Alumni Spotlight - Aaron Kohrs

Aaron Kohrs came to UCC in 2015 to do an MA in International Relations, drawn by the University's welcoming academic community and global outlook. He has recently released his first book, Big Dreams Back Home, a memoir that challenges traditional ideas of success by showing how a meaningful life can be built through service, relationships and community involvement. 

Reflecting on his time at UCC, Aaron shares how studying in Cork helped shape his career, his perspective and the community-focused path that led him from his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina, to public service and authorship. Today, he lives outside Washington, D.C., where he works as an Outreach Officer for the region's transit authority.

Why did you choose UCC for your master's degree?

Since the time I was little, I have always wanted to explore the world. My father taught world history and culture at a middle school and that inspired me to study abroad in the United Kingdom at the University of Plymouth for my undergrad. Thinking about graduate school, I cold-emailed many universities around the world and found UCC’s School of History professors to be the most welcoming and they warmly invited me to come to Cork for the MA in International Relations in 2015-16. I am glad I did!

How did your time at UCC shape your career and perspective?

UCC’s academics were rigorous and challenged me to think of the world in different ways, including from a philosophical level. Why do people do the things they do, especially in politics and at an international level? UCC’s courses provided context for international relations, and later, in my emerging career in community organizing, helped me to see why leaders do the things they do (what motivates them) at a local level.

Perhaps the most significant learning experience at UCC was my work placement and volunteer work. During extracurricular activities, I happened upon Dr Gertrude Cotter, a local Cork community organizer and academic. We connected and I helped her promote various causes and events, like refugee relief and carer support. I also volunteered at a local Cork radio station and with the UCC Chaplaincy. In doing so, I learned the skill sets of a civic leader and activist (professional writing, outreach, collaboration), things I would later utilize independently in my hometown in the United States.

Can you tell us a bit about where life led you after graduation?

After I returned to the United States, I ended up staying in my small Southern hometown of Hickory, North Carolina, for about six years. This was not intentional as I wanted to pursue a career in international relations in a big city. Through fate and family ties, I stayed home and became involved in my town’s school system as a teacher and substitute, in local government for the transit authority and I even ran for public office for the local school board. Thanks to my UCC schooling and community engagement experiences, I was able to navigate many sectors in a short time because I had diverse skill sets. Later, I relocated to Washington, D.C. metro for bigger professional opportunities in 2022 but I am still involved in Hickory and greatly value my small-town community organizing experiences. 

What inspired you to write Big Dreams Back Home?

After I lost the school board election in my hometown, I stayed involved with board ongoings and got to know the successor to the incumbent member. She had just written a book about women and their experiences (Everyday Women, Extraordinary Wisdom) with a unique nonprofit publisher in my hometown called Redhawk. She recommended I share my community experiences in a book since she knew I loved writing. So over the course of 2025, I detailed the history of my emerging twenties, including my time at Cork, in a document. Later, I invited many colleagues and friends as editors and beta readers to review and provide feedback before I submitted it to Redhawk for publication.

Why is community engagement so important to you?

As I say in the book, everyone deserves the warm love and care that a family should provide. I know I certainly had that kind of love from my family as I describe in Big Dreams Back Home. Community engagement, to me, is simply extending that familial love and opportunities to build relationships to everyone around you. Yes, there are important causes to organize like education, social mobility and health. But the most important is friendship and growing the love between you and others.