Talk to a Global Ambassador
Adam Curtis
Hometown: Waymart, PA
Major: Electrical Engineering
Email: acurtis@tamu.edu
Global Program Type/Location: Reciprocal Exchange Program/ Qatar
International Education Experience: Adam Curtis, an Electrical Engineering student from Waymart
Bryton Praslicka
Hometown: Flower Mound, TX
Major: Electrical Engineering
Email: bryton.praslicka@tamu.edu
Global Program Type/Location: Reciprocal Exchange Program Qatar, Faculty Led Germany, Faculty Led Italy Ethics
International Education Experience: I self-financed through work and scholarship alone a triple study abroad experience in which I began on the Qatar Exchange Spring 2017 program, backpacked to the Italy Engineering Ethics in Castiglion Fiorentino, and then traveled to Aachen, Germany for the Germany/UK Electrical Engineering program. The highlights in all three locations were the after-class fun with the students I became close friends with. In Qatar many nights we would be out until late spending time together and having late night conversations about our different religions and lifestyles. In
Rachel Dedas
Hometown: Lake Jackson, TX
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Email: racheldedas@gmail.com
Global Program Type/Location:
International Education Experience: This past semester - Spring 2017 - I went on the faculty-led Bonn, Germany Biosciences program. It's hard to describe how much I learned, experienced, and grew while living in Europe. My time there was unbelievable, and I would go back in a second if I could. Besides achieving personal goals while studying abroad, like becoming comfortable traveling in foreign countries, becoming more independent, making new friends, trying new food and other cultural activities, I believe I also became more prepared for my future career. Studying abroad was my favorite semester of college so far!
The highpoints of my trip were traveling with the great friends I made. Some of my best memories are from spring break when we went to Ireland, Portugal, and Spain and the week preceding when we went to France. My biggest struggle while abroad was trying to balance studying and traveling. I took 15 hours of engineering classes, so the workload was pretty heavy. I still managed to visit 9 different countries though! I learned how to prioritize and time-manage because almost every weekend was filled with adventuring to a different country. The best piece of advice I could give to someone considering a study abroad is GO. It will change your life. It doesn’t matter where you go; if you’re thrown into another culture, you will learn so much about the world and yourself – and have some incredible adventures!
Ria Rao
Hometown: Houston, TX
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Email: riaprao@tamu.edu
Global Program Type/Location: Research Internship/ India
International Education Experience: The program I participated in was the Research Internship Abroad Program for 10 weeks in the summer of 2018 at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Gandhinagar, India. Traveling to Gandhinagar was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me! I was the only one in my group from A&M who spoke the native language, so I was forced to become the leader of the group which really helped me improve my communication skills and become more outgoing as a person!
The biggest challenge for me was talking to cab drivers since drivers there can be a little irritable and would speak to me quickly in Hindi or try to overcharge us for rides. At first, this was a huge change for me, but over time, it became easier to talk and negotiate with workers in Hindi. I am really thankful for being put in this position though because it pushed me outside of my comfort zone. My biggest tip for anyone studying abroad would be to remain
As for the research experience, I was welcomed into the lab with so much hospitality. The graduate students and my professor helped me explore my interests, and I was able to get my own project for the first time! In just 2 months, I was able to design a project, have it programmed, and actually implemented on subjects. I was also able to travel and experience some beautiful parts of the country while working at one of the best universities!