Posted By: Career Enrichment Network
Photos and content contributed by Kristian Tienda Langa.
Kristian Tienda Langa, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Economics spent last summer interning abroad in Dublin, Ireland. Read more about her experience below!
I studied with IES Abroad in their internship program, in Dublin, Ireland. I chose to study abroad during the summer because it is easier to intern due to my busy schedule during the academic year, and so that as a 2+2 student, I would not miss out on any Penn State events throughout my junior and senior year. As many Americans in my town and socioeconomic class, going out of the country was never really an option when I was growing up. I always enjoyed the history and culture of Ireland, so the opportunity to intern in my specific major in a country I only read about in books was one I could not pass. Since Ireland is still trying to bounce back from the recession, I was able to study the social problems of poverty, homelessness, and tensions over immigration in a more diverse Dublin due to financial success before the crash.
I interned at Southside Travellers Action Group, an action group focused on aiding the ethnic group of Irish Travellers in mental and physical health, work, accommodation and preservation of their culture. Because of this opportunity, I was able to see into the lives of people being oppressed by a government that did not want to fix the problem that it created, and how they had to overcome as a community now forced into assimilation. I was able to work alongside these individuals and learn the struggles they had with the government and within their own communities.
Since high school, I wanted to be a lawyer. I want to work in the field of Intellectual Property and Patent law because I believe one’s work and innovation should be protected under the law. I wholly believe ideas should be protected, so of course, I believe people should be too. It was frustrating to see the tireless efforts of their organization be drained and rarely replenished by the government that created the problem. To see that little could be done by the action group to make a social change, because the law was not on the Traveller’s side as an ethnic minority, fed my passion for advocacy through law and policy reformation. Because of my internship, I have solidified my calling to law.
Though the Irish speak English, most Travellers have their own dialect with splashes of Gaelic and specific Traveller words. At times it was hard to understand what they were saying, but it became easier the longer I interned at the action group.
As I had said previously, as someone who could not afford to travel abroad growing up, I still do not have the means as an out-of-state college student. I was only able to afford this amazing experience through departments like the College of Liberal Arts and the University Office of Global Programs. I would have not even dreamed of going abroad without the encouragement of my advisers for Sociology and the College of Liberal Arts/Study Abroad at Penn State Beaver.
It was an interesting experience taking classes in another country. Understanding how they measure quality, participation and involvement within the classroom setting and the work place to give a final grade was something new. I would have to say I prefer the clear-cut American, or maybe Penn State, way of grading over theirs. Though the way of grading in Ireland will always be respected by me, because it works for them.
To anyone thinking about interning abroad, I would make sure that they are understand that studying abroad is financially draining. The experience of traveling to places within the area, especially with a different currency, will slowly chip away at your bank account. You may want to see everything there, but do your research before you take trips so that you can find the most affordable, yet still fun, way of experiencing the region. That way, when you come back home, you will have had fun while not crying when you see your next bank statement.
All Liberal Arts students studying abroad are eligible for Enrichment Funding. To learn more, please schedule an appointment via Network Symplicity or email Jackie Smith, Global Experiences Coordinator (jds54@psu.edu)
