A LOCAL third level student from New Ross is currently in Washington D.C., as part of the Washington Ireland Program (WIP), just as America gets to grips with its mid-term elections.
Olivia MacDonald is a second year BA (Hons) in Accounting student at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and was chosen from over 400 students to join a class of 30 participants from all over Ireland in America.
Commenting on the trip Ms. MacDonald said it was a huge honour to be chosen: “It’s such a huge honour to be chosen out of all the fantastic people that applied. I think it really shows the quality of WIT students as it’s the only IT that’s been represented every year.”
WIP is a cross-community and cross border organisation that identifies promising young people with a commitment to service and a track record of leadership.
The application process for the WIP Class of 2014 was highly competitive with over four hundred students from across Ireland and Great Britain competing for the opportunity to take part in the programme.
After the completion of the Washington semester, the graduates will go on to become part of the active WIP alumni network who are working to make a positive difference in their communities.
Former American First Lady, Hillary Clinton, is one of a number of influential supporters of the Washington Ireland Program and its students.
She highlighted the fact that “many of WIP’s alumni are now emerging as a new generation of leaders committed to peace, stability and prosperity in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.”
2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the programme and WIP will be holding a series of events on both sides of the Atlantic to celebrate the milestone.
Ms. MacDonald will be writing a blog about her experience in America and followers can view it at www.wiprogram.org.
