Hello everyone, my name is Rose Genco, and I just finished my freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh. I am studying Civil Engineering with an environmental focus at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. I am planning to earn a Sustainability Certificate as well. This summer I will be traveling to Costa Rica as part of the Plus 3 Engineering Program. This program focuses on Costa Rica’s coffee and banana supply chain and finding ways this can be made more efficient and sustainable.

During my first year at Pitt, I joined Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity. As a part of this fraternity, I am creating relationships with many other engineering students at Pitt. We focus on fostering relationships, serving our community, and gaining professional development experience. I have started rock climbing at Pitt’s bouldering walls. Finally, I have joined a music listening club that meets each week. Here, I share and discuss music with other students. Music has always been a large part of my life. Since Kindergarten, I have played the piano, playing music from Scott Joplin’s rags to songs from the Sound of Music.

I am journeying to Costa Rica to explore how a culture different from my own approaches engineering and sustainability. Gaining a new perspective on how Costa Ricans have solved engineering problems will help my work in my own community. I hope to take what I have learned about supply chain efficiency and apply it to my career as an engineer. In Costa Rica, I am also excited to have fresh, ripe fruit. The tropical fruit sold there will have come directly from farms, something I have not experienced before. Lastly, I am excited to see Costa Rica’s wildlife and hike their beautiful Cloud Forest. I have always loved nature and hiking; therefore, this trip is perfect for me. I am grateful to be a part of this program, and I hope to have many meaningful experiences.