Ian Casey

I received my Morrison Visa in June 1994. At 21 years of age, I was living and studying in Cork, aspiring to live the “American dream.” Growing up in Blarney, I was surrounded by happy, smiling, colorful American tourists, which planted the seed of my ambition. Eventually, I settled in San Francisco, where I stayed until 2017, before moving to New York City.

“Being young, I was full of inspiration but light on experience. I had spent a few summers abroad and two years in London, but this was before the internet.”

We sent letters by post to recruitment agencies to inquire about jobs, made long-distance and international calls, and used calling cards to stay connected with home. America felt far away, and California even further. Getting there was one challenge, but affording flights home for Christmas was another.

One unforgettable experience was visiting my first Mexican taqueria. I had no idea what a burrito was, thinking it might be similar to a sandwich. When faced with a barrage of choices, tortilla type, chicken style, beans, guacamole, salsa, I said yes to everything. The result weighed about three kilograms, and I’ve been a hot sauce fanatic ever since.

Survival was my first challenge, I needed a job ASAP. The next challenge was to enjoy it and understand it. Within four months, I changed careers and became a finance recruiter in Silicon Valley, a place I had scarcely heard of before moving. With no contacts, no alumni network, and a difficult-to-understand telephone accent, I faced an uphill battle. It took two years to truly feel stable in my new career. When the dot-com boom took off, San Francisco became electric. I worked 12+ hour days for the next 20 years, this is America, the land of “always on” if you want to make it.

“Moving to America opened my eyes to a new way of thinking, to challenge the status quo, to never give up, and to believe in “I can.”

At the beginning of the dot-com bust in 2001, I started a new recruiting company with friends; by 2022, we had sold two recruiting companies.

The Morrison Visa provided me with a life trajectory and opportunities I never imagined possible. Becoming an immigrant comes with a sense of responsibility, a desire for equality and an aspiration to help others on their journey, whether they are native or immigrant. America is huge, diverse, fast-paced, wild, and full of opportunities, but it’s also expensive and has little safety net for the marginalized. However, it offers the chance to break barriers with effort and determination.

Believe in yourself and say yes, that’s what I learned.