Hi! My name is Kate Viereck and I am heading to Dublin, Ireland this summer as part of the Pitt Business International Internship Program. I am a rising junior at the University of Pittsburgh studying Finance and Supply Chain Management with a minor in Economics. I came into college knowing I wanted to work in business, but the past two years have sharpened that into something much more focused. My coursework has genuinely challenged the way I think, and I have started to build a clearer picture of the kind of professional I want to become. I am drawn to problems that sit at the intersection of data, strategy, and real decision making, and I have learned that I do my best work when the stakes are high and the answers are not obvious. This summer feels like the best next step in figuring out what that looks like on a global scale, and I could not be more excited for what the next few months have in store.

I am originally from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Growing up just outside of a major city gave me an early appreciation for culture, energy, and the kind of places where things actually happen. I have always felt a natural pull toward Irish culture, I think some of my personality will fit in perfectly there. Since coming to Pitt two years ago, I have spent more time in airports than I ever expected, and I would not have it any other way. My life has become marked by airport codes, and this summer I am thrilled to add DUB to the list.

Ireland has always felt like more than just a destination to me. Growing up, I always felt a strong connection to my Irish side, especially given that my mom’s maiden name is Maguire. There is something different about traveling to a place where you feel like part of your story already exists. This summer is not just about building my resume or gaining professional experience, it is about showing up somewhere that has always felt like a piece of home and finally getting to see it for myself. That combination of personal meaning and professional purpose is a big part of why Dublin stood out to me above every other program location.

On campus, I stay pretty busy. I am an active member of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity, where I have held a Brotherhood Chair position and built some of my closest friendships through shared professional development. Being part of DSP has pushed me to think seriously about what kind of professional I want to become and what I want to stand for in a workplace. This semester I also participated in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Strategy Case Competition. The experience genuinely shifted something for me. Working through a real strategic problem with a live dataset and presenting recommendations to an executive panel made me realize how much I enjoy the intersection of data, strategy, and global business. It also directly inspired me to add Supply Chain Management as a second major, because I wanted a more complete toolkit for thinking through complex business problems.

Professionally, I am interested in finance and compliance, particularly within financial services. One of the things I am most excited about with Dublin specifically is the exposure to EU regulatory frameworks that I simply cannot get interning in the United States. Ireland sits at the center of European financial services, and the regulatory environment there, things like MiFID II and broader EU compliance structures, is something that very few undergraduate students get to engage with firsthand. I am hoping this summer gives me real insight into how international regulatory environments shape business decisions and what a career in that space actually looks like day to day.

In terms of skills, I am coming into this experience with a few specific goals. Professionally, I want to develop stronger cross-cultural communication, get more comfortable operating in ambiguous or unfamiliar situations, and gain hands-on exposure to financial tools and software used in international settings. Adaptability is something I know I will be tested on, and I am genuinely looking forward to that challenge. Academically, I hope the hands-on experience translates back into the classroom in a meaningful way. There is only so much you can absorb from a lecture or a case study. Getting to live inside a real organization, in a real international market, for two whole months feels like the kind of education that sticks.

Personally, I hope to come back to Pittsburgh in the fall with a clearer sense of direction, a broader perspective, and maybe a better understanding of what it means to be part of a place that has always felt like mine in some way.

Dublin, I am ready. Let’s go.