Student spotlight - Studying abroad at Penn State
Deciding to study abroad, knowing that you're going to be living in another county without your family and friends for an extended period can be intimidating. However, for Claudia Perez, the decision was easy.
Originally from Mexico, and having already studied via exchange programs in Brussels, Belgium and Quebec, Canada, Perez knew that an opportunity to study at Penn State was tremendous, " I chose Penn State because it is a very well recognized university and is ranked in the top five for industrial engineering."
Though she was new to Penn State industrial engineering, Perez knew that IE was the right major for her, "I have always liked to find the ways to make things work better and optimize processes."
While she was only at Penn State for the Fall 2008 semester, Perez had many memorable and fulfilling experiences as an industrial engineering student, "In all of my courses I have worked on team projects. These project let me get to know more people and integrate more with the people from the United States."
While at Penn State, Perez participated in IE 480, a senior design course where students work in teams to gain real world engineering experience through an industry-based project. She and her team worked on a project for UPS, where they optimized the UPS tractor/trailer parking and staging layout for the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania facility. During the Fall 2008 Design Showcase, team UPS placed second in the College of Engineering Best Project category, second in the World Class Industrial Engineering Project category, and first for College of Engineering Best Poster.
Being exposed to the international culture that Penn State offers has left Perez was a good impression of the University, "The thing I enjoyed the most from Penn State is the people I knew here. It is amazing. I knew people from all over the world, and I get to know other cultures better. I also like the Penn State campus; it is definitely one of my favorites."
While she will eventually return to Tec de Monterrey in Mexico to finish her industrial engineering degree in December 2009, Perez is taking advantage of another abroad experience, this time in France for a spring semester co-op in Lyon. After her Fall 2009 graduation, Perez "plans to come back and work in the United States! " because of her great experience at Penn State.
In her own words, Perez expressed her gratitude for her semester abroad, " I would like to thank to all the people, friends and professors who supported me along this semester, and who made my stay a wonderful one. " We wish Claudia the best in her future endeavors!
If you have a study abroad experience you'd like to share or want to recommend an IE student to interview, please contact Tara Carson at tlc26@psu.edu.