Category Archives: Global Professional

Champlain Abroad Dublin Alumni: Where Are They Now? Rachel Paz Edition

By: dylan helstien, ’17 // Professional writing

Since Champlain College opened its abroad campus in Dublin, in 2008, over 700 students studied with Champlain Abroad in Ireland for a semester.  We decided to track some of them down for interviews about their experience in Dublin, and the impact that study abroad has had on their lives.

Background:

Rachel Paz Champlain College Alum

Rachel Paz, Champlain College, Marketing’14

My name is Rachel Paz and I am part of the Champlain College Class of 2014 and originally from New Jersey. I’ve always wanted to travel and explore other parts of the world, which was a major factor for me when choosing a college. At Champlain I studied marketing with the hopes of going into advertising.

After spending the Fall of 2012 studying abroad in Dublin I decided I wanted to move abroad and live in Europe for a few years to work in digital and social media. Since graduating two years ago I have started a one-year intensive masters program at the Hult International Business School. Hult has five campuses located all around the world and currently I’m at their Boston campus.

A part of my Master of International Marketing program allows students to travel to the other campuses, so I will be going to London in May and graduating there in August. Going to school with so many international students at Hult and going back to Europe has only inspired me more to move there and pursue my career in social media.

Connect with Rachel! Twitter: @Rachel_Paz14 & Instagram: @rach_paz14.

Q: What did studying abroad mean to you when you now have had a few years to reflect.

Blog - Julia, Rachel and Victoria in Ballintoy

Julia Smith, Rachel Paz and Victoria Richards in Carrick-A-Rede, Northern Ireland during their Champlain Abroad semester in Ireland, Fall 2012. Photo credit: Lilly Johnsson

A: Studying abroad meant everything to me, it was one of the main components I was looking for when choosing a college and Champlain had the best program of all the schools I was looking at. My time abroad really opened my eyes to new cultures and experiences. I was fascinated by how different everything was from what I was used to in America.

Q: What lessons did you learn while abroad?

A: I think the biggest lesson I learned was being independent and self-sufficient. It was really nice to realize I didn’t need to rely on my parents to do things for me anymore.

Q: If you could, what would you now say to yourself, just about to get on that plane to Ireland?

A: One thing I would tell myself is not to be so nervous before getting on the plane. I was really scared and wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle being abroad alone without the support of my family. After a few days though I realized I wouldn’t have any issues adjusting to life in Dublin because people there are so friendly and welcoming.

Q: How do you feel you grew while in Dublin?

A: I think I really grew up and matured during my time in Dublin. I had to learn how to figure things out for myself and not rely on my parents to do everything for me. Especially when it came to travelling in other countries, dealing with language barriers, and being able to navigate around foreign cities. Even when things went wrong or my friends and I would get lost we wouldn’t panic, we’d just figure it out. Continue reading →

Why You Should Volunteer at 8 am On Your Day Off

By: Olivia Werenski, Public Relations‘17

This past week, I received an amazing opportunity, one that is consistent with the Champlain College way and how it gives their students every opportunity available. Currently, I am enrolled in the Non Profit and Social Marketing class, taught by the wonderful Serena Mizzoni of Ashoka Ireland. However, in years before, the course was taught by Lucy Masterson, the CEO of Fundraising Ireland. This week, I volunteered for the Rise Up! National Fundraising Conference 2016 and had my thought process about non profits changed for good.

I have to be honest, I wasn’t really wanting to go. After a stressful week of final papers, housing selection, class registration for senior year, a job interview, and throwing an event for my Creative Dublin class, I had low energy and motivation. Waking up at 6 am was tough, especially when I wasn’t getting a paycheck.

When I arrived with fellow volunteers in tow, I was amazed by the hotel where it was being hosted. It smelled like fresh chocolate chip cookies and there was free food everywhere. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad here! We met up with Hermon, a coordinator for the conference and she assigned us our places and gave us some free t-shirts (always a plus).  I ended up being assigned to room 6 for the day, where I would help the presenters with anything they needed and make the lectures a smooth experience for both the participants and the speakers.

