ORONO – It’s an opportunity that University of Maine students Kira Young and Justin Bennett could have only dreamed about before this year.

Young and Bennett have been studying at University College Cork in Ireland, meeting the challenges of new courses and a new environment, traveling and learning about Irish culture – and coming away absolutely charmed by the country.

They were able to study in Ireland through their selection as Hon. George J. Mitchell Peace Scholars. The scholarship is an annual exchange among the Maine Technical College System, the University of Maine System and Ireland’s Department of Education and Science.

Young, a senior chemical engineering major from Dedham who attended John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, studied at UCC during the fall semester.

Bennett is a chemistry major from Oakland who is studying in Ireland this semester.

The scholarships were established in 1998 to honor Mitchell’s contributions as chairman of the talks that produced the 1998 Northern Irish peace accord, the Good Friday Agreement.

The MTCS and UMS award annually either one full-year scholarship or two one-semester scholarships. Each scholarship provides for full-time study at a university or institute of technology in Ireland, including tuition and fees, books, room and board, a living stipend and a travel grant to cover airfare. Concurrently, either one or two students from Ireland are chosen to study in a MTCS or UMS institution for a full year or one semester.

The first Mitchell Peace Scholarships were awarded for the start of the 1999 academic year. Past Mitchell Scholars have been from UMaine, the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Augusta.

Bennett and Young were chosen on the basis of their academic achievement and community service. The application process involved writing an essay explaining why they desired to participate in the exchange and how their participation would link with their study and career plans.

Karen Boucias, UMaine’s director of International Programs and the chair of the Mitchell Scholarship selection committee, said Bennett and Young are the first Mitchell Scholars with science and engineering backgrounds.

Previous Mitchell Scholars majored in disciplines from the liberal arts and social sciences.

“The committee looks for very strong students who are also well-rounded – who have volunteered or displayed leadership qualities.

Mitchell Scholars are expected to be ambassadors for the state of Maine and the University of Maine System while they are in Ireland, and to be available to speak about their experiences when they come back.

“We were delighted that Kira and Justin came from traditionally nonrepresented fields for studying abroad like engineering and chemistry. And, both are very bright, very articulate and very outgoing,” Boucias said.

“It was my first adventure on my own and I learned a lot about myself with the travel, the new culture, the new faces. I loved being in a city – it was a whole new world. And the people here are very social, very kind and friendly,” Young said.

“Everybody has time for you, there are no deadlines. You go to the pub, and start talking and never leave. You have tea in the afternoon, and sit back and talk,” Young said.

Young took two graduate-level micro-electronic engineering courses, two technology electives, Spanish and Northern Irish history.

Both she and Bennett found the academic work challenging, but less structured than their courses at UMaine. Classes meet less frequently and students are rarely evaluated during the semester. Most of the students’ grades are based on their performances in their final exams.

“The way they teach over there is a lot more laid back, with fewer tests and a lot more work on your own,” Young said.

She devoted most of her weekends to travel in the countryside and found time for a weeklong trip to Paris. Young said that she plans to return to Europe in April to tour the continent with other American students she met at UCC.

“Once you leave Cork City, right away you are in rural Ireland. That was so comforting. We made a lot of trips to Kinsale [County Cork], which is right on the ocean. It was like being back home,” Young said.

Both say that their time in Ireland has changed their way of looking at the world and will serve them well as they prepare for their future careers and lives.

“It was an amazing opportunity – more than I could have asked for. It was really great just to start interacting with people I’d never met before who have completely different thoughts on subjects and may not think the same way I do. I am so thankful for the time I had in Ireland,” Young said.