Deirdre Campbell wins EU-wide competition to attend Summer Institute in the U.S.

NUI Maynooth student will represent Ireland at a US Summer Institute for European Student Leaders on Social Entrepreneurship this year

Ms. Deirdre Campbell, an undergraduate student from NUI Maynooth, is the 2014 Irish winner of an EU-wide competition to attend a Summer Institute for European Student Leaders at Indiana University in the United States from the 30th June – 3rd August.

The Summer Institute is an all-expenses paid program for 20 student participants selected from a range of EU countries. The program is sponsored by the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), with the Irish competition run through the office of the Ireland – United States (Fulbright) Commission for Educational Exchange (www.fulbright.ie).

Ms Deirdre Campbell,
2014 Irish Summer Institute Awardee 

The Summer Institute for European Student Leaders has a particular focus on Social Entrepreneurship and students will participate in a multi-faceted, immersive program giving them the opportunity to gain practical experience with social entrepreneurship and basic business skills, as well as an introduction to American business practices.

The program will be interactive, experiential, and jam-packed with classroom instruction, panel discussions, business visits, and volunteer opportunities. All of these activities will support student work on an individual project, and a team project with an existing Bloomington-based nonprofit. More than just a cultural exchange program, students can expect the Summer Institute to be a rigorous academic institute that will prepare them to employ entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to address social issues in their home countries.

Students are encouraged to implement a public service project when they return home, contribute to a better understanding of American society among their undergraduate classmates and compatriots, help promote academic exchange programs among their peers, and become active alumni of the Summer Institutes for European Student Leaders program.