Arcadia Ireland

Late last week I had a chance to chat with my colleague Fiona Kavanagh about her study abroad experience in 2017. She was on the Arcadia University programme at University College Dublin  and has now returned to complete a Masters at that same Irish University. She has been offering us some invaluable office support as well as helping us stay connected to the mind of the student. She is the youngest of all of us and is only a year or two older than many of our current students. Mind you, sometimes she seems so much more mature than just 22 years of age! 

Here is what Fiona mentioned during one of our chats:

"Spring 2019 orientation will soon come to a close after we welcome our Maynooth students to Dublin next week. Working throughout this orientation period was quite special for me, as it marked the two year anniversary of my own study abroad experience with Arcadia. I took in a new perspective on arriving to Ireland. Rather than wandering out of the terminal, wide-eyed and excited for the adventure of study abroad, I sat confidently in an Arcadia staff t-shirt and waited for students to enter the country the same way I did just two years ago. We discussed balancing Irish college life with finding cheap pints, adjusting to the concept of “craic”, and how to maneuver climbing the stairs of a double-decker bus as it rapidly whizzes through the city. We played GAA sports as a group and were quite thankful that they provided us with helmets and clear instructions. We tested our strength in hauling four months worth of luggage around the city centre before checking in to accommodation.

The most valuable part of the experience working for Arcadia while attending graduate school at UCD is frequently running into students on campus and around the city. We are often gifted with talented and intelligent students seeking adventure, which makes them more inclined to speak and learn in an extroverted manner. Rather than seeing me as an employee of Arcadia, I have been lucky enough to be treated as somewhat of a peer--granted, I am only a few months older than some of our students. Whether running into them in the city centre or library (I even ran into one in a the bathroom on campus), these students have excitedly given updates and been willing to share their experiences with me. During my own time studying with Arcadia, orientation was a crucial part of being abroad as I was introduced not only to Ireland but also to the other students and reliable staff. I now often feel nostalgic about my own time abroad and I am proud of the work Arcadia does to make this experience so special--and I would argue the students here feel exactly the same way"

Enjoyed reading this blog? Learn more about Arcadia in Ireland!