As my two weeks in Northern Ireland come to a close,I have a chance to reflect on one of the first things our instructor told us: Always look up.
At the time, she was talking about the intricate architecture of Northern Ireland that you can only experience if you look above your eye level, but after two weeks, I think I understand the sentiment in a different context. Our instructor spent these two weeks teaching us to “see beyond,” in terms of the subject matter, but the further I tried to see beyond, the more I realized I just needed to look up. I learned on this trip to look up from the ground, to look up from the paper and its notes, and to see what was beyond.
When I looked up from the bubble I wanted to be in because no one on the trip was studying the same subject I was, I found a wonderful group of friends who made my time outside of the classroom worthwhile. I saw in real life what we were learning in this program, that everyone has something to contribute.
When I looked up from the pen and paper during presentations, I saw professionals who were experts in their trade and were excited about their jobs. I saw the importance of finding what you love and are passionate about and turning it into your reality. I saw that there is no one way to do anything, and it is okay to make it our own.
And when I looked up from the ground, I saw the beauty in embracing new experiences in a new place. I saw the value of talking to locals and getting their perspective on things I thought I understood. I saw rich history outside of my own homeland and remembered that no place or person has a simple story. It is important to live with compassion.
I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity that Pitt has provided me and for the David C Fredrick Honors College giving me the opportunity to document it. Throughout the rest of my academic career at Pitt and beyond, I plan to remember to look up every once in a while. It can be so easy to get caught up in future plans that we forget about everything we can learn right now. I plan to look up from my notes, my phone, and even the ground and soak in all that is offered to me.