Introduction to Innovate Ireland: My sparked interest

I found out about Innovate Ireland through an SU Abroad promotion email in March 2022. I kept on receiving emails about the trip for a couple of weeks but would just glance at those emails and not do anything about it. One morning suddenly I get an email during class about the trip again from abroad saying that the deadline is in approximately a week. I quickly forward the email to my parents and ask them about it through text. My dad tells me “try to apply, it sounds like a great opportunity! Ireland is an upcoming tech center”. I had been on immersion trips before with The Whitman School of Management but in New York City, so this would be very different from what I was used to. I wasn’t very involved in the I-School as all of my extracurricular involvement had been in Whitman and I didn’t know a lot of students in the I-School apart from those I met in class. I decided to apply for the trip and was patiently waiting to hear back.

I hear back a week later and I am so excited! I was so happy to have plans for Thanksgiving break so far in advance. Ireland is a country that I never thought of exploring until I found out about this trip. Overall, I was glad that I would be doing something useful over the 1-week Thanksgiving break. That same semester, I found out that one of my really good friends and her friend are also on the trip which was wonderful to hear!

Over the summer I received my roommate assignment and the weekend before semester started I received the trip itinerary as well as the syllabus for our class IDS 360. After going through both files, I was anxiously waiting for the trip! This was the best travel opportunity anyone could ask for.