Hi Everyone! I am Ava McCrea, an incoming junior at the University of Pittsburgh. I am currently studying finance and accounting and I have loved my time at Pitt learning about both topics! I believe that the courses at Pitt have provided me with the groundwork to be able to thrive this summer. Outside of classwork, I am involved in business clubs such as Smart Women Securities and a business fraternity, Phi Chi Theta. Both clubs help me to grow my knowledge of business outside of what Pitt’s courses teach me. Similarly, I am very excited to take on my first internship in Dublin, Ireland. I believe this internship will provide me with the hands-on experience to not only solidify all that I have learned throughout the courses I have taken at Pitt but also to grow beyond this knowledge. 

This summer will be my first internship, which is both nerve-racking and exciting. While any internship is a stress-inducing experience, we all have the added stressor of being in a foreign place away from our work style and cultural norms. While this does make me nervous, it also excites me as I will be able to step out of my comfort zone and learn so many new things. This will allow me to learn about the business world as a whole, but also how to adapt to an unknown environment, which is a very important and valuable business tool. This summer I will be working with a real estate company, Casey Kennedy Estate Agents. After graduation, I hope to pursue a career in real estate. I believe this summer will provide me with a solid stepping stone to make this goal a reality. It is difficult to get hands-on experience in the real estate realm in that there are not many classes offered for the topics. For this reason, I am even more grateful for my placement as I believe it will allow me to learn so much about my potential future career. Overall, I am looking forward to challenging myself and gaining hands-on, practical experience in the business world. 

As for why I have chosen to participate in an international internship program specifically in Dublin, it is because I am from a large Irish family. My family has always embraced our Irish roots. (My family is just as excited as I am that I am studying in Ireland this summer). As long as I can remember, my family has participated in many Irish traditions. Every time my extended family is together, all 65 of my first cousins, we sing Molly Malone. This song is extra special to us as my mother’s maiden name is Malone. While I have visited Ireland in the past with my family, I am looking forward to staying for a longer period of time and being able to immerse myself in the beautiful Irish culture. For a more unserious reason as to why I chose to study in Ireland this summer, Ireland has an amazing tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone. When someone kisses the Blarney Stone, they are said to gain the gift of eloquence. However, when I visited Ireland as a child, I was afraid of heights and this stone happens to be very high off the ground. For this reason, I was too afraid of kissing the Blarney Stone and I have been upset with myself ever since. I am very, very excited for my family to not be able to throw me not kissing the Blarney Stone in my face. 

Outside of my academic and professional life, I really enjoy music, and hanging out with friends. I am from Philadelphia which has so many opportunities to see live music. I am excited to have this experience in Dublin as well. I am hoping to see live Irish bands and immerse myself in the folk music of Ireland. I hope to maybe even learn a little Irish dancing to go along with the folk music. Additionally, I played many sports growing up, and sports have always been a big part of my household as my whole are avid Philadelphia sports fans. While in Ireland, I hope to watch a few Gaelic football games. I know that people from Ireland are extremely passionate about their home Gaelic football team. I hope to take part in this tradition and maybe pick a favorite Gaelic football team. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone who is participating in IIP Dublin and I cannot wait to travel around Ireland!