I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join the wonderful students on this past Plus3 program to the Netherlands. It has been a valuable experience that I believe has made me both a better student and a better traveler. This trip was a growing opportunity in many areas for us as students, both academically and otherwise. From learning about the joys of public transportation in a language you do not speak to navigating networking with disciplines outside your field of study, this experience widened my idea of what it means to be a worldly student. One of the main skills I practiced on this trip was connecting my networking skills and interests between my personal path of Pre-Law and economics with the many themes of engineering and science that were seen in our work on the trip. Instead of thinking these experiences were useless as they didn’t connect to my educational journey directly, I learned how to open my perspective up to different ways of thinking and problem solving that incorporated engineering and scientific ways of thinking, as well as my more literary and analytical mindset. This idea that we can learn to think and learn in new and different ways from those around us is something I believe is a very valuable skill, as it is very likely I will interact with professionals from all walks of life in the future, all of which will have something to teach me.
Another skill that I further developed on this trip was the delicate balance of working in a larger group, including many strong opinions. Something that I noticed on the trip was that there were many very intelligent and very strong-willed people with very confident ways of living. I believe that is a very admirable trait, and something that adds to group work greatly. That being said, being able to navigate how to balance and hear out everyone’s perspectives so that everyone feels like their thoughts are being heard and valued, regardless of how loud, is something I believe is equally as important. This trip gave me the opportunity to interact with such strong characters and lead conversations that recognized each individual opinion as valuable and contributive. This is a skill I consider to be essential to any workplace, be it corporate, service, or otherwise. Being able to work with people is essential in any workplace and can only be done effectively if you can put intention into the interactions and conversations you have with others. Everyone has something important to say, and can teach you valuable lessons if you take the time and attention to listen. This trip was a valuable opportunity to practice such patience, and I am looking forward to using the skills I have honed on this trip into my future interactions at Pitt and beyond, be it in my educational, personal or professional journeys.