Hello everyone! I am over halfway through my program on Inter-Professional Studies in Health, Rehabilitation, and Education in Belfast, Northern Ireland! We are staying on the beautiful campus of Stranmillis University College, where a typical day begins with a traditional Irish breakfast of bacon, sausage, potatoes, eggs, soda bread, and potato bread! Our days are structured and busy, so we get the most out of this learning experience! Especially with the sun setting around 10 pm, I feel like we are always on the go. After breakfast, we will either stay on campus or embark on site visits to foundations and special schools serving individuals with disabilities. During our site visits to both Harberton and Hill Croft Special School, we had the amazing opportunity to observe the strategies for providing individualized care at each student’s developmental level. Through observation and discussions with staff, I learn that their resilience, passion, and unwillingness to accept anything less than the best is truly the force behind such strides in special education.

We also have the privilege of learning from Pitt and Stranmillis professors. In class, we explore the range of neurodevelopmental disorders as well as the conventions and policies implemented to ensure health, safety, and education for individuals and children with disabilities. On my program, I have met many new friends studying to be future occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, and psychologists! With my career focus of pharmacy, I have not crossed paths with many rehabilitation majors, so it has been very impactful learning about their passions for their respective fields. This program, as well as my classmates, have opened my eyes to the importance of a multiprofessional team and the value each brings to the holistic care of an individual.

We have an assignment to interview natives of Northern Ireland to learn more about their culture. Admittedly, I was very nervous to conduct these interviews, but I truly learned an abundance of insights and unique experiences that help me understand their culture beyond my own observations of it. In my conversations, we chatted about topics ranging from hobbies, cuisine, and transportation to more serious topics like their education system and the intertwining of religion and politics. We talked about the theory of “live to work” or “work to live”, and my interviewee confirmed that latter is more representative of their culture. Answering their questions about my experience of U.S. culture led me to think more deeply about the multifaceted one I am a part of!

I am thankful to be embarking on this study abroad journey, all while gaining invaluable knowledge about the multidisciplinary involvement in the health and education for children with disabilities.

As a Northern Irelander would say… that’s me!