Fall 2024 Alumni Panel: Insights on Work Abroad, Language Learning, and Career Impact

On the 11th of November, GEARE hosted our annual alumni panel, where we invited some of our alumni and other esteemed guests to share some of their wisdoms regarding living, learning, and working overseas (learn more about their individual experiences at the end of the article)!

Work Abroad Experiences

During the panel, many topics were brought up, including tips for people pursuing work abroad opportunities, ways to improve language skills, and the value that abroad experiences can bring to your career.

Firstly, regarding work abroad experiences, this is a valid concern for many of our GEARE students, as there are many additional factors to take into account, such as accommodations, payment, and visas. Sam and Riley both started their work abroad experiences in the United States, before transitioning from their domestic work experience to an international work experience with the same company. When asked about their advice, they would recommend that GEARE students do the same and attempt to convert their domestic internship experiences to international ones. Does the company you’re working for have branches in international markets? Talk to the people you meet during your domestic experience, and get the ball rolling early!

Language and Cultural Immersion

Secondly, it was a shared sentiment that somebody’s language skills were bound to improve during an abroad experience. As a recipient of the DoS Critical Language Scholarship, Conleigh was especially well-equipped to answer this question. As students, we are always on the lookout for any and all opportunities to practice our budding language skills, however, not everyone will always be willing to help us practice. Conleigh offers us the following advice:

"Don't be offended if they want to speak English...it will happen eventually.....have a positive attitude about it"

In addition, Apoorva reminds us that embracing the culture surrounding the language is a great way of contextualizing our learned language, further deepening our appreciation of the culture. By learning the culture, we may also form deeper relationships with those around us, providing even more opportunities to practice our language.

"The more you embrace the culture the more you will be into it, the easier it will be to learn the language."

Overall, our panelists agreed that although you may be learning the language, the people around you may still find it easier to converse with you in a foreign language. However, as you spend more time abroad, and improve your language skills, more people will find it easier to speak with you in a foreign language than English, and be more willing to help you practice as a result.

Transformative Career Impact

Lastly, the abroad experience is capable of changing the trajectory of your career. As Sam put it, when he was interviewing for jobs, even 10 years after his GEARE experience, interviewers would take notice, and ask him about what GEARE was, why he did it, and what he experienced. The GEARE experience stands out - what other engineering program has language, domestic work, study abroad, and work abroad components? Completion of this unique program is not only a good story and meaningful experience, but also a chance to display initiative, commitment, and communication skills.

A Succesful Event

Overall, this semester’s alumni panel was a huge success! From the GEARE team, thank you to all the alumni who attended the panel, as well as all of the students that could make it. We hope it was as meaningful to attend as it was to host.

Meet the Panelists

Riley Parshall is a Purdue Alumnus with a Bachelor of Sciences in Electrical Engineering from the class of ‘23. During her time with GEARE, she honed her Spanish skills, and began with an internship with Endress+Hauser in Greenwood, IN, before converting her domestic internship into an international one. She was successful in converting her internship experience into a full-time role, and is now working with Endress+Hauser as a rotational engineer.

Samvit Dutta is a graduate from the College of Mechanical Engineering class of ‘06 - and a member of the second ever batch of GEARE students. Sam worked his way to Germany for his study abroad and work abroad opportunities, ending up in Müelheim an der Ruhr for an internship with Siemens Power Generation, following an initial domestic internship with them in Orlando, FL. Following his graduation, he acquired his MBA, and is now working as a Senior Director at the Royal Bank of Canada.

Apoorva Kalaskar is also a mechanical engineer from Purdue, belonging to the Class of ‘19. For his GEARE experience, he started by spending his domestic work experience with Daimler in Detroit, MI, before studying abroad at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany, and working abroad with Kautex Textron in Bonn, Germany. Following his graduation, Apoorva acquired his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington.

Conleigh is an alumnus of the Department of State Critical Language Scholarship, and learned Arabic while abroad in Morocco. She is also a Princeton alumnus, graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science, Majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Following her undergraduate studies, Conleigh decided to pursue multiple graduate degrees at MIT, culminating in her PhD at ETH Zürich. She is currently an Environmental Fellow at Harvard University.

Yi Tao Sun

First Year Engineering ‘28

German/Germany