Nine University of Mississippi education students gained a multicultural perspective on education during a weeklong study abroad experience to Ireland in March.

The group of graduate students and assistant professor Dr. Susan Bennett traveled to Dublin on March 6 where they stayed in dormitories at St. Patrick’s College in the nearby community of Maynooth.

“It was very interesting because the educational experiences are so different than ours,” said Emmie Angel, a Tunica native and master’s student in elementary education. “Where our education students have two years of prerequisites, their education students jump right into education studies after high school.”

During the trip, the group toured historic sites such as Trim Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Kilmainham Gaol Prison, but also sat in classes and visited with teachers and students at both St. Patrick’s College and St. Raphael’s Primary School.

In Ireland, public education is provided free of tuition from primary school to the college-level. At public universities students are limited to declaring majors based on tests taken in secondary school generally at age 16.

“Seeing a different culture let’s me adapt the way I will lead my own classroom one day,” said Alexis Campagna, a Marietta, Ga., native. “Anytime I can bring an understanding of other cultures into the way I teach children, I think I’ll be that much stronger as a teacher.”