A Student Perspective: LaZette Tirado

On Monday, our students spent the morning in class and then went on a Viking Splash Tour of Dublin.  We learned about the impact the vikings had on Ireland and toured a variety of other sights and landmarks around town.  The tour was led on amphibious vehicles originally used in World War II, so we were even able to hit the water for part of our tour.  Many U.S. cities have similar tours using these "duck boats" and our students were able to hear a little bit about how the owners of Viking Splash Tours used the tour they had been on in Boston as a model for the business they wished to start in Dublin, giving our students additional insight on international entrepreneurship. We interviewed one of our students, LaZette Tirado, to get a student perspective on the viking tour and our trip in general. 

LaZette Tirado - Phoenix, Arizona

What made you interested in participating in the program? 

I wanted to study abroad so I could better understand the world I'm living in.  My goal is to make a change in the world, so I really wanted to see what's out there and decide if business is what I want to do. 

If you were to pursue entrepreneurship as a career, what type of business would you be potentially interested in ?

Definitely something to do with performing arts or something to do with advocating for victims of sexual assault or women in general because that's really important to me. 

What was your impression of the Viking Splash Tour today? 

I liked the American tourist vibe and the way that the idea translated to Dublin.  And I liked the fact that we had to got out of our comfort zones with the viking stuff.  I also liked how we went out on the water- I had never done anything like that before. 

What is something about the history or culture of Ireland that you have found to be interesting or surprising? 

The sports, definitely.  The sports here are kind of what we see as American sports except meshed together into one sport and it makes it really hard, so I have a lot of respect for that.  I also think there's a big difference between American sports and Irish sports because back home we do them a lot for status and money, but in Ireland it's more about family and the culture.  Everyone is a part of it which is really cool.