Hi everyone! My name is Aqsa Owais and I am a rising sophomore at the Swanson School of Engineering majoring in Bioengineering with a certificate in Global Health. I am in the Guaranteed Admit Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine with my end goal being becoming a practicing physician-scientist in a surgical specialty.

On a more personal level, I am the proud older sister of two, a 17-year-old brother and a 4-year-old sister. My favorite pastimes and hobbies are going to Six Flags, horseback riding, reading, Netflix, and going on picnics.

My personal life goal is to find joy in the unknown and chase the feeling of being uncomfortable–I want my life to be marked by growth and remarkable memories. Since coming to college, I have embarked on a journey of self-discovery and used the resources available to me to navigate and explore my interests. I want to continue pushing my boundaries, learning new skills, and building meaningful relationships with those around me.  

At Pitt, I am most involved with the Makerspace located in the basement of Benedum. In the Spring, I completed an XProject for upper arm reductions in pediatric emergencies under the mentorship of Dr. Natan Cramer. Right now, I am completing a Summer Research Internship in the Innovation and Design Engineering Acceleration (IDEA) lab. With that being said, my personal projects are centered around making gifts for the people I care about.

I am from “central” New Jersey but I moved around significantly while growing up. I found my love for international travel and appreciation for diverse cultures while living in India. This has motivated me to pursue experiences in life that expand my perspective, hence why I chose to study abroad.

So, why did I choose Cyprus?

As I am writing this post, I have already completed my study abroad experience but I will still indulge in the reasons why I chose it:

As an aspiring physician, my goal in studying abroad is to orient myself to diverse cultures and belief systems as I have seen firsthand how having an international perspective can improve care. I chose the Plus3 Cyprus program to investigate the effects of globalization through direct interactions with local industries that play an integral role in the lives of Cypriots. The Plus3 program would give me the unique opportunity to investigate how socioeconomic and political factors shape culture, industry, government, and healthcare infrastructure on a Mediterranean island. This would give me the knowledge necessary to represent the interests of my patients in a clinical, legislative, and industry setting.  

Expanding my reference frame is an important career and life goal because, as a physician, I will undoubtedly work on multidisciplinary teams to serve a diverse patient population. So, while in Cyprus, I intended to improve my interpersonal skills and acquire an appreciation and understanding of how a person’s perspective is interwoven with their unique culture, beliefs, and experiences.   

Furthermore, as a part of Plus3, because I would be studying alongside business students in the program, I would have the unique opportunity to collaborate with them and observe their perspectives on the same topics. This would help me develop an openness to differing points of view and challenge my critical thinking skills. This would give me the resources and knowledge necessary to connect my experiences with other people’s experiences so that I can create a bridge between our differences.

Finally, the Plus3 program would allow me to see how open-ended problems are addressed by engineers internationally and help me gain insight into how to become a more conscious problem-solver. This would help me professionally because just as engineers solve open-ended problems, doctors also treat patients with open-ended diseases and unique circumstances.

To this end, I chose to study abroad in Cyprus to broaden and mature my understanding of the world. The experiences I gained in Cyprus will enable me to transform into a more reflective, collaborative, and socially conscious student and health care professional.   

Till next time!

Aqsa Owais