I'm Reaching My Highest Potential in Ireland

Generally, my experience with Uversity was positively life-changing. I went in with much patience and openness--as it was the first year of the program and we were like the test subjects--and I received so much from the experience because of my attitude. I gained significant professional connections as well as professional experience in my area (a/r/tography--artist-researcher-teacher), which was a fantastic bonus to the experience. I designed my own Masters, across departments of Art Therapy, Art and Design Education, and Arts and Process, which was made possible by the Uversity program. I also completed an additional higher education certificate (Global Development Education through Arts/Creativity and Change) simultaneous to the Uversity Masters, which was possible through the partner institution I was located at. I gained a degree and a specialty certificate in one year. I was the first student to study across 3 different departments at the Cork Institution of Technology-Crawford College of Art and Design, and had almost every door and opportunity available to me because of the nature of my program. I accomplished a dissertation of written word and arts-based education research, a multidisciplinary dissertation. The creative final project was so exciting for all of the Uversity students, as we got to actualize our passions and ideas and goals that we came with into the program. Through the partner institution I was at (for the whole year), I applied for a scholarship opportunity to volunteer abroad as an art therapist in Thailand, which I was granted. So through the partner institution, I gained additional critical work experience with a non-profit organization in Thailand--a place I've always wanted to live in--and had an enriching experience.

The experience of living in Ireland is a whole other important aspect. I was the only Uversity student in Cork for the first semester, so I spent a lot of time explaining and introducing the program to the people of Cork. This helped me to constantly reflect on my experience and my desired trajectory through the program. I gained a lot of local interest in the program, and within the first month of my experience, everyone at the college knew of me and Uversity. They asked me to give a talk on my work the third weekend I was there, which was incredible for me. The people in Cork are so creative and outgoing that they brought me here and there and everywhere, and I made more friends and more connections each month. Cork is a manageable place--as are most towns/cities in Ireland--where you can walk everywhere and find everything you need, so I was always running around and managing my work. Through the international students' society at the institution, I was able to visit and explore a lot of Ireland on the weekends, for very cheap fares. Some Irish people told me I had seen more of the country than they had seen. It was so thrilling to see different spots in the many counties of Ireland, as each one is unique to the next--with different accents, and all! I was so inspired by the multitude of rock types in Ireland, and I took a lot of influence from their textures by making rubbings and using them as bases for my multidisciplinary video, painting, and print work, in my creative practice. In my time in Ireland, I befriended mostly Irish folk but found other international friends through the international student society and through the music scene in Cork. All of my friends were Djs, so I got to be a part of the music scene and always have a gig to go to, and enjoy the entertainment of Cork.

The experience enriched my creative practice and lifestyle, thoroughly. I'm reaching my highest potential as an a/r/tographer-artist, researcher, teacher-and as an individual, through the Uversity program and through the Irish culture!