Five Co Derry students are off to study in the USA this month to help to develop their career prospects when they return to Northern Ireland.
Ewan McComb, Maire O’Kane, Oisin O’Donnell, Grace Owens and Ronan McKee will be among 48 students on Study USA, a programme that offers scholarships to study business or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related subjects in American colleges across 28 States.
Maire, Grace and Ronan all hail from Magherafelt. Maire, a Law student at Queen’s University Belfast is heading to Hamline University in Minnesota.
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The 20-year-old, who is a past pupil at Rainey Endowed Grammar School, said: “I wanted to apply for Study USA as I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
"I can’t think of a better way of meeting a wide variety of people and broadening my horizons. I think it’s an exciting opportunity to do something different and out of my comfort zone.
“I’m most excited about meeting the people when I get to my new college and hopefully making some great friends. I’m nervous about leaving all my family behind but they’ve assured me I’ll be having so much fun I’ll forget all about them!”
“I hope to benefit from this opportunity on a personal but also educational level, helping develop my communication and social skills by pushing me into a new environment with new people.
"I am also hoping that by studying in a different area, it will push me educationally to think about different careers and different paths I could pursue.”
Ulster University students Grace and Ronan are heading to Morningside University, Iowa and the University of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Accounting student Ronan, 20, is a former pupil at St Pius X College, speaking ahead of his departure he said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which I feel you can’t turn down.
"I want to build relationships and networks which hopefully someday I will use to benefit my career goals further down the line.
“I’m really excited about campus life and just getting about on a daily basis - from playing sports to even snowboarding during the winter. I think that getting to experience a different education system is beneficial to anyone as it will help you find new ways of learning.
“Through Study USA, I will be more culturally diverse in the way I act and talk to those around me. I’ll have a better understanding of the US market, business and how they conduct business there compared to home. Also, if I was to complete the year abroad I would feel a real sense of achievement as not many get the chance I’m getting over the next year.
"Staying in America for a year, studying and making new friends will open new gateways through which I’ll always be able to visit again in the future.”
Meanwhile, Ewan, from Castlerock is a history student at Ulster University and is off to Eckerd College in Florida; and Oisin from the city of Derry, will spend a year at D'Youville University in New York.
Oisin, 21, studies Economics at Queen’s University Belfast and is a former student at Lumen Christi College.
He said: “I decided to apply for the Study USA programme as I thought it would be a good way to see a different part of the world and an opportunity to meet new people from different cultures.
"I think through the programme I will be able to step outside of my comfort zone which will help me to build confidence. I also think Study USA will help me develop a wider perspective on the world and give me a better understanding of how business works.”
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