Four County Derry students are jetting off to study business in the USA through British Council’s prestigious Study USA programme.
Derry city’s Lydia Rankin (20) and Leah McDaid (21), who both currently study Geography, are off to the College of Idaho and Warren Wilson College, respectively.
Magherafelt’s Emma Darragh, a 25-year-old Nutrition student at Ulster University, will head to Morningside College, Iowa; while Eimear McElwee (21) from Castledawson, a Nursing student at Queen’s University Belfast, is spending a year studying business at Lebanon Valley College, Pennsylvania.
Speaking about the opportunity, Eimear McElwee said: “I am very excited for this year and really looking forward to getting a good experience of new cultures and meeting new people.
“I play Camogie here at home and hope to try out for the Lacrosse team so I can compare the two. I also enjoy watching American football and baseball and would like to go to some games during my time in the US.
“My future career prospects will be brighter after completing Study USA as the business management classes will help with the management aspect in the final year of my Nursing degree which will equip me with new skills for the future.”
The British Council, which is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, manages Study USA on behalf of the Department for the Economy.
The scholarship programme enables students to study business and management for a year in American colleges, across 34 States, where they gain valuable international experience and business knowledge, helping to develop their career prospects when they return to Northern Ireland.
Since its formation in 1994, the initiative has sent over 1800 students from Northern Ireland to all four corners of the United States where they have successfully completed a year studying
Also speaking about the programme was David Alderdice, Director, British Council Northern Ireland, who said: “We know that the students departing for the US this year will be great ambassadors for Northern Ireland and will help to further long-term links and connections between our two countries.
“The students will have the opportunity to learn from leading experts in their field and their future employability will be enhanced through internships, Ambassadorial presentations, and volunteer work in a really international context. Most importantly, our students will build links with counterparts in the United States that will last a lifetime.”
Study USA is just one of many international opportunities available through British Council Northern Ireland. For more information visit http://nireland.britishcouncil.org, email opportunity@britishcouncil.org or follow on Twitter BCouncil_NI or Facebook
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