Volunteers for Fundraising Ireland

Some of the Champlain College students volunteering at the annual conference for Fundraising Ireland. Photo credit: Lilly Johnsson

The speakers were from all over the world: Scotland, London, USA, Canada, Spain and more. I was impressed with both their talent and drive to get to be where they are in their careers today. Most were CEO’s, either for large companies or owned their own companies. Hearing them speak about the psychology behind decision making and ethics behind asking for money was both interesting and thought pondering. I had come into the conference almost hating fundraising and feeling awkward in situations where I had to ask for money. Now, I see the premise behind it. Not only is it necessary to have a sustainable business, but it doesn’t always have to be this uncomfortable and pushy thing that is always the elephant in the room. These speakers made me see things from a different angle, one that was based on evidence and research instead of personal bias. Plus, I received some fantastic LinkedIn connections that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten.

Tammy Zonker

Tammy Zonker, Founder and CEO of Fundraising Transformed, during her talk at Fundraising Ireland’s conference. Photo credit: Lilly Johnsson

Fundraising Ireland's national conference

In between talks at Fundraising Ireland’s national conference. The venue was the Hilton by DoubleTree hotel in Dublin.

All in all, it was a wonderful learning experience and resume builder and it wouldn’t have never been possible without the help of Champlain Abroad Dublin. This experience reminded me to not judge a book by it’s cover and to always take a risk, no matter how early in the morning it is.

Catch up with me on Twitter: @OWerenski

READY TO GET THAT INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE?

APPLY NOW TO STUDY ABROAD WITH CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE!

Champlain Abroad

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Champlain College visit the film set of The Vikings

Here’s how Ireland works.  It’s all about who you know.  I happened to be introduced to a fellow Canadian named Jeff Woolnough at a US Embassy Christmas party, and of course we spoke of hockey and Canadian poVikingslitics.  It turned out that Jeff was in Ireland as Director of the TV series The Vikings, currently being filmed at Ashford Studios in County Wicklow, about 30 miles south of Dublin.  With Champlain College having a Filmmaking program, I asked if he could arrange for us to visit the set for an afternoon. ‘Not a problem’, he said, ‘we’ll take care of you’.
So, this week myself, Ian Oliver (Champlain Dublin faculty teaching our Creative Dublin course), and six students made the trek to the studio and spent a delightful few hours watching several scenes being filmed getting a tour of the various sets.  We’re not allowed to reveal anything about what we saw, nor could we take photos, but suffice to say this is a very impressive and massive production.  We saw the indoor sets, outdoor sets including a Viking village and large pool for filming boat scenes, the costume, special effects, and prosthetic departments.  We chatted to the director, cinematographer as well as production assistants to get a view of how such a complicated TV series get made.
Huge thanks to Director Jeff Woolnough and Production Assistant Andrew Burke for facilitating our visit and being such fantastic hosts.
-Dr. Stephen Robinson
Director
Champlain Abroad Dublin

APPLY NOW TO STUDY ABROAD WITH CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE!
READY TO GET THAT INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE?

VISIT: WWW.CHAMPLAIN.EDU/DUBLIN

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An Intern Abroad

Along with going to school in Ireland, Champlain Abroad Dublin students also have the invaluable opportunity to volunteer or complete a part-time internship. Seeing international work experience on a resume is pretty impressive and will make you stand out in a sea of applications! Dylan Helstien is a third year professional writing major at Champlain College. (She’s […]

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Champlain College Dublin Welcomes Champlain Valley Union High Students

Students from two Burlington educational institutions met up on Thursday and Friday, 22-23 April.  Not in Burlington, but in Dublin, Ireland.  Sixteen students and two teachers from Champlain Valley Union High School were hosted by Champlain College students studying abroad at Champlain’s Dublin campus.

The CVU students are taking a course on International Business that includes 11 days in Ireland, where they have been exposed to the rich history and culture of Ireland, as well as the stunning landscapes of the Emerald Isle.  A goal of the course was to expose the students to a Vermont-based organization that has expanded abroad.  Course instructor Tamie-Jo Dickinson said that ’Champlain College fit that criteria nicely, and their willingness to collaborate with CVU helped ensure the students had impactful cultural and business exposure on the trip’.

CVU students visiting Champlain Abroad Dublin Spring 2015

CVU students visiting Champlain College Dublin’s Academic Centre Spring 2015

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It Takes One to start a movement…or four dedicated young women.

