Saltire Scholar Stories USA: Laura Jane's Adventure

I am 22 years old, from Bonnie Dundee, and I am entering the final year of my degree in International Relations and Spanish at the University of St. Andrews. Throughout my time studying at St. Andrews, I have been heavily involved in societies such as Women for Women International and Sustainable Style, worked part-time in the area, and represented my peers as their student elective. I thoroughly enjoy studying in a renowned institution within such a beautiful setting.

So what interests me in tartan and ScotlandShop? At the age of 5 years old, my mother introduced me to highland dancing alongside my little sister, Sarah. I started dancing with the Lesley Bowman School of Highland Dancing and went on to attend the Wilma Tolmie School of Dancing. I spent many a weekend in Blairgowrie picking out dancer tartans for myself or watching my sister get measured for her next kilt. Sarah continued to highland dance well after myself as my interests began to shift towards musical theatre, swimming, and other forms of dance. However, highland dancing was a huge part of my childhood and with support from my family, it allowed me to travel all over Scotland and further afield. It was these memories that first peaked my interest when applying for the internship with ScotlandShop.

In my 22 years I have experienced living in the USA, Spain, and France, as well as getting to call Scotland my home. I have travelled across the United States and have been lucky to explore parts of Europe, with one of my favourite places being Rome, the home of my boyfriend. It is my interest in other cultures and desire to travel which motivated me to apply for the role in ScotlandShop's Albany store. This combined with my international outlook and personal connections to tartan helped me connect with Anna, the companies Managing Director, in my interview this past February.

The Saltire Scholar Program is run by Entrepreneurial Scotland and is an initiative which aims to develop the transferable skills and entrepreneurial mindset of Scotland's students. They work with companies across the globe to offer internships for students at Scottish Universities. Those who are successful are given the opportunity to undertake a challenging and life-changing internship whilst also being an ambassador for Scotland and future Saltire Scholars.

I applied to the Saltire Program because it appealed to me more than traditional internship roles have done. This was due to the ambassadorial nature of the program and the possibility, combined with the support, of working with a company overseas. As I had lived in the United States before, I was keen to go back and wanted to incorporate this with my goal of securing an internship in my third year of university. So of course, when I found the internship role with ScotlandShop I was enthusiastic and driven to secure the role as it united my personal passions with a career opportunity I knew I could excel in.

My journey to becoming a Saltire Scholar began back in November of 2021, when I first sent in my application. The team at Entrepreneurial Scotland run a tight ship and boast a thorough application process. However, the universities they work with are well equipped to help students prepare for the application process. I worked closely with the careers centre at St. Andrews to ensure my application was to a high standard. Successful applicants then move onto the interview stage of the process. My interview was at the start of January 2022 and I prepared rigorously for the interview, therefore when I found out I was part of the 2022 cohort I was ecstatic.

Once a student is accepted into the cohort they can then begin applying directly to companies. Thus, when applying remember to be patient with yourself and stay motivated as it is a long process but one which pays off if you put the work in! ScotlandShop was on list 1 of the internships available so I was a bit star struck to find out I had an interview with them. The interview was on my birthday towards the end of February. I prepared for it in my favourite coffee shop in Alcalá de Henares, the Coffee Train, and it turned out to be a fantastic interview. I felt as though I really got a sense of the business and Anna: it made me excited and eager to be part of the team.

Fast forward to June the 11th, after being offered the job at the start of March and once completing the visa process, I boarded my flight to the USA.

Week 1

I have now been in the Albany Store for just over a week and I am quickly making connections in the area. My first week involved training and getting to know the Team, greeting customers in our Albany store, and attending my first event as an employee of ScotlandShop. As a Business Development Intern I am here to interview local societies, attend events, and showcase ScotlandShop to the best of my ability. So you can expect to hear and see much more of me!

My first blog post will be on Fort Ticonderoga's Scots Day which I attended with the St. Andrews Society of Schenectady. Keep your eyes peeled for all things Scottish-American.

Week 2

During week 2 of my internship, I have been given a lot more responsibility and I am starting to gain more knowledge about how to measure and order custom-made items for our customers. There is a lot to learn but I am getting there ‘poco a poco’ (little by little). On Thursday of this week. I went along to the St. Andrews Society of Schenectady monthly meeting at a brewery near Albany. It was a wholesome evening filled with chats about where I am from in Scotland and upcoming events I can be involved in. I was even made an honorary member of the Society! You can read all about my evening and the history of the Society in my latest blog.

In my adventures outside the store this week, I had the opportunity to travel to Boston with some friends I have made here in Albany. I was also able to meet more new friends in Boston, who are Saltire Scholars too. There are 7 scholars living in Boston, all doing a variety of different internships from engineering to marketing. Two girls, Chloe and Eilidh, are in roles similar to mine. Chloe is working for the New England Historic Genealogical Society and Eilidh is working for the National Trust for Scotland Scotland Foundation USA. Chloe even attends the University of Dundee, so I can meet up with her when I return home.

