Hello! My Name is Allison Keough. I am a rising junior at the University of Pittsburgh. I am a double major in Rhetoric and Communications as well as Film. Along with this, I have a certificate in digital media. I am from Philadelphia Pennsylvania. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, hanging out with my friends, exploring new places, and going to concerts. I am also a member of a sorority, where I am serving as the president for the upcoming school year. Along with this, I am a part of the online blog on campus called Studio 412. At Pitt, I have a job on campus working within the career center in the OCC honor society office during the school year. Although I have been in Pittsburgh for 2 years I still enjoy exploring new places or trying new food. I am completely excited to be participating in Pitt’s International Internship Program and be able to live and work in Dublin!
As I mentioned before, I am traveling to Dublin for the International Internship Program (IIP). I will be working for The Grand Social. This is a live music venue in the heart of Dublin. I am very excited to be able to work in a field I feel a strong passion for. I will be working as the social media intern for the venue. This internship focuses on marketing and promoting events happening in the future on social media. I am beyond excited about this internship and to learn all I can learn as much about the live music industry can at this time. With this opportunity, they allow for several different learning opportunities and exploring the field of media. Allowing me to see what I enjoy and not so much about it.
I chose to do the IIP due to its unique experience of allowing me to be abroad along with allowing me to work. I wanted to study abroad during my time at Pitt but due to time commitments and time left until graduation, I would be unable to dedicate an entire semester to study abroad. This program allowed me the flexibility and to kill two birds with one stone. Allowing me to gain both personal and professional experience. For me personally, I need to keep myself out of my comfort zone in order to grow and learn. Coming to Dublin knowing no one in the program is something that I really wanted to do for myself. Being in a completely different country, starting an internship, and navigating in a completely different environment.
Although I am completely excited to start this program I am still very nervous. I am more nervous about the firsts. The first day of work, finding where I am supposed to go, making new friends adapting for the next 2 months. But I know that I am overthinking everything and need to take a step back, live in the moment and enjoy my time here. But this time naturally comes with anxious thoughts of the unknown. I want to continuously work on that. That is how I want to personally grow during this summer. After I have received my placement I did an in-person interview and this really helped to calm the first-day jitters. I was able to tour the venue, meet the other intern and employees, and see where I am supposed to go on my first day. The nerves that I felt were instantly replaced with excitement. This internship is something that I wanted to experience since I was a lot younger and I am so grateful this is where I am able to work and learn.
Academically I look forward to applying what I have been learning inside the classroom to work experience. Returning to schooling being more experienced and knowledgeable about my major and media. Gaining a foundation of transferable skills that allow me to be a successful employee. I want to work on my communication skills within the workplace.
As I look forward to this time abroad I am mostly to have excitement towards this time abroad. I want to enjoy my time over here and immerse myself in Irish culture. I feel very grateful to be able to participate in this program.