If you would have asked me three weeks ago to start a campaign to empower women, I probably would have looked at you like you were crazy and said “I mean I’ll make a twitter page, but I doubt anything will happen.” Three week later, I found out just how wrong I was. For my Social & Not-for-profit Marketing class (MKT 340) , we were told by our teacher Lucy Masterson to get into a group, pick a topic, and “do something with it” When my group got our topic, which was “empowering women to have the confidence in the work place,” we all just sort of looked at each other. How in the world were we supposed to do that?! Here we were, four college girls, sitting in a class room in Champlain College’s Academic Centre in Dublin. Not a clue how we were supposed to instill confidence in women in the work place.

Liza Fowler, Rachel Hatem, Karisa Desjardins and Page Hallock - Champlain College students and founders of the Women's Empowerment Movement It Takes One.

Liza Fowler, Rachel Hatem, Karisa Desjardins and Page Hallock – Champlain College students and founders of the Women’s Empowerment Movement It Takes One. Photo Credit: Lilly Johnsson

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A letter to myself four months ago

Why are you packing four jackets? Also, the amount of shoes is a tad excessive. As you pack frantically at the last minute, and your heart is racing, sit down and take a deep breath. You don’t know this yet, but this is going to be the best four months of your life.
Things you don’t know:
-You’ll walk about 30 minutes to get to school. At first this will be kind of annoying, but eventually will become some of the most valuable minutes of your day. It will be the time to declutter and re-organize your brain.

Liza Fowler - Champlain College International Business'15 -Study abroad student in Dublin with Champlain Abroad Spring'15 - Photo credit: Joe Frank

Liza Fowler – Champlain College International Business’15 -Study abroad student in Dublin with Champlain Abroad Spring’15 – Photo credit: Joe Frank

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Professional adventures in Dublin

I arrived at Accenture’s International Women’s Day in a tide of professionally dressed ladies. Just walking up to the Convention Centre Dublin, I had no doubt of where to go by the sweep of women funneling in from the street. There was a contagious energy to the morning, bringing my attention level to a much higher status than normal for a typical morning at 7:30 AM.

As soon as I entered the Convention Centre (an amazingly designed building may I add), I was greeted by friendly staff directing me up to the third floor. Once again following the sea of people, mostly women, I proceeded to zigzag upwards on several escalators. Reaching the third floor, it was clear where the source of this palpable vivacity was coming from. Hundreds of people were gathered, making for a lovely hum of voices and excited chatter. I managed to make my way through the crowd to the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) table, the wonderful organization I have been lucky enough to intern with while studying here in Dublin.

Social Entrepreneurs Ireland from left to right: Maria Flanagan, Annalisa O'Carroll, Lucy Masterson, Sarah Demers, Siobhan O'Keeffe and Sara Dennedy

Social Entrepreneurs Ireland from left to right:
Maria Flanagan, Annalisa O’Carroll, Lucy Masterson, Sarah Demers, Siobhan O’Keeffe and Sara Dennedy

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From Paris to Dublin, Learning from Experience

Studying abroad for me was a big step in the next chapter of my life at Champlain College and future career. I have always loved traveling and knew for a long time that study abroad would be a big part of my college experience. What I didn’t know when I decided to study abroad is how much it would change me as a person. Before I left to study in Paris last fall, I was full of magical daydreams of Paris and how I would travel the world in four months; clearly I had some slightly naïve and unrealistic expectations. Over the four months I lived in Paris, I become self sufficient, self-reliant, and by the end I realized I wasn’t the same naïve girl who had left the U.S. in August. Now, I’m in Dublin with Champlain Abroad and I’m glad I have developed the skills to feel more comfortable in a new city and at the same time am constantly learning new skills that are just as valuable.

Karisa Desjardins – Champlain College: A photo from my first week in Paris!

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An Intern in Dublin

Before I was even thinking of studying with Champlain Abroad Dublin, I remember asking some of my friends’ about their study abroad experiences. One friend mentioned her internship in Dublin, she said it was another way to immerse herself into Irish culture but also a great resume-builder. I had no idea you could have an internship while abroad, but ever […]

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