained respect for classic, smart style. From Italy came a desire to improve my language skills in the tongue of my ancestors, a hobby of trying new cafes, and adoration of the Mediterranean Sea. What will Ireland give me that I didn’t have before, I wonder? Join me as I discover just that over the next several weeks!