I have just finished up my Study Abroad program in Dublin, after spending 8 weeks in a different country and 7 of those working an Internship at UCD IT Department. There are many takeaways I can derive from this experience. The most obvious thing that everyone who participated in this experience can come away with is the memories. Not many people get to do a study abroad program, so to have the opportunity is an opportunity I am extremely grateful for. The memories I made with my friends and by myself will be something I look back on for the rest of my life. I will have experience that I can share with my friends now, and hopefully in the future, share with my kids.

The study abroad experience allowed me to grow in many ways. One of the biggest ways I grew was personally. This experience allowed me to experience a different culture. Having the opportunity to live in a different culture allowed me to work on my understanding of people. It improved my ability to adapt to a different life and understand people coming from that life. Another personal growth experience I experienced was in my communication skills. I am not the most outgoing person, but in Ireland, almost everyone wants to talk. This was something I knew I was going to have to adjust to, and even though it took me time, I improved my extroversion. There is nothing wrong with being an introvert, but having the ability to go out in public and communicate with people is something I am glad I’ve gotten better at. One of the last personal growth areas I saw in myself was the growth in my ability to use my time. I have always been someone who was not great with time, but with this internship, I needed to use most of my time efficiently. I didn’t have as much free time to do what I wanted, and when I did have free time, I needed to use it efficiently. I am glad to have experienced all of these personal growths, and of course, there were more. However, these were the most important growths to me.

I didn’t only grow personally, but I also grew academically. Studying abroad was a way for me to gain new experiences, but the main reason was to gain new knowledge. This internship taught me many things that will be useful to me when going back to Pitt in the fall. One of the biggest things I learned at my internship was how to code in HTML. It is a language that I never planned on learning on my own or taking a class in. So, getting the ability to learn it at my internship was great because it is something that I can use for the PEP club to help design the website. Another key academic improvement from this experience would be that the 6 credits allow me to graduate a semester early. This isn’t exactly growth. However, it still doesn’t eliminate the fact that this is important to me.

This study abroad experience was unique because it wasn’t a study abroad, but an internship abroad. This gave me my first introduction into a professional workforce. I have worked in a grocery store, but this was my first job related to my major. The biggest growth the internship gave me professionally is that it showed me that I like this type of job and want to do it in the future. Sometimes people go through college without knowing if what they are majoring in is what they want to do, but I got experience in the field, and I can confidently say I want to work in it. Another key professional growth that I gained was that this job improved my leadership. When I get a job in the future, I can help take charge when needed. This was a skill that I struggled with before the internship. The last professional growth would be that this internship gives me a great advantage over others when I am applying for jobs or internships in the future. I worked in the field and adapted to it abroad, which is something many jobs will be interested in.

All of these growths are amazing, but how can I bring them back to Pitt? As I mentioned, I can take my academic growth and help the clubs I am in. It will also help me in any type of project I may get. I can take my experiences with Irish culture and share them with people at Pitt. I will use my improved communication skills to help lead and guide people at Pitt, whether it be underclassmen or people in the clubs I am in. These may be small things in scale, but if everyone who participated in this program does this, we can help make a big change at Pitt. Overall, I am glad to have done this program and would recommend that anyone in the future participate.