For Ciara McGovern, a travel enthusiast, participating in the Rian J-1 Graduate Visa program was a no brainer! Having studied abroad in Luxembourg and Paris along with completing a J1 Summer visa in San Diego, she is no stranger to living abroad. 

Ciara told us: “During my third year of University, I completed a six-month work placement in Luxembourg, where I gained valuable experience living and working in a different cultural environment. That experience broadened my perspective, and I knew that participating in this visa program would further expand my global outlook by exposing me to another unique cultural setting.”

It's no surprise that Ciara is happy she decided to come to Boston.

According to Ciara, Rian Immigration Center made the visa application process simple. “The Rian step-by-step guide was so helpful as it laid everything out so well. Rian was so supportive.  The process before getting to the US was made easy and the Rian team was so responsive to emails and my queries.”

After she arrived in the US, the transition to Boston was seamless for Ciara, despite the shockingly cold temperatures in January. She leveraged the extensive Irish network there to find an apartment in Dorchester and started playing Gaelic football at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, MA.

While Ciara notes that her job search was the hardest part of the visa process, she landed an amazing position as a Delivery Consultant at ERSG, a specialist recruitment agency in Boston. “I love my job, I have learned so much,” she said.

In her position, Ciara has learned a lot about the renewable energy industry, something she says she finds incredibly interesting and would know nothing about if not for her time in Boston with ERSG. She feels the experience will help her to successfully land her next position when she gets back to Ireland.

“I could not have gotten a better piece of work experience,” she sais. “I have been so lucky!”

Outside of work, Ciara has made Boston feel like home. When asked why she chose the city for her destination she said, “people at home say that New York is like Dublin while Boston is like Galway… And I love Galway, so that made my East Coast location choice easy.”

While Boston seemed big at first, Ciara has learned how to expertly navigate the city using the T. She has taken advantage of all Boston has to offer, trying new restaurants, experiencing the night life and immersing herself in Boston sports culture, even rooting for the Patriots in the 2026 Super Bowl.

She has made lifelong friends and found an instant community through Boston’s Irish network and fills her time outside of work going to the gym, playing Gaelic football, grabbing a drink at the local pub, and having TV watch parties with friends every Wednesday night. \

Ciara also took full advantage of her time in the US, traveling all over the eastern states. “I previously travelled to the US on a J1 summer work visa and spent time on the West Coast, in San Diego. While I enjoyed getting to know American culture, my experience was limited to that region and I didn’t have the chance to explore the East Coast.”

While playing Gaelic Football, she traveled to both Chicago, where she got to see the iconic Chicago Bean, and Philadelphia. She also visited friends in Austin, TX and together they visited Nashville, TN.

She noted how easy it was to book trains and flights all over the country and plans to visit New York in her remaining time in the US.

As her graduate visa comes to an end, Ciara reflected on her time in the US. She says the visa “really helps you grow up and develop as a person. I did not know what I wanted to do after Uni.  HR recruitment is something I want to work in. My job has helped me see this.”

She will go back to Ireland with new friendships, transferable professional skills, great references and resume experience, and memories to last a lifetime.

When asked about the visa program Ciara enthusiastically said, “Just go for it.  Everyone should do this!” She discussed that there aren’t many opportunities to live and work in the US and the J-1 Graduate visa is especially valuable in helping to determine a graduate’s career path after university. 

Rian Immigrant Center is delighted that Ciara has had such a valuable and rewarding experience on her Rian J-1 Graduate visa program.