Before starting his internship. I had no idea what to expect and tried to keep my expectations low. I have never studied abroad before or been anywhere longer than two weeks. I knew that this process would change me in a lot of ways, good and bad, but overall could not make any predictions about how I would see myself after. Two months later, I can say this time in Ireland was better than anything I could have imagined. The experience changed me in so many ways, making me a better worker and a more mature person. I learned a lot about myself and who I am as a person, as well as valuable lessons I will carry with me through the next chapters in my life.

This trip helped me grow personally in different ways. I came to Ireland very anxious and scared to try things on my own. I was nervous to navigate my job, public transport, and simply existing in a foreign country. I remember he first weeks I left for everything early in case I took the wrong bus, and constantly felt like Iw as doing something wrong. But as time went on, I became more sure of myself and more confident in where I lived. I found myself taking solo trips in to town, exploring new neighborhoods, and finding different places to do work. Taking these steps to go out on my own was scary and sometimes I ran into obstacles, but I learned from every challenge. Becoming comfortable in Dublin on my own was one of my goals but I was unsure if I would be able to accomplish this in just two months. I think that I grew a lot personally by overcoming these challenges and trying to meet the goals I set for myself.

Academically, this experience changed me a lot. I was able to apply things I learned in my public relations writing class into my career i public relations. I have never worked in a job that was a direct application of what I was studying, so this experience helped me become a better academic. I felt like I finally got to see the results of the work I put into my classes, knowing that the things I am learning are directly applicable wherever I go.

Professionally, I definitely grew as a person. I had only worked jobs in hospitality or the restaurant industry, and while those jobs taught me valuable lessons I took with me into this internship, I think there was a lot fr me to learn. I had to adapt to the courtesy of corporate communication, and adjust to working on a project- based schedule. It was overall a big change from jobs I have worked previously and I am glad to have gotten experience working in a professional environment, especially going into my senior year of college.

This program taught me that it is always good to try new things and break out of your comfort zone. I am a creature of habit and do not like to put myself into new environments, but having this opportunity forced me out of my comfort zone. I had to make new friends, adjust to a new city, and spend a lot of time away form home. Without having this experience I would have ever learned new things about myself or become more independent of a person.

The things that I learned in this program, professionally, academically, and personally, are takeaways I will bring with me to every career moving forward. I will use the professional skills I gained form this internship in my law school interviews and in new jobs I get in the communications or law world. I am also glad that I get to come back to Pitt and get to see all the friends I made in this program. Getting to grow my social circle and create strong friendships with people in a different country makes me excited to see them back at school. Our friendships took off fast because we were navigating living in a new country together, and so these bonds will last forever. Overall, there were so many lessons I learned and valuable experiences I will take with me through every new chapter of my life.