When going to Ireland, I had an overarching goal to learn, but secretly, I hoped to find a four-leaf clover. Having a four-leaf clover straight from Ireland has to be the most significant good luck charm of all time, and I was determined to find one. My grandma used to be able to walk into a field and find a bunch of them, and I asked her to help me find one on this journey. I searched through clover patches in Dublin, Kilkenny, Galway, and basically, anywhere I could find one. These lucky clovers are statistically 1 in every 10,000, but nothing was going to stop me. Whether it was my conscious or my grandma, I kept hearing “just keep looking” in my head. Little did I know, right at the edge of a sidewalk in Microsoft, in a sea of green, I would find my treasure.

The most important thing I learned on this trip was that no matter what life throws your way, no matter how many hundreds of clovers you look through, never give up. This may seem like a cliche saying, but for some people, getting through every day is a battle. If you keep going, keep persisting, and keep looking, you will come upon the most beautiful things. The amazing friends and memories I made along the way will always be in my heart. I can imagine myself at 70 looking back at my life, and being glad I stayed persistent, in more ways than one.

No matter what career I fall into in the future, business or not, I know now that if I just keep pushing forward, I will find what is meant for me. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity, and the impact it has had on my life is invaluable.