This Ireland native is a Tar Heel for life
Trans-Atlantic Masters graduate Vinnie Hourihane puts his Carolina degree to good use in his post-grad life in Brussels.
When Vinnie Hourihane ’26 (MA) arrived in Chapel Hill as an exchange student in spring 2023, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Three years, a master’s degree and countless sports matches later, he considers himself a Tar Heel for life.
Originally from County Kildare in Ireland, Hourihane studied abroad in Lexington, Kentucky, in high school. As an undergraduate at Trinity College Dublin, he worked in the global affairs department and decided to become an exchange student at Carolina.
“I’m a huge basketball fan, so that’s what attracted me to the idea at first,” he said. “But as soon as I stepped foot on campus, I just loved it. You become a member of a family when you’re in Chapel Hill.”
Although he was studying business at Trinity, Hourihane enrolled in the trans-Atlantic security course taught by Robert Jenkins, teaching professor in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ political science department.
At the end of the semester, Hourihane returned to Trinity to complete his senior year. But when he left Chapel Hill, he said, “I’m going to be back here someday, whether it’s as a grad student, a tourist, whatever — I’ll be back.”
Joining the TAMily
He felt sure it wasn’t goodbye because he had learned about Carolina’s Trans-Atlantic Masters, a dual-degree program in political science. Students complete their first year at Carolina, and their second at a TAM partner university in Europe. Hourihane was accepted for TAM’s incoming fall 2024 cohort.
The classes were hard but rewarding. “I think I learned more in that year than I’ve learned in any of my other 24,” he said.
He worked as a student communications assistant in UNC Global Affairs and attended as many Diplomacy Initiative events as he could.
“Vinnie is a Tar Heel through and through,” said Sarah Hutchison, TAM associate director. “He makes an effort to not only expand his own opportunities as he meets new people, but also to look for ways to increase possibilities for others.”
Building Carolina’s global alumni network in Berlin and beyond
Hourihane did his second year of TAM at Humboldt University of Berlin, and in a full-circle moment, submitted a master’s thesis written under Jenkins’ guidance.
“I was delighted that he chose to attend UNC-Chapel Hill for graduate school,” Jenkins said. “Beyond the scholarly issues involved, we share so many interests — from UNC sports to EU politics and Brussels culture.”
Now, Hourihane works in external relations at the American Chamber of Commerce Mission to the EU in Brussels. In his role, he helps bridge the gap between American and European businesses and governments throughout the trans-Atlantic relationship, working directly with the European Parliament and the European Commission.
“TAM just opens your eyes to the political and cultural aspects of the trans-Atlantic relationship,” Hourihane said. “The program definitely gave me an appreciation for the bond that exists between America and Europe. It’s been very formative.”
He always looks for opportunities to connect with the Carolina alumni network. Hourihane arranged a TAM cohort visit at the U.S. Mission to the EU in Brussels this past summer and will host 11 Carolina friends in Dublin for the upcoming Aer Lingus College Football Classic, when the Tar Heels will play football outside the U.S. for the first time in program history.
“I definitely would not be able to do my job today if it were not for my experiences at Carolina,” Hourihane said. “In a way, it feels like everything’s been building towards something like this.”
