Today was our first day working with Birmingham City University, and the environment was absolutely lovely. With an early start to the day, we arrived at BCU around 9 a.m. and finally got to meet Ana, our coordinator for the program here in the UK. After our introductions, we were warmly welcomed by Associate Dean Lisa Abbott, who gave us a rundown on Birmingham and the university’s nursing and education programs. One thing I found especially intriguing from Ms. Abbott’s talk was that, due to the areas of deprivation surrounding Birmingham—where many of the students come from—the student union successfully advocated for a reduction in campus food prices by 40% and drink prices by about 20%. That’s wildly impressive, especially considering how expensive food can get on university campuses. It’s a fantastic example of student-led change that genuinely improves daily life, particularly for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., even at Pitt, campus food prices just keep going up. (We’re looking at you, Sutherland and Forbes Markets.)

After Ms. Abbott’s presentation, we had a quick campus tour with two vice presidents of BCU’s Student Union, Dami and Eshween. They showed us some key spots on campus, including a particularly memorable room featuring a project that merged childhood themes with horror movie elements. As a horror fan, I thought this was so cool. Who knew fear and nostalgia could coexist so stylishly in one display? Here’s a picture we all took in the exhibit:

After the tour, we returned to our original room for a presentation on research by Grant Huddleston. It was super helpful—basically a refresher on how to effectively build a research project, which is great since we’re currently developing one ourselves for this trip and will be presenting it later during our time in Birmingham. Following Grant’s session, we grabbed a quick lunch before wrapping up the day with a panel featuring three current educators: Flo (a primary school teacher), Bebita (a secondary English teacher), and Marina Rumney (Headteacher at the Orchard School). Even though I’m not an education major, I gained a whole new level of appreciation for how intense and multifaceted careers in education can be. Marina especially blew me away. As Headteacher (aka principal, in U.S. terms), she spoke about the sheer breadth of responsibilities—HR, safeguarding, behavioral management, funding, and even coordinating with nurses, police officers, and child protective services to ensure student safety. Basically, she’s running a school and a small nation at the same time. One surprising thing I learned during this session: students in the UK finish university earlier than students in the States, but that’s mainly because they attend school year-round, including summer. No wonder they’re jealous of our long American summer breaks… and honestly, I can’t blame them.

Looking back, I genuinely enjoyed our first day on BCU’s campus and can’t wait to see what we’ll learn in tomorrow’s sessions!