GEARE Students Abroad in 2022 - Part 3
As the world begins to return to some semblance of normalcy following the pandemic, we are thrilled to have our GEARE students abroad this semester all around the world. On a weekly basis throughout the semester, I will be sharing some of the experiences of the students abroad. The goal of these posts is to highlight the accomplishments and endeavors of our wonderful cohort of students abroad in 2022. In this week’s post, Phoebe Bailey and Peyton Young have shared some of their experiences being abroad.
Phoebe Bailey is a Chemical Engineering student currently studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Her best experiences so far have been “meeting both local students and fellow exchange students from around the world” and has also “really enjoyed exploring the island and trying new foods.”
After her semester in Singapore, she will “be returning to Indianapolis to complete an internship with Eli Lilly and Company. Next semester, [she] looks forward to participating in a global design team project and sharing [her] experiences of [her] semester abroad.”
One piece of advice that Phoebe has for current students is to “learn to embrace the uncomfortable. Studying abroad puts you in a lot of unfamiliar situations which can be uncomfortable at times. However, through these new experiences and different interactions, you learn so much about the world around you and about yourself.”
Peyton Young is a Mechanical Engineering student currently working at Kautex Textron in Bonn, Germany. He has been working “in the Core Quality department, and working on systems to manage documents better and ensure that the company follows engineering standards properly.” One thing that he has enjoyed about this position is that he gets “to interact with people from all over the world, and have plenty of opportunities to lead trainings and discussions over quality concepts.” His best experience so far has been “that the department leader has taken time to help [him] develop leadership skills, by having meetings with [him] about [his] vision for the future and skills that one must possess to succeed as a leader” Additionally, he is able to “get plenty of German practice from the team who are very willing to correct my German, and [he] feels like it is already improving.”
Later in the semester, he is planning “to go one some weekend trips to nearby cities, such as Cologne and Aachen.” When he goes to Karlsruhe he will “be going to a few concerts from [his] favorite artists and on some trips when [his] Mom and girlfriend come to visit.” Academically, he “will take classes and hopes to make friends with Germans at KIT.”
One piece of advice that Peyton has for current students is that “when you go, it will be daunting. There are a lot of things you have to do to really integrate into the society (i.e. Bank account, registering your address). Be persistent, but don't let it get you too far down. It may not be super simple at first, but having flexibility, patience, and the ability to deal with ambiguity will get you far. Once you are settled in, you will feel great and will be able to enjoy your time. Make use of it by going out (but do as much as you want to, don't force yourself into a situation you are uncomfortable doing, like traveling too far). Baby steps are completely ok!”
After the pandemic made global travel impossible in 2021, it is great to have GEARE students back studying and working around the world in 2022! I hope to continue to share student experiences like these throughout the rest of the semester, highlighting two new students every week.