When I first applied to the Haller Global Fellowship in Ireland, I had an idea of what it would be like, but what I had in mind was pleasantly surpassed in academic and personal growth, specifically over the last week in Ireland. When I decided to apply to this program and after meeting the director, Dr. Phil Hnatkovich, on a Pitt admitted students day, I started to research the program, reading past students’ blogs and seeing if it would be a good fit for me. After a while, I applied and was later accepted, along with 11 other students. However, when I read the past blogs, I got a sense of great fun along with academic support. But research and reading about something only prepares you so much. It is like driving a car; you know how to do it, but you don’t know what you will see or encounter while driving. This is what this trip felt like to me.

Over the past month, I have grown considerably, particularly on the personal side. To start, I have consistently been a successful student academically. Achieving a 4.0 GPA at Community College and in high school. At BC3, I took college-level classes in a classroom setting. However, this program provided me with an experience that many can never have. We had one-on-one time with various people from the University of Pittsburgh and the regional business community. For the Pittsburgh side of the trip, I recall Phil saying, “We are exploring the side of Pittsburgh that no one gets to see,” and at first, I thought it was a bit corny. However, when I thought about it after visiting the Hill District, it really made sense. Most people don’t plan a trip to see that part of Pittsburgh, and tourists are often unaware of its existence or its history. However, we did get to see the traditional Pittsburgh sites, such as watching a Pirates game. 

 In Ireland, both in the North and the Republic, we witnessed history firsthand and met people from all walks of life. From Connor and Eamon at the Youth Center in Belfast, to the small town of Carrigart, where we helped out and consulted for them. We did everything, and a trip that most never think of when traveling. At times it was long, I was tired, but never in a bad mood. I always looked forward to what the day would bring.

But overall, the academic side to me wasn’t the biggest takeaway for this program; it was my personal development. Just before embarking on this trip, my family and I visited Canada, my first time outside the United States. This trip didn’t give me much confidence for traveling overseas, as I found Niagara Falls to be less than ideal, rude people, and a sense of resentment towards tourists. I was wondering how it would play out if I were to go to the UK and Ireland. When we went out as a group and alone, we were treated very well, given free drinks, and had a genuine sense of awe that we were Americans, and were asked all different questions. I found this to be genuinely inspiring, and reinforced my belief in American Exceptionalism and how Neo Liberalism is how the world should be run. I met this couple, and they heard my accent and asked if I was from the US, and I said yes. We got to know each other, and eventually, they said, “As an American, you have the power to change the world.” When I heard this, it really struck me how powerful our country is and how much influence it has. During this trip, it has made my goal of becoming a politician that much greater. 

What I also noticed was how Americanized everything was, from the food to the cars and the music. It was fascinating to me, and I heard multiple stories of children watching so many American movies and TV shows that they developed an American accent. Now, this is a bit odd and sad, considering how many movies and TV shows you would have to watch. However, it also shows how the idea of Neo-Liberalism/Conservatism works and how our foreign policy should be when it comes to social aspects. 

However, on a personal level, I’ve undergone a significant amount of growth, as I had never been away from home for this long before, nor had I ever been away from my family. It hit me on the second night of the Pittsburgh side of it; I was sitting in my dorm and realized that I was on my own, finding food, and cleaning my clothes. It was a very real experience that I never felt, but the great thing was the people I shared this experience with. All 11 of them were great and have grown quite close over this month. During the month I celebrated my birthday, they knew and got me a cake and threw a party, which was more than I needed, but it was a really nice touch. But getting food and playing cards every night helped me adapt to living alone quite quickly.

But what the main thing was for me was the choice that I made, which was that I was going to be myself. Over the past year when meeting new people I lost my sense of personality and it took a toll, as I would come home being exhausted for playing someone that I wasn’t and never made any real connections, but at home with my parents and my brother I was me, and I made sure before this trip to be myself, and I did. I didn’t act; I played that part of me, and it went exceptionally well. I didn’t have to worry about what I said or what I did. We were all in the same boat; we didn’t know each other, so it was a blank slate. I created a self-portrait, not a mask of someone else. To me, this was the aspect that I was most concerned about. I knew my academic side would be great, but I was unsure how I would perform in a group this small, especially since we would be traveling and working together.

But this whole trip led to our final presentation at Gteic, which our group worked hard on. But my personal experience of delivering it was enjoyable, and it made me want to do public speaking again. In one of my BC3 classes, I took a speechwriting class, where we wrote speeches and delivered them to the class, which was quite similar to what I did a few days ago. However, during the presentation, I did alright. I could have done better on the speaking part, but the material was well-researched and laid out. But thinking about this, I imagined something a bit different, with more people there, such as some of the people we met. However, only Brandon and Mary from Gteic showed up. For my group, Mary was the one who would need the information, as we had focused on Gteic, but we still had ideas that would require the input of the other business owners in the town. However, this highlights the issue that Carrigart faces: a lack of communication between businesses. If the town had a website, this might not be the case. They could have posted that an event to help the town is happening at Gteic. There is a will there; we provided a way. Now, those have to be put together, and then the town can grow and prosper.

But overall, this trip has been amazing, from the sights to the personal and academic growth. This has set me up to start college and to start my career in finance and politics. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible and to my family, as I could not be here without them.