Guten Tag! My name is Kevork Zeibari and I am a rising senior in the Bioengineering department in the Swanson School of Engineering here at the University of Pittsburgh. I be travelling to Munich, Germany and spending the next two weeks learning about business, technology, and engineering within the context of the automobile industry! This will be my first time in Europe and I am excited and grateful to have the opportunity to live and work in a community outside of my own, even if it is for such a short time. Bavaria, the region of Germany of which Munich is the capital, also holds a special place in my heart as it is where my great-aunt, whom I’m very close with, is from.
As a Bioengineer minoring in industrial engineering looking to make a career in business development, I seldom have the opportunity to explore manufacturing principles and and get hands on experience with business technologies in the space in my coursework. Additionally, the rigorous bioengineering curriculum leaves little room for studying abroad during the Fall and Spring semesters while staying on track to graduate in four years. I knew that I wanted to study in more places than just Pittsburgh so I started looking at summer programs that would fit both of my interests and found that the Business, Technology, and Engineering the German way fit the bill exactly.
On this two-week experience, we get paired up with German students and work with them on a project involving ideating business ideas, market research, and user centered design. We additionally make company visits, attended seminars, and take cultural excursions to learn more about Germany and how companies conduct business there. Evidently, we not only gain technical know-how from our classes and projects, but we get invaluable experience working with others from another country where things like language and cultural barriers challenge us to grow and adapt in different ways. That is the main reason I wanted to go on this trip; to be able to challenge myself to learn and grow by working with those in a completely different communal context.
I am grateful for both the University of Pittsburgh, the bioengineering department, the SSOE Global experiences office, and especially my parents for supporting me and making the preparation and coordination of this trip as easy and enjoyable as possible.
I look forward to exploring the area and learning all about the culture, business practices, and different perspectives German’s have. Brost!