Holidays, Coffee, and New Faces
By: Kaitlyn McGeehan, Nursing ’23
Kaitlyn preparing for her weekly coffee chat.
Nursing Research in Dublin – Ireland
In the virtual setting, I learned that it is a challenge for me to let my social personality come through along with my serious academic side. One way that Trinity College has allowed my peers and me to work through this challenge is through our biweekly coffee chats. The purpose of these chats is to have an opportunity to interact with one another in the program in a virtual setting that is not focused on academics. Our program director speaks candidly with us and facilitates conversation about life in Dublin and about our lives in the US. Recently, we had a conversation about “bank holidays” in the United Kingdom. A bank holiday is the term used for a public holiday celebrated with themes similar to holidays in the US like Memorial Day or New Year’s Day.
The Spring bank holiday took place on May 31st this year, so even though my peers and I were not physically present in the United Kingdom to celebrate, we were still granted a day off and dedicated to some relaxation from work! My principal investigator, Dr. Louise Doyle, took the opportunity to take her family to the nearby shore and take some time away from the city.
One aspect of my internship that I have really enjoyed has been attending virtual symposiums. If it were not for the virtual setting, I would not be able to attend many of the conferences that I now have the time to attend. During our weekly update Zoom chats, my PI makes me aware of all of the free symposiums that I may attend and works my schedule with her to align with the conferences I am interested in. I recently attended a symposium on how child sexual abuse is portrayed in literature and film. It was incredibly thought-provoking, especially to hear from such an expansive array of professionals in research, mental health, and media studies.
This week I will be attending a symposium focused on Elder Abuse Awareness as well as research appreciation. I look forward to meeting some more new faces and becoming more aware of what mental health looks like beyond the context of the United States.
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce.