‘Growing up in Canada, Ireland kind of mirrors the access to nature and peaceful atmosphere that we want.’ Canadian sisters on their excitement for the upcoming move to study at UCC together.
Name: Zaria and Brecken
University: University College Cork
Course: Zaria - Public Health
Brecken - Criminology
Hometown: Vancouver, Canada
Favourite animal: Brecken’s is an elephant, whilst Zaria loves dogs - but her dog specifically. She’s a German Shepherd-ish, with some Iranian wolf and other fun things.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
Brecken: ‘We’re from Vancouver. I graduated last year and I’m currently in Tennessee.’
Zaria: ‘I’m just finishing with Cincinnati University in Public Health online. It’s super expensive to go to university, so it’s been good doing it this way.’
How did you choose your subjects?
Brecken: ‘I wanted to work with people. I studied Anthropology previously, which wasn’t the perfect fit for me but I really enjoyed the legal side - which drew me to the Criminology course.’
Zaria: ‘I started pre-med and realised it wasn’t for me. Then, I discovered public health and fell in love with it. All the discussions around health equity - I really enjoy it. I took some classes in epidemiology and now I’m doing a concentration in that at UCC.’
Tell me about how you’re preparing for the transition abroad…
Zaria: ‘It’s our first time studying abroad, and we’ve wanted to go to Ireland for years. It’s been in the plans since 2015! Studying is a perfect way to get over there.’
Brecken: ‘Our ancestry goes back to Ireland, and it seems really beautiful. It’ll be a good place to study. I’m now in the USA but grew up in Canada, so Ireland kind of mirrors the access to nature and peaceful atmosphere that we want and miss.’
Zaria: ‘I was looking at studying in the UK and in Ireland, but UCC is one of two universities that offers epidemiology. The more I looked into the school it seemed great, and student satisfaction is really high.’
Brecken: ‘I was going to just do a semester abroad, but the course seemed so interesting I decided to do a full year!’
What are you most excited about?
Brecken: ‘I’m excited to live in the same place as my sister and to travel again.’
Zaria: ‘I have heard a lot about how friendly Irish people are, so I’m looking forward to finding out.’
What are you most nervous about?
Brecken: ‘We can’t apply for student visas before we get there! There is an interview process when you arrive. It’s a bit confusing, so that naturally brings nerves.’
Zaria: ‘The different educational experience. We’ll have to adjust to having knowledge gaps and having different perspectives, since we’re from somewhere else.’
How did you get all of the information you need?
Brecken: ‘It’s been really useful seeing people on CampusConnect talk about visas. I spoke to a girl from California that we might actually live with on the app. It’s a great place to connect with others in the same boat and get useful information.’
Zaria: ‘Brecken bought me an exploring Ireland book, so I definitely want to tick some things off. She keeps saving pictures of Blarney Castle and other landmarks! Is Giant’s Causeway good? That’s on our list now, too. Recently I talked to my dentist and she said it was a different shade of green over there.’
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Zaria: ‘So far I’m undecided, but I’d love to work for the World Health Organisation. If there were job opportunities I'd love to stay in Ireland.’
Brecken: ‘I don’t have an exact plan but would love to work in Europe, ideally for a non-profit organisation. Or, I’ll come back to the USA to do law school and then work for an international firm!’