Hi! I am Holly Mahon, a senior at the University of Montana studying Political Science and Public Health. During the Spring of 2023, I had the opportunity to study abroad at the University College Cork (UCC) in Cork, Ireland for my Beyond the Classroom Experience. 

The course that I took that related to my Global Theme of Global and Public Health was Introduction to Health Information Systems. I chose this course because I am interested in the collection of data surrounding health outcomes. I really enjoyed a guest lecture from the Director of Mental Health Services in County Cork about community building cooking programs for men to build strong social networks to support mental health. The class taught very valuable lessons about validity and context when looking at data pertaining to global health. The amount of data surrounding health and the methods to collecting health data is extremely complex. I was glad to gain more knowledge and understanding surrounding information and health while at UCC.

Being and studying in Ireland helped me develop a lot of confidence in my future as I look forward to having a career in Public Health and just having a future being an adult. I developed a new level of independence. I traveled to Ireland and traveled around on Ireland’s public transportation on my own. I also made new friends and traveled to other areas of Europe with them like Edinburgh, Scotland and Paris, France. Growing up in Western Montana and having Ireland as my first experience out of the country was an extremely empowering adventure for me.

I am so grateful for my time in Ireland and I am very thankful for all of the memories and experience I have from my Beyond the Classroom Experience!