My confidence as a scientist had grown, and I felt much more confident in my ability to become “an expert” on one skill or topic and to articulate this in writing— which is a highly transferable skill in the scientific community!
Just a few months after completing my first co-op, I had to begin to think about what I wanted to gain from my second and final co-op. I came across the listing for a position at C.Ú.R.A.M., the Scientific Foundation Ireland (S.F.I.) Research Centre for Medical Devices at the University of Galway in Ireland. Studying abroad had always appealed to me, but it felt unrealistic due to financial and logistical reasons, as well as due to the overall lack of traditional study abroad opportunities for STEM students. The co-op position in Ireland seemed to be the perfect way to satisfy my desire to travel and to grow as a scientist. I was excited to push myself out of my comfort zone and to learn how to both live and work in a new country. Ireland has a large biotechnology industry, and Galway, in particular, is a global hub for medical device production. How cool would it be to learn directly from and collaborate with global leaders in the field? It did not take long for me to decide to apply, and I was fortunate to be offered the position! To help fund my experience, I applied to and was granted the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, which seeks to provide funding for students who may face financial constraints with regards to studying or interning abroad.
I am so excited to share with you all that I will discover while in Ireland, in and out of the lab.
