As a Cornell Engineer, I have received a top-notch education, and I am progressing well towards becoming a Civil Engineer. Although I knew I’d make regular progress at Cornell, I have also learned about a wide array of things that I never thought about or considered when I was in high school. In this blog, I’ll focus on two aspects of my Cornell education that have taken my education in directions I don’t think I truly anticipated: My participation in ROTC and my experience studying at the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain…yes, Spain.

At Cornell, I have the privilege of participating in Navy ROTC. While this entails early wakeups and extra classes, it also comes with great training in leadership, seamanship, ship engineering, and - of course - physical fitness. All of these things have been important aspects of my Cornell education, and they are an important part of how I see myself as an engineer. Not only have I learned through these experiences, but ROTC has provided opportunities to travel to Colorado, Philadelphia, many local New York areas, and hopefully many more places before I graduate. These trips have fostered learning, adventure and friendship. While ROTC certainly has mandatory commitments, many additional opportunities are optional and enhance the rest of my education. Even though these opportunities are optional, many ROTC students still jump on them! Participating in these events, such as doing Color Guard for a Cornell-Harvard hockey game, have been some of my favorite moments at Cornell.

Another great opportunity that Cornell Engineering has made available to me is the ability to study abroad through the Cornell Engineering – University of Cantabria Engineering Exchange Program. Through this program, I can stay on track to graduate on time while taking engineering classes overseas. The University of Cantabria is located in the beautiful coastal town of Santander in northern Spain (and I know that Cornell Engineering is kicking off a new program called Global Start Cantabria). From my apartment I have an amazing view of the Bay and mountains behind it! Santander has really good waves, a huge surfing community, its own soccer team with diehard fans, many amazing restaurants, and a great culture to go along with everything – it has been an amazing place to live and learn. Classes are small, and taught in English, so I can fully understand the important engineering concepts that I am learning. Outside of class, I have daily opportunities to polish my Spanish; most locals from Santander are either not fluent in English or have extremely limited English fluency. For me, this has posed a wonderful challenge to develop my own fluency in Spanish, fueling my desire to improve my language skills. Because I’m immersing myself this deeply, my language proficiency is developing rapidly, and I am improving every day! In addition to exploring Santander and the local Northern Spain area, I am excited to visit many other places like Madrid, Barcelona, and other famous European cities.

My Cornell Engineering education has been wonderful, and I have enjoyed these experiences – ROTC and my time in Cantabria – that are taking me out of my comfort zone. The opportunity to participate in unique and dynamic programs has defined me as a true Cornell Engineer, and I’m excited about what comes next for me!