Hours before the Georgia Tech football team opened the season with a victory in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, 47 students on their first semester abroad embraced the institute’s motto of “Progress and Service” and participated in a service project at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

Working with Localise Youth Volunteering, Ireland’s national youth volunteering organisation, Tech students visited hospital patients, wrote cards and put together care packages for patients at the Level 4 teaching hospital. They also packed backpacks for refugee and migrant children in Ireland’s capital.

The service project portion of the international kickoff event gave rise to the hashtag #MuchMoreThanAGame, and just as the Yellow Jackets made a statement on the field with their victory over Florida State, the students made a similar impression in the community.

“When our first-year students participate in events like these abroad, they do much more than just lend a hand – they become ambassadors of the values ​​that define our community,” said Elizabeth Reese, FYSA program and operations director. “These experiences allow our students to live out Georgia Tech’s values ​​in a global context, creating a ripple effect of positive change. They return home not only with new skills and knowledge, but also with a deeper understanding of what it means to be a global citizen and a proud representative of Georgia Tech.”

FYSA students are technical students who spend the first 12 weeks of their degree at Oxford University. Ella Maksumic took the opportunity to make a difference through one of her first experiences as a Yellow Jacket.

“Having the opportunity to represent Georgia Tech at the game and around town was a huge honor,” she said. “I’m very aware of how lucky I was to experience such a great event my first semester, so I really tried to make the most of it. I was so grateful that we were able to give back to the community by volunteering and working with locals to spread some of that spirit and joy to those who needed it most.” Plus, holding the flags on the field was so much fun, and I was so proud of the department and our FYSA cohort in that moment,” she said.

President Ángel Cabrera, Buzz and the Georgia Tech cheerleading team were also on hand to attend the event.

Learn more about the First-Year Semester Abroad program here.