We often underestimate how much stepping into new environments—especially abroad—can shape us. For Sarah Oestereicher, interning in Dublin, Ireland, wasn’t just about fulfilling a degree requirement. It was a chance to face challenges, connect across cultures, and see psychology through a whole new lens. Here’s how those eight weeks left a lasting impact.
“I hope to make work that gets people thinking about and dreaming of possibilities for what a more just future could look like, and how we could build towards that.”
What is the name of the program that you participated in this past summer?
Psychology and Cognitive Science Internship
Can you explain the background and learning goals of the program to us?
The UCSC Psychology and Cognitive Science departments have a field study program wherein students can participate in an internship for course credit. For my degree, specifically Intensive Psychology, it is a requirement to do either field study, research in a lab, or write a thesis, over the course of 2 quarters.
The option to fulfill this requirement abroad began a few years back, always taking place in both Dublin, Ireland, and one other city in a different country. I participated in Dublin, Ireland. It takes place in the summer over 8 weeks, for a total of 200 hours of internship work and a project-based on the work you have been doing. Because it is more intensive, it counts as two-quarters worth of the course.
The program’s purpose is to give students a chance to have hands-on, real-world experience working in Psychology. It is a chance to learn from professionals in the field, network, grow your career skills, and learn about what type of work you may or may not be interested in doing in the future. The international aspect of it is a unique opportunity to also develop intercultural communication skills, and to learn about how different cultures approach psychology work.
What makes you excited about being a GRDI Scholar?
I am excited for the chance to take what I have learned throughout my life and my college education, including from my study abroad program, and apply it toward tangible work aimed at creating meaningful change in the form of respectful disruption. It is an honor to be a part of the inaugural cohort doing this in a mini-summit format. Having the chance to try this format and help shape it for future cohorts is invaluable. I am especially excited to learn from and work with my co-constructor, getting to draw from her wisdom and insights to craft and refine ideas with her.
“I want people to see that our differences are valuable and worthy of being treated with full respect and genuine accommodation.”
What do you hope to accomplish through the GRDI Leadership Program?
I hope to instill my values and knowledge into the project I create, to make something that is useful to me and other activists and scholars in their work. I hope to make work that gets people thinking about and dreaming of possibilities for what a more just future could look like, and how we could build towards that. I want my work to leave a meaningful impression in the minds and hearts of those who engage with it.
What’s the most important thing you hope to help people learn through your efforts?
I hope people learn that just because things are done a certain way currently does not mean they have to be done that way forevermore. I want people to see that our differences are valuable and worthy of being treated with full respect and genuine accommodation. I want people to challenge and rethink the concept of what we deem as “normal” or even “best.”
Why do you think global respectful disruption is important in 2024 and beyond more than ever before?
Why do you think global respectful disruption is important in 2024 and beyond more than ever before?
Free Palestine. Free all oppressed people across the globe. Also, if you get the chance to, engage in work or study abroad!!
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