I still cannot believe that more than three weeks ago I was still doing my internship in a completely foreign country. Looking back on the time I have spent in Dublin almost makes the whole experience seem like something that never actually happened. The seemingly long eight weeks before the program ended up passing by in a flash. And by the end I really did wish that I could have stayed longer. The experiences and perspectives I gained from this study abroad trip are honestly some of the most valuable things I could have asked to get from this trip. I really feel like I made the most of every single day I spent in Dublin.

My internship experience was probably one of most rewarding and teaching experiences of my life. I got placed into a nonprofit organization, St. John of God’s Intellectual Disability Services, which focuses on aiding people with intellectual disabilities. I initially wanted to work in either a hospital or a laboratory setting, which would both contribute to my goal of becoming a physician in the future. So I was a little worried that this experience working for St. John of God’s would not provide me with the experience I wanted to gain through the whole program. However, I could not have been more wrong with this assumption. As I said the entire experience was so rewarding, and I truly believe that I found something that I enjoy a lot and that I am really good at. I worked at a specific branch of St. John’s called Strive where we worked with eleven service users with down syndrome. We helped them through their daily activities while also helping them navigate specific social and intellectual obstacles. This internship taught me a lot of skills that I will be able to apply to any future career. It taught me a lot about how to manage certain emotional disputes as well as the patience necessary for this. As much as I tried to guide the service users, they ended up teaching me a lot more about emotional intelligence. Overall, I could not be more thankful for receiving this opportunity and getting to work in such a special environment for 2 months. The service users were so welcoming and willing to accept me which I am so appreciative of. I honestly miss them a lot already and hope to visit them sometime in the future. My supervisor as well as my coworkers were so kind and helpful in giving guidance throughout my entire internship. I would like to give a special thank you to my placement manager, James Stone, as well as all the amazing people who setup this wonderful opportunity for me!

This internship experience truly opened my eyes to the prospect of volunteering and working to help disabled individuals. In fact, my plan is to apply to volunteer at the UPMC Children’s hospital, which is going to be different from the work I did through my internship, but it will provide more perspective and valuable experience that will guide my future career decisions. I am hoping to gain that same rewarding experience with my future volunteering endeavors.

Outside of the work I did through my internship, I had a wonderful time in Dublin. I am so thankful that I was able to go on so many trips inside and outside of Ireland throughout my time. I had so much fun exploring different parts of Ireland such as Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey, Killney Hill, Howth, Bray, Galway, and many more places. I got to go on so many beautiful hikes and explore some truly breathtaking places. It is also important to mention that I met some really cool people during this trip that made every experience that much more fun, and to them I want to give a special thank you as well. I was also able to fly over to London to visit my cousin and his family who I have basically never met before. This was also such a special experience because I got to connect with a part of my family that I really have never interacted with before. I also got the chance to explore the vast city of London as well. My second out of country travel experience was Edinburgh which was also so much fun to explore and see all the beauty the city held. The entire experience as a whole has inspired me to travel a lot more.

I would also like to give some appreciation to everyone that even made this trip possible for me. Thank you to Stephanie Spirk for managing and providing this opportunity to students at the University of Pittsburgh. I really think this program is so special and hope that other students in the future decide to participate because this experience can really teach you a lot. And finally, a special thank you to Emma Devlin, as well as everyone who worked so hard in EUSA, to make students feel so welcome, and comftorable adjusting to a completely different environment.

Thank you everyone for everything! I appreciate everything that you have done to make this experience amazing!