Education abroad experience leads to overseas career

April 1, 2025 — DENTON —Texas Woman’s graduate student Jackie Farias felt compelled to go to Ireland. She is not sure exactly why, but she just felt pulled toward the Emerald Isle. When she looked into trips with TWU’s Education Abroad, an AIFS Abroad internship program in Dublin in the fall of 2024 lined up perfectly with Farias’ qualifications.

“I honestly have been wanting to travel my whole life, so this was just a perfect time to do it,” Farias said. “It just worked out.”

Farias was matched for an internship with Cystic Fibrosis Ireland (CFI), a voluntary organization dedicated to assisting people with cystic fibrosis. Farias, who is pursuing an MBA with an emphasis in women’s leadership at the Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship, had never thought about working in the nonprofit industry before. She had planned on opening a coffee shop after graduation. 

“I was going to create a business plan, get the loans and have the degree to back it up,” Farias said. “The internship kinda changed all of that for me.” 

The internship not only changed Farias’ career trajectory; it also changed her country of residence. After a brief return to Texas for the holidays, Farias was offered a full-time position at CFI and has been living and working in Dublin since January 2025. So, what started as a 12-week internship turned into an indefinite stay in Ireland. 

“It just kinda happened all of a sudden and I know I really don’t see myself working in another career than this,” Farias said.

Farias loved her internship as a fundraising events and individual giving coordinator. Despite not having a background in fundraising or nonprofits, Farias flourished. She felt like she was doing something that essentially mattered to a specific group of people. 

“Cystic fibrosis is very common in Irish families,” Farias said. “It’s not necessarily common in American families. I had to learn about what cystic fibrosis was, I had to familiarize myself with the language and phrasing and the sensitivity toward the illness. It’s a lot of community building, a lot of trust that you are given to handle people in vulnerable states.” 

And, Farias’ willingness to grow and try different things are qualities that she believes led to her success at her internship. She used to think her proclivity toward trying out different things was a negative.  

Farias grew up singing and enrolled in TWU as a music therapy undergraduate student. She fell in love with the therapy side of the degree and switched her major to psychology. After graduating with a bachelor’s in psychology, she realized that chapter of her life was complete. While working as a barista, she thought an MBA degree would be beneficial. 

“I used to think I have failed as a musician, I failed as a vocalist, I failed as someone to pursue psychology,” Farias said. “But I started to think differently whenever I started this whole process last year. Where, instead of failing, I just saw it as different choices that I made and different things that just happened. Because if I kept on seeing it as a failure, then I wouldn’t  go anywhere or do anything.”

Her career path may have had more curves and bends than others but each stop along the way led her to where she is now. 

“I’m actually kinda glad I got a master’s of business because you can put that in so many different categories,” Farias said. “And, also psychology too, because it’s people and who people are. I think honestly it’s kinda a good combination for work and charity.”

With the TWU MBA programs being 100% online, Farias has continued to work on her degree despite the distance. She plans to return to Texas for her graduation in May 2025. Not only is she the first person in her immediate family to earn a graduate degree, she is also the first to travel overseas. 

“Hopefully, I can motivate another Hispanic girl who has never left Texas, who has never left the States to go out and do what they want to do.”