Hi everyone! My name is Olivia Morsberger, I am a rising senior at the University of Pittsburgh, and I am from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I am pursuing a double major in Psychology and Sociology. After college, I am hoping to attend graduate school for Psychology.

I enjoy Pitt events such as attending all types of sports games, especially football and basketball. I also enjoy reading books for the bookmarked club at Pitt. Aside from school life, I like going on walks, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family. I also enjoy finding good places for coffee, good restaurants, and new places to explore.

This summer, I will be participating in the International Internship Program in Dublin, which I am very excited about. I will be an intern at the company Headway. Headway is a charity that provides a variety of services for those who have suffered from acquired brain injuries. At Headway, some of my tasks will include coordinating with the team to set up meetings for the day, observing staff meetings, helping to facilitate sessions with the Headway staff, etc. I am very excited about this opportunity, and I believe it will be a great experience for me.

In the past, I have worked and volunteered at a few different places. Last summer, I worked as a receptionist at a gym and health facility. At the gym, I dealt with all client inquiries and promoted products sold by the gym. In the past, I have volunteered at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. There, I helped deliver medical equipment throughout the hospital while communicating with staff throughout the entire hospital. These past experiences have allowed me to improve my customer service skills, sales skills, and overall gave me insight into the working world. Also, I have gained insight into how both a small, employee-owned business operates as well as how a large institute operates as well. I believe that both of these positions have allowed me to become more prepared for my internship in Ireland this summer.

I have been wanting to go abroad during college for as long as I can remember, and I wanted internship experience, so I thought the International Internship Program at Pitt would be perfect for me. I was planning on traveling earlier in my college career, but the pandemic changed my plans. I have not had the opportunity to travel much in the past, and this will be my first time going to Europe, so I am very excited, but also very nervous. Traveling more is something that has been on my bucket list for many years, so I was very excited when I discovered this program. I chose this specific program and Dublin in particular because I would not have to worry about any language barrier, my friends and family who have traveled there in the past have loved it, and it has been a destination I have wanted to travel to for a long time.

I am excited about the professional experience I will gain from this internship. I am looking forward to gaining the experience of working a full-time job since I have not exposed myself to that yet. Since I will most likely be working a full-time job after college, I think this will be a great setup for the future. I am also hoping to gain collaboration skills with the team I will be working with over the summer, and I am hoping that I can work just as well independently. Also, I have not had an internship in the past, so I am happy for this opportunity to begin my first internship.

I am hoping that this opportunity will allow me to become a bit more independent in my everyday life. I think by immersing myself in a different country with a different culture, it will force me to do more things on my own and become a bit more independent. I think I will have many challenges with this at first without having my family or friends close by, but I believe it will eventually help me learn and grow. It is also very out of my comfort zone to be participating in an abroad program for an extended period of time, so as the days get closer, I am getting more nervous, but also very excited. Although I am nervous about living in a different country soon and leaving my friends and family behind for eight weeks, I am so excited for this opportunity and to finally be in Dublin.