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"I won a
scholarship to study abroad
through an organization in Belfast called Business Education
Initiative. There are 150 students from that program studying in the
United States, from Georgia to Iowa. I was given a choice between
Wesley College in Iowa and The College of New Rochelle. I selected CNR
and I think I made the right decision."
Ailsa Friel
International
Exchange Student
School of Arts & Sciences
The College of New Rochelle
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Where
are you from in Ireland, Ailsa?
I'm from a little
town called Creeslough in Donegal. That is in the northwest of
Ireland. However, I've spent the last 3 years in Northern Ireland where
I attend college in Belfast.
Tell
us something about your family.
Well, there are seven
of us all together. Besides my mother Mary and my father Columba, I
have one older brother Cian, who is graduating this month from Galway
University. I have three sisters -- Etaoin, Caoimhe and Laoise. Etaoin
is also studying at Galway University. My other two sisters are in high
school back home. I miss them all so much, though I am in constant
contact via email and phone, but that just isn’t enough. It’s always
lovely to see a person’s face, isn’t it?
What
is your hometown like?
Creeslough really is
only a village. It is very small and very beautiful. The name
Cresslough means “belt of lakes,” and it is precisely that: lots of
little lakes dotted around the area. It is also very near the sea, less
than a five minute drive to the beach. County Donegal is famous for the
abundance of unspoiled and breathtaking beaches. Donegal is also
steeped in culture, wild and rugged, and full of secrets and history.
You should come visit us.
Tourism is our only
real industry. We depend on the tourists for our livelihood. Most of
the tourists are from Northern Ireland. They see Donegal as a save
haven from all the troubles in the North.
We still farm around
Cresslough, but less and less, as the local farmers are finding it too
difficult to compete, and many of the farmers are finding it is more
profitable to sell their land to developers.
 I've never lived on campus before so
this is very different for me. In Belfast I'm about a forty-minute walk
from the college. We don't have a campus or dorms. Students rent or
lease houses in and around the city. I find I am getting so much more
work done by living on campus here at CNR...
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Tell
us a little about how you become a student at CNR?
I won a scholarship
to study abroad through an organization in Belfast called Business
Education Initiative. There are 150 students from that program studying
in the United States, from Georgia to Iowa. I was given a choice
between Wesley College in Iowa and The College of New Rochelle. I
selected CNR and I think I made the right decision.
How
long will you be staying at CNR?
I arrived at the
campus on the 31st of August and will be departing on the 22nd of May.
So, it is a full academic year.
What
is your major?
Back home I am a Fine
Arts Major. However, the BEI programme is business orientated, so
I am obligated to take four business subjects per semester. So at The
College of New Rochelle I am a business major.
Are
you living on campus?
Yes, I'm staying in Ursula Hall.
What
is your impression of the campus and of New Rochelle?
I've never lived on campus before so this
is very different for me. In Belfast I'm about a forty-minute walk from
the college. We don't have a campus or dorms. Students rent or lease
houses in and around the city. I find I am getting so much more work
done by living on campus here at CNR because there aren't as many
distractions, although I'm sure I'll be finding plenty of distractions
soon enough. But for me being in college in America is very different
from what I'm used to in Ireland, but change, I find, is always good
and gives a person a different outlook on how things are done.
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 Go raibh
mile maith agat!
A thousand thanks on to you,
and to The College of New Rochelle
for welcoming me so warmly
into your college.
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What
are your career plans?
After
I complete my degree I'd like to do some traveling for a year before I
go ahead with my masters. I hope to do my masters in either London or
Edinburgh. Eventually, I want to teach art at the university level and
also exhibit my work at the same time.
When
will you graduate from college?
I will be graduating
from the University of Ulster in Belfast in June 2007.
Ailsa,
thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview.
Thank you, and as we say in Irish. Go
raibh mile maith agat! A
thousand thanks on to you, and to The College of New Rochelle for
welcoming me so warmly into your college.
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To
find out if CNR is the right choice
for you, please contact:
School
of Arts
& Sciences
Office
of Admission
The College of New Rochelle
29 Castle Place
New Rochelle, NY 10805
914-654-5334
email: admission@cnr.edu
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