Hello! My name is Jora Hritz, and I am born and raised in Pittsburgh. I am currently a junior majoring in Marketing and will be receiving a certificate in Digital Media. In addition to my classes, I work with the America Reads Challenge program as a tutor for elementary school students. I have always loved working with kids and enjoy getting to help them improve their reading skills. I will be graduating in December 2022 and can’t think of a better way to start my last semester than by studying abroad in Ireland.
Going into college I knew I wanted to do something in marketing. I love the creativity behind it, but there is also the analytical aspect which I enjoy. When I learned about the Digital Media certificate program, I knew that was also something I wanted to pursue. I love that between my marketing major and my certificate I get a balance between business classes and communications classes. Many of my favorite classes have come from my digital media certificate such as Website Design and Development and Visual Literacy, but I have also enjoyed business classes like Services Marketing and Managerial Ethics.
Though I knew I wanted to focus on marketing, it took me a while to figure out exactly what specific field I wanted to work in. Throughout high school I volunteered at both Mercy Hospital and Children’s Hospital, and I currently work as a patient transporter at Magee. When I tell people how much experience I have in the healthcare field, they are surprised to learn that I am a marketing major. I eventually realized that I can combine my love of helping others, specifically within the field of healthcare, and my interest in marketing. Whether I stick to my roots at UPMC or move on to other healthcare organizations, I hope to use my marketing and digital media skills to spread accurate and useful health-related information to others and help people within the healthcare process.
In my free time one of my favorite things to do is bake. I have loved baking ever since I was little and would always make different cookies and desserts with my grandmother. I find the process of baking relaxing and rewarding when a recipe turns out well. I enjoy the daily mini-NYT crosswords, watching TV, and spending time in the sun. Ever since the pandemic started, I learned to love going on walks. Whether it’s 15 degrees or 85 degrees, I will try to get a walk in every day and can’t wait to take my walking from Schenley Park to Dublin.
Back in 2020, I originally planned to go to Ecuador with the Plus3 program, but of course, that was cancelled due to the pandemic. I knew I wanted to study abroad during my time in college and I was so excited to find out that they were allowing those who didn’t get to attend their Plus3 program a chance to experience studying abroad in Ireland. If I have the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world, I will say yes, and I am excited to adventure to Ireland. Aside from the beautiful landscapes and the overall culture that we will get to experience, I am looking forward to learning about business in a new country and work on a realistic consulting project with my peers. Cultural competency and awareness are so important and useful in today’s age where there is much more diversity within the workplace. Though Ireland doesn’t seem too different from the U.S. I am interested to see what differences I do notice and how I can apply my experiences there to my professional and personal life. When I’ve traveled in the past it has always been fast-paced and going to many locations in a short span of time, so I can’t wait to truly immerse myself in one specific culture and live in Ireland for two weeks! I am counting down the days and look forward to gaining as much from this experience as possible.