My name is Eliana; I am 27 years old and proudly Paraguayan. I love traveling, meeting and connecting with people from different places and learning from them. When I am not studying or at lectures, I love going for a run around campus or Galway city. I also love hiking - I think is a wonderful way of discovering Ireland.

I worked for 3 years as a project manager in the construction industry in VM Instalaciones, where I supervised on the planning and execution of hydraulic fire protection systems. The year before my masters, I started a position as a product manager in Electropar, a company leader in the market specializing in electrical and energy solutions. In that role I conducted product development, supplier negotiations, market analysis and pricing strategies. I was also a teaching assistant at the National University of Asuncion, were I delivered practical classes and graded exams in the module of Linear Algebra.

For the Ireland Fellows Programme, I was honoured to be selected and have pursued a MSc. in Enterprise Systems at the University of Galway. I chose this programme because of what truly differentiated it from other engineering programmes - it focuses on innovation and technology management and equips me to meet my country’s increasing demand on professionals who can effectively connect academy, industry, business and technology.

The fellowship journey has been a wonderful opportunity of connecting with other Fellows from different countries with similar interests to me. I have had the opportunity to network and learn a lot from all the different cultures represented.

I particularly enjoyed this semester’s focus on design thinking and project management, where I was immersed through real life case studies and projects in all the steps of an innovation process and how to accelerate ideas into actions. This challenged me to gain skills in team development, problem definition, ideation and storytelling which are crucial skills in today’s fast changing technological industry landscape.

Undoubtedly, there are challenges as moving to a new country such as a different culture, the food, the transportation system and very different weather (Ireland is rainier and colder than Paraguay). However, I felt very supported by the ICOS team, all the guidance and information was very handy and the University of Galway has a lot of resources and activities to help international students feel more integrated during the arrival transition.

Since I got here, I have participated in the different events organized by the University of Galway which helped me make new friends, get to know the city and familiarized with Ireland and its culture.

About the differences I have found between Paraguay and Ireland I could first mention the weather. Ireland is very cold and rainy compared to the very tropical Paraguay, but as I have often heard here “There is not bad weather only bad clothes”, and the cold and rain was nothing that a good winter jacked could not resolve. Another thing that I found impressive in Ireland is how good the access to higher education is, one of the highest in Europe. Unfortunately, in Paraguay access to higher education is in most cases limited to people living in or close to urban areas, whereas in Ireland I see that being from the countryside is not an impediment to have access to good quality education, which I find fascinating and is something I hope my country can achieve in a nearby future.

During my fellowship I am looking forward to network with peers and professors while connecting with professionals from all over the world. I also aim to add value with my thesis and gain new insights and knowledge on best teaching practices and innovation to later implement in my classes back in Paraguay. In addition, I hope to represent Paraguay in the best way possible, help more people to get to know about the country and our culture and take every opportunity to learn more about my beautiful host country, Ireland.

My favourite part of the fellowship so far has been making daytrips around Galway with other international students, I particularly love Connemara. I also enjoy my time sharing with the locals. I find the Irish people very friendly, and I love learning about the differences and similarities within our cultures.

I would wholeheartedly recommend other Paraguayans to participate in this programme. So far it has been a life changing experience that has challenged me to grow and broadened my mind. I also found that Ireland has all it takes to be the perfect place for a thriving international academic experience: high quality education, breath-taking scenery, incredible cultural offer and friendly people!

Don’t be afraid to apply! And if you are, do it anyway! Your future self will be thankful. Applying to a scholarship can be a very introspective process and requires a lot of self-awareness. You need to be able to get to know yourself and the way you want to add value to society and identify the skills you need to achieve all your professional goals and how they align with the SDGs. And don’t be afraid to ask for help!