- My STEP Signature Project was a study abroad through the College of Engineering to Tanzania. The purpose of this study abroad was primarily community engagement and overseeing the drilling of a borehole (water source) within a community faculty within the College of Engineering have been working with for some time. Towards the end of the trip, we also traveled to two conservation areas within Tanzania and went on safari.
- I feel like my understanding of myself, my assumptions, and my view of the world changed a lot while I was studying abroad. One of the biggest things I took away was the gift of learning that there are such intelligent individuals studying in University on the other side of the world that care about the same issues I do. Another thing I learned is that such deep friendships can be formed in such a short time span. I don’t think I had ever met people for two weeks and made lifelong friends before, but after this trip I feel like I made several lifelong friends from Tanzania. Since I’ve gotten back, we’ve stayed in contact and have gotten to continue learning from one another. I also learned that nothing is as black and white as it seems. Everything is actually very complicated…and to truly understand something much time and care must be taken in learning about it. A final thing I learned is to ask many questions of the ones I love, and to love them freely.
- I had the opportunity to work with several students from the University of Dodoma, one of the largest cities in Tanzania. They taught me so much while I was there and are responsible for a lot of the transformations that I think happened. They were open to getting to know me, shared Swahili words with me, included me in their games after dinner, asked me so many questions about my life and culture, sang karaoke with me, took silly photos with me, and the list goes on and on.
These wonderful individuals impacted me as a person in so many ways. They were challenging how I viewed my culture, my country, the world. I was extremely grateful for their friendship while I was there, and we were so happy to be able to spend time together. We worked together in the community we drove into each day by questioning the community how a new water source would impact various parts of their lives (gender roles, culture, daily life, having extra time). The students from the University of Dodoma were so helpful in these interactions. Many of them were sociology majors, so they were able to bring a human side to our otherwise engineering-based project. And of course, they helped us with Swahili.
Saying goodbye to the students from the University of Dodoma was extremely difficult. It was one of those things where I knew it was coming…but it didn’t make it any easier. We promised to stay in touch, took photos together, exchanged social media and phone numbers. Unlike the end of most trips, though, we’ve actually followed through and done that. I still talk to someone from Tanzania every day and it brings me so much joy to hear from them every time I see their names on my phone. I’ve continued to learn from them since I’ve gotten back as we’ve continued our deep discussions about world politics and culture. I’m so grateful I was able to participate in their experience and meet them through this study abroad experience.
- The changes and experiences I discussed previously are extremely important to me both as an engineer and a person. As an engineer, I feel like I learned such valuable things about humanitarian engineering and people-oriented design that will help me to bring a human side to whichever industry in engineering I choose to go into. As a person, I feel like my new friends have challenged me to think so much bigger than I had previously, on a global scale. I’m so grateful for the perspective they bring to me and what I learn from our conversations. Overall, I believe I have become and will continue to become a more well-rounded and globally aware individual.
