The Honors Program and the McNair Research Institute traveled abroad to Ireland for the Honors Ambassador trip during spring break.
The chaperones for the group were Honors director John Tuttle, head of the McNair Research Institute Jennifer Titanski-Hooper, vice president for Student Life Chris Kennedy and human resource manager Brigid Kennedy. The honors students who attended were Camryn Cassetori, James Parker and Bailey Mitchell. The two McNair scholars who attended were Brianna Sessions and Leigh Delato. The group flew into Shannon, Ireland, then went to Galway, Doolin, Cork, Carlow and Dublin before flying back home. The group visited FMU’s exchange partners at the University College Cork and Carlow College.
Tuttle is retiring this June, and this is his last Honors Ambassador trip. He believes the one thing he will remember most from this trip is the laughter everyone shared.
“I could tell we were having a great time because we kept laughing all the time—in the van, in restaurants, in pubs, everywhere but cathedrals, but sometimes even then,” Tuttle said.
Tuttle will also cherish the memories he was able to spend while in Ireland. Ranging from the crashing oceans to the beautiful greenery of the country.
“Other than that, when I close my eyes to remember, I see those ruined abbeys, which always take my breath away. It’s like a visit to another planet—an ancient, gorgeous planet that still reveres its history,” Tuttle said, “The rolling green hills and the abbeys and the waves crashing on the rocks at Baltimore or the Cliffs of Moher: that’s what I’ll see when I picture Ireland, and what I’ll hear is laughter.”
Tuttle’s favorite part about the trip was on the last night of the trip when everyone got to have one last family dinner together.
“Our big family meal at the Church restaurant in Dublin,” Tuttle said. “It was a church or cathedral at one point, but it had been repurposed into the greatest pub/restaurant ever. That was a great night because we had made such great memories and were all together, and everyone was happy and they served Murphy’s.”
Tuttle encourages all future students to apply for the Honors Ambassador trip in the future.
“Apply,” Tuttle said. “In my 12 or 13 years of going on such trips, we’ve never had a bad one. We learn a lot about our host country and a lot about each other, and we all come home totally exhausted but enriched in ways that only traveling can enrich a person. And thank God for Chris and Brigid Kennedy, who I think can be counted on to lead more such expeditions. They were the consummate planners and guides.”
Kennedy will be taking over Tuttle’s position as Honors director. He and his wife put together the itinerary.
“Yes, there was quite a bit of behind-the-scenes planning involved with this trip,” Kennedy said. “We have to work out the itinerary, where to fly in, where to depart from, as well as the Van rental and all the various nights and hotels in the cities along the way. I wanted to do as I have done in the past and bring the students into the west of Ireland first (fly into Shannon) and give them a taste of real Ireland and rural, wild Ireland in Galway, Doolin, the Cliffs of Mohr, as well as Cork before we moved up to Dublin to finish our trip and return home from.”
The reason for the curated itinerary was to assist students who may be traveling to another country for the first time.
“Sometimes coming straight into a huge city like Dublin is a little overwhelming for the students, especially if this is their first trip abroad or to a large city,” Kennedy said. “So, we eased into Ireland a bit, before tackling Dublin in our final days in Ireland. I think it worked out brilliantly.”
Kennedy hopes students who attend the trip fall in love with exploring the world and decide to do it again.
“I hope they all get the travel ‘bug’ the urge to travel more and more, to explore the world, its places and cultures, to not be afraid to try new things,” Kennedy said. “I want them to break out of their comfort zone, eat different foods, and be uncomfortable in a different surrounding, but find out how strong you really are and that you can navigate well in a foreign land and be fine. I hope that those that want to study abroad feel comfortable in making that decision, now that they have traveled abroad and have seen some of our exchange partner institutions.”
When it comes to traveling abroad, FMU faculty do their best to ensure students are comfortable and often take pride in introducing new cultures to students.
“I really love it when I am able to get some of our students ‘their wings’ when they complete their first flight on an airplane and travel off to foreign destinations,” Kennedy said. “Get them out of the South and the Pee Dee and have them experience the world.”
Bailey Mitchell, a junior Biology and Spanish double major, loved everything about the trip. It was hard for her to pick a favorite activity.
“It is hard to say what my favorite part of the Ireland trip was,” Mitchell said. “We had so many different experiences ranging from the Cliffs of Moher and the Baltimore Beacon to the big cities of Dublin and Cork. I would say my favorite part of the trip was being able to be immersed in the culture. Massive shoutout to the Kennedys for truly making the trip. We saw all sides of the way of life in Ireland. I enjoyed the rolling hills, the greenery just everywhere, the amazing views, the abbeys, but also the hustle and bustle of Cork and Dublin. We went to pubs and were able to experience traditional Irish music and pub food and drink, and it was phenomenal.”
The Honors Program hosts its Honors Ambassador Trip each year during spring break and it is open to all honors students. Make sure to keep an eye out for the application next year.