Hello! My name is Gabi Fernandes; I am an incoming senior who will be exploring Germany over the course of the next two weeks to learn more about business, technology, and engineering in the Bavarian city of Munich! I absolutely LOVE to travel; I had the privilege to study abroad in Brazil last year through a Pitt Panther Program that taught me about sustainable engineering practices and renewable energy/electrification in the Brazilian cities of Foz de Iguazu and Porto Alegre. Outside of Pitt, I have traveled to four out of the seven continents and hope to continue traveling all of my life!
After studying abroad once, I knew that I had to go abroad through Pitt again. Some of my friends in industrial engineering were applying to the business/technology trip to Germany; as someone interested in pursuing an MBA but with little time or experience in business-oriented coursework, I knew this opportunity would be perfect for me.
As a dual degree student in both chemical engineering and computer science, my interests lie in the realms of engineering innovation and technological change. I am excited to have the opportunity to study abroad in Germany with a focus being placed on German business practices and companies. As part of my trip, we will be visiting automobile factories such as BMW and technology companies like Siemens. I am incredibly excited to learn more about German culture and try new food; as an avid foodie, tasting the traditional foods of new countries is one of my favorite parts of traveling. I am also excited to visit the Austrian city of Salzburg, which is one of our weekend trip destinations. I love that I have the ability to visit multiple countries during my Pitt study abroad experience. Additionally, I will be celebrating my 21st birthday in Germany while I am away; I’m sure that it will be a birthday to remember!
I chose the Business, Technology, and Engineering the German Way program because I felt this program would best enrich my studies and give me outside-of-the-classroom experience working through engineering problems with students of all backgrounds. As part of this program, we are paired with students from the Munich University of Applied Sciences to work on an industrial design problem for BMW that involves the sale of automobiles to different demographics of the American population. I am intrigued by the idea of working on a business-related project because most of my classes focus on chemical kinetics, computer programming, and process design.
In a couple of days, I will be boarding a plane to fly to Munich, where I will be staying for two weeks. I am so excited to explore Germany and Austria, make new American and German friends, learn more about business and technology in Munich, try amazing new foods, and enrich my studies at Pitt with another study abroad experience!