It was a flying trip as I only stayed Saturday evening and spent Sunday there, regardless, it was amazing. I enjoyed a coffee and an almond croissant at a local chain of cafes in Boston called Tatte Bakery & Cafe, visited the USS Constitution, the world's oldest ship still afloat which was an engaging insight into the US Navy who as it turns out are one of many US military branches to have their own tartan. I saw Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, and grabbed lunch at the Time Out Market nearby. I enjoyed a beer at Samuel Adams Brewery and finished the day off with dinner at an Italian restaurant with both my American friends and my new Saltire friends. I am hopeful to return or meet up in a different place as it was great spending time with people who are going through the same experience as me.

Week 3

As our store manager, Lottie is away in Scotland getting to know Team Tartan better I have been focusing on Marketing projects and organising our store to enhance the customer experience. I have been continuing to strengthen the connections we have with local societies and highlighted this in my most recent blog post on the St. Andrews Society of Schenectady. I am also learning more about how ScotlandShop works to ensure customers can customise their orders and how different parts of the business operate as one.

In this week's out-of-store adventures I was thrilled to meet up in New York City to catch up and prepare to celebrate the 4th of July holiday weekend with some family from Indiana, Ohio, and Colorado. I spent 4 days in the Big Apple and loved getting the chance to once again experience the varying neighbourhoods, cuisines, and atmosphere the city has to offer. It was an inspiring few days as New York Cityhas long been a second-home for ScotlandShop. It is where for years they have celebrated New York City Tartan Week and run Pop-Up Shops to showcase their products. Whilst I will not be part of these events over the summer, it was a pleasure to see and begin to understand why New York City is such a hub of business and leisure for Scottish-American relations. I look forward to returning again soon to meet with members of the Scottish-American community to expand upon my marketing projects in the 9 weeks I have left here at the store.

Week 4

My fourth week here as an intern marks one third of my internship being completed. Even though there are some days which go faster than others, this is a crazy thing to think about. As cliche as it is and we all say it - but I do not know where the time has gone. Well I actually do… and let me update you on what I’ve been spending my most precious and finite resource on.

At the beginning of the week I celebrated the 4th of July in New York City with my American family. I will not ignore the fact it was a hard day to celebrate given everything going on in the world but it is important to continue finding joy in things, this is how we prepare ourselves to show up for other people when they need us. Therefore, I tried to enjoy to the fullest the moments I shared with incredible women in NYC. We spent the day being grateful, informing ourselves, and going with the flow: a life lesson I am continuing to work on.

On Tuesday I arrived back in the store and began working on blog updates, organising the stockroom, outreach, and planning of summer events for ScotlandShop. The week presented challenges trying to build new friendships, and taking on new responsibilities. However, that is the beauty of new experiences and taking risks.

On Sunday I explored more of Albany and visited the New York State Museum. The museum detailed the history of the State and it was really interesting to learn more about the Iroquis peoples, the Adorondacks, and Fort Orange (a dutch fort which was the first permanent settlement in New Netherland, what is today Albany).

Week 5

I kicked off my working week with a very exciting visit to New York City to attend a ‘Drinks and Conversation’ event with the St. Andrews Society of the State of New York. It was an opportunity to meet members of the society but also meet Rui Martins, a fellow Saltire Scholar who is working for the St. Andrew’s Society. Rui is an inspiring and hard working individual who I feel very lucky to have spent the evening with. We had great fun talking with board members and getting to find out about different projects the society is part of. I interviewed Rui about his role and this week worked on a blog post to share what we talked about.

This week was also exciting as our store manager, Lottie returned from Scotland with lots of stories to tell and it was amazing to have her company in the store once again. Together we worked on custom orders and discussed ideas for the Albany store. I also focused on outreach this week and further work on a Saltire Scholars Project.

My last and further exciting task this week was speaking with Marjorie Stewart. Marjorie is a member of Shot of Scotch the Highland Dancing group and told me all about her love for dance and how she got into Highland Dancing. Marjorie dances in Stewart tartans to showcase her Scottish heritage, something I thought was very sweet. My Interview with her will be live on our YouTube channels in the next few weeks.

Week 6

The end of week 6 marks the halfway point through my internship. Thus far it has been a challenge and learning experience working with ScotlandShop in the USA. I am learning more about myself and my capabilities, whilst also trying to enjoy the summer.

This week within the store I focused on setting up new pages about our American tartans ready to go live on the website shortly. This was a task which involved me exploring the history of how certain tartans were created and what they showcase. It was very interesting to see how American military groups have made the Scottish Clan tradition of wearing tartan their own. At the end of this week I had the pleasure of joining the St. Andrews Society of the City of Albany as they visited Fort Edward for their Presidents BBQ. It was held at the Old Fort House Museum which is a beautiful location with lots of rich history. Those who attended enjoyed a tour of the museum and were treated to lunch in the sunshine. It was an opportunity for me to learn more about the area and get to know society members better. My round-up from the event

Outside of work this week I connected with a new friend. One of the difficulties of interning abroad and living in a new place, especially working within a smaller business is that it is quite difficult to meet people. Therefore, it was really nice to spend the weekend going for food, exploring, and just hanging out with someone my age. One highlight of my days off this weekend was going to The Skinny Pancake in Downtown Albany. They specialise in crepes and wow it was so good. I had the vegan crepe whilst my friend Alyssa opted for a sweet crepe, I'd highly recommend it next time you are visiting the Capital District!

I am looking forward to the second half of my internship with ScotlandShop as there are a lot more events and I will have the chance to focus on outreach projects relating to my area of interest.