A Bit About Me and My Goals for This Summer in Dublin

Hello! I’m so excited to begin to share my journey to Dublin this summer. First, I'd like to introduce myself a little more thoroughly. I’m originally from Omaha, Nebraska, but I just finished my first year at Missouri State University in Springfield. I’m studying Technical Theatre – emphasizing in stage management. I’m super excited to be spending my summer interning with the Gaiety School of Acting (GSA)! I'm looking forward to learning lots at this internship, and bringing a unique American theatrical perspective to their workplace. Aside from theatre and traveling, I really enjoy hiking and getting into nature, as well as trying new foods and seeing new places (all of which I’m planning on doing lots of this summer!). 

Part of the reason I decided to go out of state for college was because of my love for travel. My parents took me and my sister abroad every summer throughout elementary and middle school, until COVID and health issues for my dad stopped our international travel. Because of this, travel has been a huge formative part of my childhood and young adult years. This summer will be my first time traveling long-term to a different country. I'm so interested to see how it’s different from short-term travel and to get to really know Dublin. I’ve been to Ireland before with my family when I was 13, but we were only there for a few days. 

This summer will also be my first time traveling alone. I’ve been anxious about that, but IES Abroad has had the most supportive and encouraging staff I could’ve asked for. They’ve provided lots of resources and offered their expertise in every way. One of the best pieces of advice I got was to write down clear goals before departing. I LOVE journaling, so I’ve taken it upon myself to keep a list of goals to accomplish over this summer.  

My first big goal is to meet and build lasting relationships with lots of new, different people. One of the reasons I chose to study abroad was to deeply experience a different culture and just some of the different ways people around the world live. The only way to do that is to get immersed in the culture and get to know lots of people. To do this, I’m planning on attending a church and hopefully finding some volunteer opportunities to get involved, as well as attending lots of local events. 

Next, one of my goals is to try lots of new things and say YES to things I never have before. One of my favorite parts of traveling is experiencing new things. I already have booked a workshop to make my own silver ring! I’m looking forward to lots of fun things like that. I’m not from a big city (there’s nothing to do in Nebraska), so just living in a capital city is going to be a change for me.  

Another big goal is to work hard at my internship and learn A LOT. I am SO excited about my internship at GSA and I want to make the most of it. The staff have been nothing but kind and encouraging throughout the placement process, as well as in getting me ready to work with them. I can’t wait to get to know them and to have an incredible experience working with them every day this summer. This internship is a great opportunity to get to know not just more about theatre and my field of study, but also how the customs and traditions are different than how they are back in America. 

My last big goal is very simple: call home. My life this summer is going to be so different, and I want to be sure that I’m involving all my friends and family back home in how things are going. Both my sister and I are traveling this whole summer, so I know how important it will be to keep my parents and everyone back home in the loop.