Ireland through the lens: Explore First inspires creativity and confidence
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 21, 2026) — For Christian Dordelly, photography has always been a way to understand the world better.
“You start to see things from a different perspective,” he said. “When you look through the viewfinder, the limits within actually open you up to really seeing something, to understanding it.”
This summer, Dordelly’s world opened up even more as he traveled to Dublin, Ireland, as part of Explore First, an Education Abroad program developed by the University of Kentucky International Center and Office for Student Success for first-generation students. Through the three-week program, students study abroad in London or Dublin at little cost to the student while earning academic credit and developing transferable skills including critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, independence and self-efficacy.
The experience gave Dordelly the chance to explore a new country, discover his future career goals and nurture his love of photography.
“I’ve known I wanted to study abroad,” Dordelly said. “Once I found out about this program and how it worked, I knew it was for me. I knew I wanted to go to Dublin.”
A rising senior majoring in psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, Dordelly felt Explore First would be an opportunity to hone skills needed to succeed in a career after graduation and to gain insight into the kind of career he wants in the future.
About 25% of UK undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college. Explore First was created to expand access to education abroad for those students while connecting the experience to career readiness and post-graduation success.
An important part of that experience is helping students build social capital by exposing them to careers, industries and professional networks they may not have access to through family connections. Employer visits, networking opportunities and interactions with classmates and program leaders give students the chance to explore not only what they might want to do after graduation, but also the kinds of professional environments in which they might thrive.
That exposure helped Dordelly better understand what he wants from his own career.
“Explore First highlighted for me how much I like working with people,” Dordelly said. “Visiting with employers in Dublin, networking and interacting with my classmates and program leaders showed me that I need that interaction and that human connection in whatever career I go into. Those kinds of insights are key. A career isn’t just about what you do, it’s about how you do it and what kind of environment you thrive in. Explore First highlighted some of those aspects for me.”
The experience also gave Dordelly another opportunity for growth through a passion he brought with him from Kentucky: photography.
Inspired by the unique Irish landscape, Dordelly took the opportunity to grow as a photographer.
“The first few days, I was overwhelmed with curiosity,” he said. “I had never been in a city that looked like that. I had never been to Europe. So, at first, I was just taking photos of everything, but as the program continued, I found myself focusing on the people. I was interested in their stories, trying to capture that with the camera.”
As his focus shifted from documenting a new place to noticing the people within it, Dordelly was also becoming more comfortable engaging with the world beyond his camera.
As Dordelly wraps up his senior year at the University of Kentucky, the lasting impact of Explore First rests in one word: “confidence,” both in his photography and his future goals.
“I can be shy sometimes, so I thought going into the program that I might not say much or might hang back, but I found myself asking questions, speaking up, networking, doing all of these things that I thought might not come naturally for me,” he said. “It instilled in me the confidence to speak up and to meet new people and do everything I can to achieve the future I see for myself.”
For a student who has long used photography to see the world from a different perspective, Explore First also helped Dordelly see himself — and what he is capable of — a little differently.
Students interested in receiving updates about the Summer 2027 Explore First program can complete the Explore First Interest Form.
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