Wow! Day two is in the books, and I am starting to settle in at the University of Pittsburgh, making friends and building connections with great business leaders from around the world. Although it was rainy, today was fascinating. Dr. Raymond Jones, one of my instructors, is a great, energetic teacher who wants to see us lead and succeed in this program in Ireland. He assigned us to our teams today for the consulting project, and I was placed on the AI and co-working space team. I am responsible for the engagement and online presence for Gteic in Carrigart. I chose this due to my love of innovation and passion for leveraging American ingenuity for the world, as well as my roots in New Castle, PA, a town that has faced its struggles in adapting to a changing economy. I see the similarity between my community and Carrigart, Ireland, and I want to see them thrive.
My team and I prepared various questions for Majella Orr, the director of the Carrigart location. We brainstormed questions such as how to maximize tourism in the area in the summer and to stimulate the local community in the winter. We also emphasized the need for AI to stay competitive and to maintain a more in-depth social media presence. The main event today was our first meeting with the client, Majella from Gteic, the company with which my team is partnering with. The company’s goal is to support rural Gaeilge-speaking areas with internet and co-working spaces. What I took away from this meeting was that she was clear in wanting to see this Getic location succeed and to see her village prosper.
Additionally, her primary concern was the lack of tourism during the off months from November to March. Tourism is dominated by people golfing, seeing the natural beauty, and traveling in caravans. The United States and my town of New Castle need more voices like hers that truly push the community to succeed and explore different avenues. Lastly, her willingness to discuss ideas with us is an honor, and my team will do everything we can to achieve our shared goals.
What I found most interesting was revisiting my first post, where I stated that family was a significant part of who I am, specifically my great-great-grandfather, James E. Donnelly, who was from Ulster. I have started studying Gaeilge for this trip and will continue in preparation for my visit to Ireland. Nevertheless, our next step is to begin writing up our scope of work and continue researching the topics we have chosen. Such as mine is Gteic’s online presence, and to improve on what they have currently. We work very well together, and each of us has a unique set of skills that we can utilize. Together, we have an excellent foundation to provide our client with great ideas over the next few weeks.
I cannot wait for what tomorrow has in store! We are scheduled to meet with Kathleen Foody-Malus, the former Vice President/Senior Portfolio Manager of Freddie Mac.