When the chamber was looking for fresh perspectives, it only had to look across town to find help from a continent away.

Sheryl McBride, a student at St. Andrews Presbyterian College from Northern Ireland, has recently joined the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce as an intern.

"I'm really enjoying it," the 20-year old Belfast student said after her first two weeks of work.

McBride says she's applying her classroom knowledge in a real world setting, something she feels is enhancing her understanding of business.

"I hope to be able to put the stuff I learned in the class into practice," McBride said. "I want to leave here with a portfolio of work."

Some of the projects McBride is working on is creating new membership folders, updating advertising guides, researching website designs and beginning an email campaign to sign up new chamber members.

St. Andrews business professors Corinne Nicholson and Douglas Glass said they are thrilled with McBride taking on the chamber internship.

"The faculty members in the Department of Business and Economics conduct a thoughtful, reflective review of possible candidates for any internship position," Nicholson said. "We try to match the skills, knowledge and disposition of the student to fit the needs of the position."

“After reviewing the candidates, we wished to have an excellent representative for this important internship and Sheryl, already having a marketing and business background, seemed to be a natural fit,” Glass said.

Nicholson said the college has a history with the chamber.

"There has been a long, on-going relationship between the chamber and St. Andrews," Nicholson said. "The internships have been varied as the needs of the chamber have been matched with the talents of the students. Last year, Jarrod Hall helped the new Executive Director set financial benchmarks for the organization. He conducted extensive research on how other not-for-profit agencies approach financial matters."

The long-running internship is well appreciated by the chamber, according to Chamber President Theresa Lamson.

She said some projects McBride is working an would have to be delayed six months to a year, maybe more, because of the lack of paid staff.

Lamson also appreciated the fresh perspective the Irish student may bring to the chamber.

She encourages others in the community to set up internships with St. Andrews and other area colleges.

"I think the internship program has been underutilized by our business community," Lamson said.

"Sheryl is seeing first hand how business efforts are coordinated within a community," Glass said. "She is also spearheading ‘Laurinburg Business After Hours’. This is a marketing effort to get some businesses involved by a few at a time remaining open after normal hours. They are hoping to attract the businesses to each other."

“Sheryl is having the opportunity to learn from the skills and experiences of the Chamber staff how to effectively develop, design, coordinate and produce a marketing campaign for the U.S. business environment. She will develop an understanding of the key differences between public relations in the U.S. and Northern Ireland. This will become the basis of the culminating paper that she will produce for her home institution.”

McBride is studying in the United States through the Business Education Initiative, a Management Development Program for undergraduate students offered and funded by the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland and delivered by the British Council.

About 100 students from North Ireland participate annually in the year-long program where students are sent abroad to promote North Ireland and to aid the economy by bringing back new skills and knowledge, according to McBride.

"Whenever I get a job, it's going to give me an advantage to say I studied in the United States," McBride said.

A representative at the program handpicked St. Andrews for McBride, even though the college had not previously participated in the program, as the college was the best fit for her interests, the Belfast native said.

Nicholson said the chamber internship tied in perfectly with the requirements of her study abroad program.

"The guidelines through the Business Education Initiative of the British Council recommended that she complete an internship if possible with a U.S. business or service as an ambassador for Northern Ireland," Nicholson said. "The opportunity to work with the Chamber of Commerce fulfilled multiple objectives of the British Council, and her strong marketing background matched the needs of the Chamber."

"Sheryl needed an internship to fulfill her requirements for the scholarship she received through the BEI to attend St. Andrews," Glass said. "It seemed fitting to offer her this opportunity to experience first hand American commerce and the coordination of various businesses in the area."

Living in Laurinburg has also been lesson in culture shock for the Irish college student.

"At home, I live in the capital of Northern Ireland," McBride said. "Here, is is very rural. Everyone is really nice, though."