Two ambitious Donegal students are off to Pennsylvania this month after securing prestigious ‘Study USA’ scholarships.
Hannah Mulcahy and Aoife Ferry, who attend Queen’s University Belfast, are among 48 students from across Northern Ireland to be selected for the programme.
Law student Hannah will spend the next year at King’s College, Pennsylvania, while Aoife, a student in Midwifery Sciences is off to DeSales University.
Aside from her studies, Hannah is competing as Miss Donegal this summer and will be flying the flag on her travels. Unfortunately, this means that she will not be attending the Miss Ireland final later this month.
Speaking ahead of her departure, Hannah, an ex-pupil at St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar said: “I decided to apply for Study USA as it has given me the opportunity to spend a year studying business as my main subject, which will be a fantastic opportunity. I’m excited about moving country and discovering a whole new level of independence. However, I’m also nervous about not knowing anyone at all and how I’ll make friends in the first few weeks.
“I hope the programme will aid me in my future career as a lot of companies like the American way of thinking when it comes to business. When I return home, I hope to finish my third year of university at Queen’s University, and then begin my studies at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies in Belfast.”
48 students from across Northern Ireland have been selected to take part in prestigious Study USA programme and will spend a year studying in the USA (pictured at Queen’s University Belfast for their pre-departure briefing).
Study USA offers scholarships to study business or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related subjects in American colleges, across 28 States. 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 – and since its formation in 1994, the initiative has sent over 2000 students studying in Northern Ireland to all four corners of the United States.
