UCC Study Abroad Alumna Steals the Show in Chicago
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UCC Study Abroad Alumna Steals the Show in Chicago
11.10.2010

UCC, together with 13 other Irish institutions of higher education, recently participated in the successful Education Mission to the US led by the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Ms Mary Coughlan TD.

During the course of her visit, the Tánaiste was introduced to Ms Kelly Tousignant, a UCC Study Abroad alumna who came to Cork from the College of St Benedict /St John’s University in Minnesota and now works as a Marriage and Family Therapist in Minneapolis.  Ms Tousignant who spoke passionately about the importance of her year in Ireland for her personal and professional development said: “Having the opportunity to study at UCC in Ireland, really opened my eyes to so much culture, so much to grab hold of....I’m changed because of it; I’m changed for the better.”

At Student Fairs in Boston and Chicago, representatives from UCC’s International Education Office (IEO) met with American high school students interested in taking their full degree in Ireland. UCC alumni living, working and studying in Boston turned out in force to support UCC representatives at the Student Fair. Ms Deirdre Murphy (BIS) and Ms Anne McCurdy (BE) talked to the high schoolers and their parents about their own UCC experiences and how their degrees have helped them excel in the US, while Mr Peter Maloney (BA), Mr Rory Clune (BE) and Mr Brendan Casey (BE) described their transition to PhD programmes at Boston College and MIT. As Dr Caroline Crowley from the IEO noted: “these events highlight the value of our Study Abroad and Irish alumni based in the US. They are the premier ambassadors of the quality of a UCC education demonstrated daily in their professional lives and their ongoing educational pathways”.

The Education Mission follows the recent launch by the Taoiseach, Mr Brian Cowen TD of ‘Investing in ‘Global Relationships: Ireland’s International Education Strategy 2010-15’, a major new strategy aimed at increasing Ireland’s share of international students. UCC’s Director of International Student Recruitment and Strategy, Ms Louise Tobin, was a member of the High Level Group charged with drafting the Strategy, which can be found at http://www.merrionstreet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/GLOBAL-REPORT-Sept-20101.pdf

Picture: Ms Kelly Tousignant with the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Ms Mary Coughlan TD

MMcS



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