Case Study C - Zachery Litwiller

Zachary Litwiller is a 21 year-old American student who is studying in Griffith College, Dublin, as part of a short-term exchange programme. A native of Virginia, he is currently pursuing a four-year ‘double-major’ (undergraduate degree) in Christian Thought and Communications in Grove City College, a small private college in Pennsylvania.

During his four-month stay, from January to May, Zachary is taking four modules in Griffith’s Faculty of Journalism and Media Communications; Media Studies, Media in Society, Public Relations and Creative Writing. Zachary successfully applied for the programme through a private American company, Academic Studies Abroad, and also with the help of the international office of Grove City College.

The fact that he selected subjects to study in Ireland that are relevant to his degree course back in the US, means that Zachary is accruing credits here that will transfer back to his Communications major in Pennsylvania. Ireland was the only destination that Zachary had in mind when he applied for the exchange programme. A friend who had previously studied at Trinity College, Dublin, had told him lots of stories regarding her pleasurable stay in Ireland.

The four media modules that Zachary is attending have so far proved “really interesting” and “the teachers have been pretty good”. What has really captured his imagination however, is the extent to which Griffith College is truly a ‘global village’. “All the friends I’ve made here are like from Spain, Mexico and Norway. I wasn’t expecting that, it’s really fun!” Even the co-habitants of Zachary’s flat in Griffith’s student accommodation building represent an intriguingly cosmopolitan mix; two flat-mates from Brazil (both name Pedro!) and a room-mate from Kazakhstan.

The stint in Ireland is also helping Zachary develop a more comprehensive world-view.
“I think the biggest thing I’m finding, and you don’t realize this when you’re living there, is that America is very internalized. It’s a very big country and it’s easy to forget there are six other continents out there! So I think it’s great to get more of an international perspective.”

The opportunity to travel has been another major benefit to Zachary since arriving in Ireland. Apart from trips within the country such as to Galway in the west, all of the wonders of the European continent are always just a short flight away. He has recently returned from a very enjoyable trip to Brussels in Belgium, where he met his father who was on a business trip. Next up on Zachary’s itinerary is Paris, the ‘City of Light’; he hopes to spend a weekend there before he returns to America in May.

Can he sum up his time in Ireland so far? “I’m just loving it here, all the people have been great, very friendly and very welcoming. It’s just a great experience and since it’s a relatively small country, it’s very easy to get around and see different places.”