Students in "International PR: Food, Beverage, and Hospitality" explore Ireland during spring break. Pictured from left: Alexandra Teitelbaum, Emma Swift, Emma Kerl, Tatienna Samuels, Emily Mike and Megan Sutton.
This semester, SUNY Oswego students took a week-long exploration of Ireland for their Quarter 3 course, "International PR: Food, Beverage, and Hospitality."
The trip, led by communication studies faculty member Lindsay McCluskey over spring break, provided students with a number of hands-on learning opportunities, visiting many iconic attractions to learn about public relations, tourism and Irish culture.
Highlights of the trip included a day in Connemara; walking and tasting tours of Dublin and Galway; a day at the Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, and the Burren; a day at the Rock of Cashel, Cork, and Blarney Castle; and visits to the Guinness brewery and a distillery.
Alex Teitelbaum, a junior public relations major, said she gained valuable insights into the field of PR through visits to various sites.
“I was making all these PR connections in my head. At the Cliffs of Moher, there were these shops and cafes inside the mountain, and they were called ‘Gifts of Moher,' which I thought was a cool play on words," she said. "At Blarney Castle, they took your picture while you’re kissing the stone and they’re the only ones who can get that angle, so [visitors] want that picture.”
Tatienna Samuels, a sophomore public relations major, said the Guinness tour taught her the value of creativity and innovation while working in PR.
“When we went to the Guinness factory, there were some ideas they had that didn’t even relate to the product. Like, they had a fish on a bike and it said ‘a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,’ and that was one of their advertisements," Samuels explained. "I was like, how do you even come up with that? But I think that’s an important thing. You need to have things that stand out, and you have to think outside the box.”
Junior PR major Emma Kerl was also inspired by the Guinness tour, noting how the company made the experience visually appealing and engaging.
“There’s a lot that goes into the process of making alcohol that might not interest everyone, but it was so amazing because they appealed to people’s short attention spans,” said Kerl. “They had so many immersive experiences and sites where you could see them actually making the beer, they had a field of wheat that you could touch, they had water falling from the ceiling that was in the shape of the Guinness harp!”
Along with these educational experiences, students also explored Ireland in their free time, sightseeing and learning more about Irish history and culture.
“We had really amazing tour guides who taught us a lot about Ireland's Celtic history and the different mythology that goes along with being Irish, like fairies and leprechauns,” said Kerl. “But also some of the bad parts of Irish history like the potato famine and the troubles, the [Irish Republican Army] and how that has affected how Ireland is today.”
“Their history plays a really important role in everything they do. The names they have on their beer bottles, the bars, the songs that they sing, their culture is so prominent,” said Samuels. “For them to have [at times] such a dark history, they were really so kind and such genuine, loving people.”
Samuels also noted how welcoming people were, and of course, the stunning views.
“At the parade, there was this band playing and people asked me to come dance with them. It was so fun! I was wearing a big Irish flag and stickers on my face,” Samuels explained. “The views out there are once in a lifetime, and usually it’s raining, but when we went, it was beautiful. Everyone was saying how lucky we were.”
Kerl was inspired by the diversity in Dublin, as well as the inclusive atmosphere.
“At the Saint Patrick’s Day parade, they had a bunch of different local organizations… There were different cultural clubs, like people from Mexico or Georgia or Ukraine or Palestine,” said Kerl. “It was just awesome to see how diverse the country is and how welcoming it is to its citizens and immigrants from various places.”
An accessible experience
While semester-long study abroad trips can be expensive, Teitelbaum and Kerl expressed gratitude for Oswego’s Quarter 3 courses over spring break, as it was a more affordable option.
“Oswego makes it really accessible if you look for the opportunities. I got a scholarship, which took off some of the costs,” Teitelbaum said.
“Not only was I getting credit towards my degree, but it was relatively inexpensive compared to other longer study abroad experiences, and you do a lot in such a short amount of time," said Kerl. “The hotel is paid for, all of the trips and tours are included, so it was nice not to have as much of a financial burden.”
Both Teitelbaum and Kerl are also graduating early, which they said initially deterred them from studying abroad until they learned about the Quarter 3 option.
“Since I’m graduating early, I’m limited in the number of courses I can take, and doing a full semester abroad would delay that course,” said Kerl. “It also would have been really expensive, so this was a great opportunity to be able to go abroad for the first time, but also save money and learn a lot as well.”
Teitelbaum said she enjoyed the safety and stability she felt with how the trip was structured.
“I’ve always wanted to travel, so getting the opportunity to do it in a group setting with a faculty member who knows what she’s doing was really nice,” said Teitelbaum. "I felt very safe throughout the entire trip, and I knew if there was an issue, I could go to [McCluskey] and she was just fabulous.”
Samuels said that the trip's accessibility made her want to travel more in the future.
“Everyone says they want to travel, but once you do it, you feel like you can do it even more,” said Samuels. “It was an important stepping stone for me.”
Connecting with peers and faculty
Students on the trip shared how they made lifelong connections with both their peers and professor McCluskey.
Teitelbaum said she is grateful to have bonded with fellow students and to have been exposed to new opportunities.
“As a student, it definitely made me connect a lot with the other students on my trip because I only knew one person going into it and no one else knew each other, so it was really cool to see that,” said Teitelbaum. “As a professional, it made me realize that there’s so much to my major that I haven’t explored yet. It made me really excited to go out and see the world.”
Samuels also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to make new friends, saying, “We all just clicked.”
“What really held us all together was [McCluskey]. She was like our mother out there,” Samuels continued. “I had gotten food poisoning one day and [McCluskey], out of the kindness of her heart, bought me crackers, food, water, she’d come check on me, texted me and asked if I was doing well.”
Teitelbaum said the trip allowed her to strengthen her bond with McCluskey, whom she views as a mentor.
“Especially with the faculty-led trips, I think it’s really special because I was close with [McCluskey] before this, but now I’m definitely going to be connected with her for the rest of my life. It’s cool to have a connection like that with a faculty member here,” she said.
Kerl said the trip made her appreciate the opportunities available to her at Oswego.
“It’s opportunities like this that you don’t get every day, and I’m so thankful. It was one of the best weeks of my life," said Kerl. "I feel like sometimes we don’t take advantage of all the things offered by the school, with like career opportunities, the [experiential learning] office, even the different services offered by [Dr.] Mary Walker [Health Center]… and we should because you can really have so many amazing experiences you weren’t aware existed.”
