CECI News
School for Social Work students get experiential learning in Ireland
September 01, 2026
This is the week when students and faculty reconnect and share what they did over the summer. More than a dozen students from CECI will be able to talk about an 11-day trip to Ireland that faculty advisor Scott Berlin said Berlin says went above and beyond a traditional tour of Ireland, allowing students to immerse themselves in both urban and rural community and to interact directly with Irish professionals and community members.
Berlin led the trip, where 14 students participated in a combination of academic, professional, cultural, and historical experiences. The group attended presentations and discussions on the Magdalene Laundries, social work with unaccompanied minors, hospice care, and work with Ukrainian refugee communities. Students also visited a variety of significant Irish sites and explored Dublin, Galway, Doolin, and several smaller communities. While staying in Doolin, students worked in groups to shop for groceries and prepare meals together.
Berlin says the experience allows students to take their learning outside of the traditional classroom and to experience another culture firsthand. Students learned about different approaches to social services and health care while examining how history, culture, and social policy influence the lives of individuals and communities.
13 of the students that took part came from the social work program and one came from the Kirkhof College of Nursing. Participants were a mix of undergraduate and graduate students.