I'm Hannah Suggs, a senior history major from Sandy Springs, Georgia.
This
semester, I started a new LifeWorks position in the Advancement Communications
office, where I write content for the AlwaysBerry website. I was really excited
when I was given the assignment to write about Purposeful Experiences at Berry
because, to me, it isn't just an assignment.
Purposeful Experiences have been a big part of my Berry Journey. For example, last spring, I had an international immersion experience in Dublin, Ireland.
FINDING BALANCE
I
was able to explore a new country for five months while I studied at University
College Dublin, and I never could have imagined how much I would learn and
grow from the process.
In
some respects, the place where I studied felt like Berry. However, I had chosen
University College Dublin so that I could experience a big school in a big city
in contrast to Berry's tight-knit community. That was important because I felt
that both experiences were necessary for me to have a well-rounded college
experience.
Balancing
my classes and travel proved to be a challenge, though a welcome one.
By early March, I realized that if I wanted to see all the places I wanted to go, I would have to travel solo. For a while I kept thinking my schedule would eventually line up with all my friends' so we could all go on a trip together. Eventually, I noticed that even if the timing finally did align, we all wanted to go to different places.
EMBRACING Opportunity
I
felt safe traveling alone in Ireland and wanted to explore every crack and
crevice. When I first got there, I was hesitant to go out on my own in a new
country, but that feeling soon transformed into a fervor for hopping on that
train and spending as much time as I could in my effort to know Ireland deeply.
I
booked my first solo trip and spent a long weekend in Galway, where I learned
to ride a bike, ate mussels and oysters for the first time and took long walks
along the rocky coast. That is when I first used the foreign train system,
which I soon got very comfortable using.
My exploration also took me to Scotland, where I tried haggis for the first time (which I thought was delicious, a sentiment not shared by my friends back in Dublin).
LEARNING LESSONS
I
will always be grateful I had this opportunity to spend an entire semester in a
country I always wanted to visit.
Being
in Ireland taught me to be comfortable being alone. For the first time, I
allowed myself to be spontaneous. I often found myself catching a bus after
class and heading south of Dublin to the coast for a short trip.
I engaged deeply with the country's history and had the opportunity to visit all kinds of historic sites.
FEELING GRATEFUL
Affording
to study abroad, take an unpaid internship, or be fully invested in a research
or service project can be a difficult choice for us as students. We know these
opportunities can be life-changing, but how can we afford it?
I'm
grateful for the donor who established the study abroad scholarship that made
this experience possible for me.
I
was so excited to hear that Berry has established the Briggs Purposeful
Experiences Fund, which is designed to help alleviate that problem and make
it easier for Berry students to say yes to these impactful opportunities. I
know that students would be so grateful for your support, too.
