Hours before the Georgia Tech football team opened the season with a victory in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, 47 First-Year Semester Abroad students embraced the Institute’s motto of Progress and Service, taking part in a service project at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.
In cooperation with Localise Youth Volunteering, Ireland’s national youth volunteer organization, Tech students visited hospital patients, wrote cards, and crafted care packages for patients at the level-4 teaching hospital. They also packed backpacks for refugee and migrant children in Ireland’s capital city.
The service project portion of the international kickoff event gave rise to the hashtag #MuchMoreThanAGame, and just as the Yellow Jackets made a statement on the field with their win over Florida State, the students left a similar impression on the community.
“When our First-Year Semester Abroad students participate in events like these, they do much more than just lend a helping hand — they become ambassadors of the values that define our community,” said Elizabeth Reese, program and operations manager for the FYSA program. “These experiences allow our students to live out Georgia Tech’s values in a global context, leaving a ripple effect of positive change. They return home not just with new skills and knowledge but with a deeper understanding of what it means to be a global citizen and a proud representative of Georgia Tech.”
FYSA students are Tech undergraduates who spend the first 12 weeks of their college careers at Oxford University. Ella Maksumic embraced the opportunity to make a difference through one of her first experiences as a Yellow Jacket.
“Having the opportunity to represent Georgia Tech at the game and in the city was a huge honor,” she said. “I am very aware of how lucky I was to experience such a grand event in my first semester, so I truly tried to make the most out of it. I was so grateful we were able to give back to the community by volunteering and working with locals to direct some of that spirit and joy to those who needed it most.” Furthermore, holding the flags on the field was immense fun, and I had so much pride for the Institue and our FYSA cohort in that moment,” she said.
President Ángel Cabrera, Buzz, and the Georgia Tech cheerleading team were also on hand to participate in the event.
Learn more about the First-Year Semester Abroad program here.
