By Steve Hintz

If you’ve never studied abroad, you probably wanted to at some point. During my sophomore year at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, I remember walking past the colorful study abroad office and dreaming of faraway lands. Contemplating Rumi over coffee in a New Delhi deli with some young tenderoni got to be an ongoing fantasy during my college career. Needless to say, I never took the trip and have regretted my transgression to this day. 

Ruthie Hauge seems to have gotten the point a little earlier than I did. Spending three weeks in summertime Dublin she regaled me recently with stories of her internship with one of the most talented photojournalists in all of Ireland, the award-winning Brenda Fitzsimons. 

A senior photography student at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Hauge has never been one to turn down a pint. At an outing for the Irish Professional Photographers Association (PPAI) this past summer at the Ale House in Milwaukee, Hauge got a chance to meet Fitzsimons, who just happened to be the first women in The Irish Times’ 150 year history to be hired on as a photographer. 

The two women hit it off and Fitzsimons invited Hauge to come to Ireland and visit. Might as well make it an internship…two credits…and that’s exactly what what happened. And off Hauge went to the Auld Sod.

"Our first assignment from The Irish Times was to photograph the Minister of Public Works opening a War Museum in Balingarry, Co. Kilkenney. We were late and were driving fast enough for the wheels to lift off the ground," recalled Hauge. 

"I watched as Brenda did what she does so well. She made sure to get on the good side of the Minister’s personal secretary, which allowed her to place him wherever she wanted him for a photo. As the minister toured the museum, the other photographers followed him like ducklings from room to room," Hauge said.

"Brenda never works this way. She gets in the room, gets her shot, and moves to the next room, so she can be sure to get the shot no one else will get when the minister walks in. She is never satisfied with a standard unoriginal photograph. She will pull strings or rearrange the subjects in complete command of the situation. She has ministers and presidents nodding to her wishes," asserted the Milwaukee student.

Haugie had plenty to do while working her way around the shade of jade island nation. She learned the creativity that it takes to "get the shot."

"We went to the Galway Races. Her photo editor didn’t bother to arrange press passes for us, so they were going to make us pay at the gate and have access only to the areas for the general public. Brenda does not give up that easily," Hauge asserted. "Her true dedication and love for her job is evident at these points where she will jump a spiked fence, play chicken with security guards, or drive like James Bond to get the photo. Needless to say, we got in."

Graduating from MIAD in May of this year with a photography major and a drawing minor, Hauge was in dire need of on the job experience. She told me about her first job. 

"My first ‘assignment’ was to photograph a cow's face. I guess I have to start somewhere. Brenda and I were more amused by the prospect of pretending like an American city girl like me couldn’t identify a cow and send the editor a sheep instead," she laughed.

Although she is an American city girl, Hauge maintains a distinct Irish history. Her grandmother is of Irish descent, being born and raised in counties Cavan and Cork. Haugie so loves her roots that she named her her cats — her two favorite creatures in the world — after her grandmother’s beloved counties.

The influence of Hauge’s mentor extended to the States. When she returned home, she was landed a shadowing position with press photographers at The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, based upon Fitzsimon’s recommendations. She continues to study hard in school and presides over the student body, evidence of her ability to motivate herself. 

Her experiences in Ireland will last a lifetime, as will her relationship with Fitzsimons. The two keep in touch, as it should be, and Fitzsimons still calls Hauge her "daughter."

"She looks more like her father," Brenda explained to the locals. 

The wit of the Irish is study abroad enough.