Alumni Spotlight #4 -- Pradip Krishnaa Murugan

Former GEARE student Pradip shares his experiences studying abroad in Germany, at Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) in 2019.

GEARE alum Pradip Krishnaa Murugan studied Mechanical Engineering and was a part of the 2019 study abroad cohort. During his time in Germany, he engaged in both research and an internship, managing to collect experience that set him up for a successful future.

He started out by completing his internship as a Product Development Intern at Kautex Textron, designing diesel exhaust fluid tanks to help automotive companies meet emission standards across Europe and to manage product lifecycle management efforts. His team made great progress in improving tank refueling quality. He worked as his team’s direct liaison with engineers from client companies like BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen.

Pradip then spent several months acting as a research assistant at his university. His funded project involved designing and developing an optical interferometer prototype to detect nanometer scale imperfections on spherical and aspherical lenses at the Institute of Product Development at LUH.

What did you learn from GEARE?

“I learned to appreciate the cultural differences with every person you meet in life. I learned, through experience, to adapt to changes and surprises in an instant and to go with the flow when in need. GEARE taught me to be confident in my own abilities and to welcome challenges with open arms.”

What would you do differently if you went through the program again?

“I would start traveling much sooner than I actually did. I gave myself a month to acclimate to my surroundings and build a relationship with my co-workers and neighbors. I confined myself to a single city and I lost a lot of valuable travel time due to that decision.”

What is your fondest memory from your time abroad?

“I met another GEARE student for the first time in Italy even though we were in the same engineering department and we come from the same country. I spent 4 days exploring Florence, Pisa, and Bologna with him and we've become incredibly close friends since then! Traveling together made us come closer than anything else we could have done.”

What advice would you give to current students?

“I would tell future cohorts to rid yourself of any expectations and experience things as they come. There is such a thing as over planning and that will affect some of the experiences or expectations that you have.”

What local food do you miss the most?

“Currywurst and Doner Kebab”

What skills did GEARE help you develop that you find useful in your professional career?

“Adaptability, Perseverance, Multicultural Awareness”

Do you have any interesting or funny stories to share about your travel experiences?

“I was dressed up as a pink & purple unicorn for the greater part of a week in March for Germany's Karneval festival!”

If you would like to connect with Pradip and learn more about his experiences, you can reach out to him on LinkedIn here.