Grand, what an incredible week. This week I arrived in Dublin early on Sunday morning and we stayed moving since touch down. Everyday has been an adventure so far. Adjusting to life in Ireland has been challenging. From 30+ hours of no sleep upon first arriving to adjusting to the air and breaking out in hives, this week has led me to problem solving in many ways. I did not know the pollen (hay) in Ireland would lead to such an interesting reaction. I broke out in hives head to toe, obviously this is not ideal but it gave me an opportunity to find a local pharmacy and venture to the local mall. The first week was orientation with EUSA. We have gotten to know our Pitt group extremely well and also made some new friends from other universities such as Wake Forest and Chapman. On Tuesday we had the main orientation day where we learned the basics about the program, a bit about Dublin, and necessities of living on UCD campus. Although orientations can be long days and a little boring it was extremely helpful and it was nice to feel slightly more prepared for the upcoming 8 weeks. The next day was much more fun. Around 3pm on Wednesday we all partook in Gaelic games. Learning and playing the games was extremely fun but also informative because the games are deeply rooted in Irish culture. Our instructor told us stories of the ancient war times where the games became a beacon of hope for the country and it is now considered an honor to play for your country. I found it interesting that players are not compensated for their performance on the “pitch” because you simply cannot put a price on the honor to play for your country. I personally loved Gaelic football, which is similar to soccer, I was able to catch on fast and playing the relay games was a great experience. I am sad to report that I was not as good at the second game known as hurling. Even though I have played lacrosse for a long time I could not get the grasp of the wooden axe shaped stick. Thursday we had the day off to explore the city and test our routes to work. I am lucky to have only a 30 minute bus ride and friends to share the ride with who are traveling to the same area. Finally, my favorite day this week was Friday. We travelled to Glendalough and Kilkenny. Our hike in Glendalough was incredible with beautiful sights, medieval architecture and vast lakes with mountains. We made a trek up to see a waterfall and castle which was worth the work. Unfortunately we did not have enough time in Kilkenny to explore but we did get to see a 700 year old pub. 

This coming week marks my first official days at Flynn O’Driscoll, a Dublin based law firm where I am interning in the audit department and getting the opportunity to shadow in the mergers and acquisitions department as well. I could not have asked for a more fitting placement. Flynn O’Driscoll sits at the intersection of legal and financial services, which is exactly the space I want to build my career in. Getting exposure to both audit and M&A within the same firm means I am walking into two very different but deeply connected worlds from day one.

The industry I am stepping into requires a specific combination of skills to be successful. Attention to detail is non-negotiable in audit. Every figure, every document, and every discrepancy matters, and the ability to work with precision under pressure is something I expect to be tested on immediately. In M&A, the skill set shifts slightly toward analytical thinking and strategic judgment. Evaluating deals, assessing risk, and understanding how two entities fit together financially and operationally requires you to hold a lot of moving pieces at once. Strong communication ties both areas together, because the ability to translate complex financial and legal information into something clear and actionable is what makes a professional genuinely useful in either environment.

What feels unique to Dublin specifically is the cross-border dimension of everything. Because Ireland serves as a gateway between the US and the EU for so many multinational firms, professionals here have to understand not just Irish regulation but how it intersects with EU and American standards as well. For a firm like Flynn O’Driscoll, that means M&A work often involves navigating multiple regulatory environments simultaneously, which is a level of complexity you rarely encounter at the undergraduate level back home. I am genuinely excited to start observing how that plays out in practice.

Beyond the technical skills, I also expect the culture at Flynn O’Driscoll to teach me a lot. From what I have already picked up in my first week in Dublin, the Irish professional environment tends to be collaborative and relationship driven in a way that feels distinct from the fast paced, output focused workplaces I have experienced in the US. Building trust and rapport seems to matter here before anything else, and I think learning to operate within that dynamic is going to be one of the more valuable and unexpected parts of this summer.