Building Dreams: Aoife’s J-1 Adventure in Rhode Island
When Aoife Corcoran spoke to Rian staff about her time in the United States, she was only a couple months into her J-1 year. She was off to a great start and building the foundation for a fruitful year in the U.S!
Aoife’s primary goal for her time in the United States is to build her independence. Aoife sees this as her time to travel, learn more about herself and to try being away from her family and home for the first time. Of course, she is also looking to get hands-on work experience in her area of study.
Aoife is completing her third year university placement in Providence, Rhode Island, working at a Construction company. As a University of Limerick student studying construction management and engineering, the placement has already impacted what she plans to do for her career. Day to day, Aoife is in their office from 8-5. Working in the office serves both as a professional opportunity to network and build connections with coworkers, but also to experience cultural exchange.
When Aoife spoke to Rian staff, it was still getting dark around 5 PM, so after work she usually takes the opportunity to relax. She does this by either watching Netflix or hitting the gym. She traveled to the U.S. with another University of Limerick student. By living with her friend from UL and other students in a shared house, Aoife is learning to live with others in a way she hasn’t before.
At her internship, Aoife spends her days assisting project managers on different job sites. She has also begun conducting health and safety inspections on sites which has given her real insight into health and safety regulations. The company she is interning at primarily does electrical engineering. Aoife said it has been a valuable experience so far and has shown her that her interest may lie outside of the electrical engineering field. She thinks that from a project management perspective, her internship will be invaluable.
Just a couple months into her visa, Aoife has been getting settled into Providence. She loves how the city has so much to do in walking distance. She has enjoyed taking walks along the river and past all of the murals downtown. She noted that she lives in a very picturesque neighborhood, which she loves. Aoife is looking forward to summer time in Providence. She hopes to get to know the city better as the weather improves. She’s excited to go to Waterfire this summer in downtown Providence.
Aoife is excited for the year ahead. She is planning a trip to New York and Niagara Falls with a few friends. She enjoyed going to the Boston University hockey game planned by Rian staff. After experiencing a bit of homesickness her first couple of months, she’s looking forward to enjoying the rest of her time in the States.
As she looks forward to her return home to Ireland, Aoife will be applying her work experience to her final year in university. She will complete the final year project based on what she is learning during her internship. She thinks she will stay in Ireland after her final year. She looks forward to contributing to the engineering field back home.