Hi! My name is Luiza Weissmann and I just completed my freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh. I am studying Bioengineering with a minor in Chemistry, and also intend to earn the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine certificate. I hope to attend medical school in the future, focusing on pediatric care. My favorite things to do in my free time are spend time with friends and family, bake, ski, exercise, and listen to music! I also love to travel, which is why I am so beyond excited to embark on this journey to the Netherlands!

As I slightly mentioned above, the program I selected to participate in is Plus3: The Netherlands. I chose this program because of its focus on “Concept to Customer,” which takes a deeper dive into the entire process of idea to tangible product of a company. As this program is geared to both engineers and business students, I will be able to experience a new perspective considering the business side of companies, which I have never done before. Another reason I selected this program is because the Netherlands has very progressive sustainable efforts. I do not consider myself to be very educated on sustainability, so I hope to learn more in this regard from the experienced companies in the Netherlands in order to improve how we manage our environmental footprint here in the United States.

In terms of engineering, also hope to gain knowledge on how my major is practiced in a foreign country and how culture shapes processes by speaking to different professionals in the field. I am excited to tour different companies and learn how they operate on a local and global scale and see real world application of what I have learned in my engineering classes so far. I hope to expand my skillset in communication and networking, as well as get a better idea of what my future would look like as an engineer. I also hope to immerse myself in the culture of the Netherlands by visiting historic sites such as the Anne Frank Museum, art galleries, and eating traditional foods. I am so excited to build a strong relationship with my peers and professors throughout this journey and can not wait to make unforgettable memories!