Introduction

Before I begin with my experience, here is a recap of the Grand Challenges. The Grand Challenges are the product of an NAE-sponsored report and encompass 14 critical areas—from medicine to infrastructure to more—that represent opportunities for transformative engineering over the coming generations. As a student in the Grand Challenge Scholars Program, I gain hands-on experience and develop skills relevant to handling these large issues. This post, along with several others, forms my portfolio, unifying my college experiences across five key categories: innovation, service, research, interdisciplinary, and multicultural. Here, I focus on my growth in the multicultural component. The Grand Challenges are grouped into four themes: joy of living, health, security, and sustainability. I completed this multicultural component with a focus on the joy of living and achieved savvy level by traveling abroad during the summer.

Studying abroad always seemed like an exciting opportunity and a chance to explore a new country and get school done at the same time. When considering where to go, I wanted a program that would challenge me academically with an interesting Computer Science elective while also being in a new, exciting location. Leeds, England, stood out because it offered a high-level computer science course that would transfer and was in a new, but very similar culture. In the end, the most valuable lessons I would learn would extend far beyond the classroom.

A Course in Text Analytics

The course I took abroad was labeled as data mining and text analytics. I assumed it would be more focused on the first topic, data mining. However, I quickly discovered that the focus was more on text analytics, the process that happens after the data is collected. While this was not what I had in mind as a class, it introduced me to topics that I thought were irrelevant, but have reemerged in computer vision and robotics classes. Now I know the connections make sense, since all are applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning and share similar techniques. One of the most unique aspects of the course, and unexpected given the complete lack of relevance, was a field trip to the Drax power plant. Formerly the largest coal power plant in the UK, but has since been converted to the largest biomass plant in the country. It was interesting to see how the coal equipment was being reused to burn wood pellets, but still hard for me to imagine that it was sustainable given how few trees are in the UK. However, this was my first and only experience of energy production and sustainability efforts in the UK.

Beyond the Classroom

Outside of academics, my time in Leeds was defined by exploration and connection. The city itself was the opposite of what I was used to: big, dirty, and overwhelming. Yet, through the experience, I met and befriended students from all over the world. We bonded over soccer matches, trips to castles and other historical sites, playing games, and birdwatching. I spent a lot of my free time hiking and visiting parks as well, which reminded me more of home. I also experienced plenty of unique British culture, from eating the classic baked beans on toast each morning to riding double decker buses on the left side of the road. These moments helped me appreciate different ways of life and compare them to my world perspective coming from the US.

Reflection

My time in Leeds was unlike anything I had ever done before. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, requiring me to navigate unfamiliar situations and develop independence and confidence. Although these are personal skills, they are necessary when approaching the Grand Challenges. Addressing global engineering problems requires the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds, adapt to new environments, and approach problems with an open mind, which I believe my study abroad experience prepared me to contribute to.

My Critical Perspective

While studying in Leeds England was a great experience and I would not have wanted to miss it, if I ever go abroad in the future, I won’t be visiting Leeds ever again. As someone who prefers smaller towns, I found the city environment overwhelming at times. Additionally, while my course introduced me to an interesting field, it wasn’t taught in as interesting a way as I had hoped. Regardless, these experiences taught me an important lesson of realizing what environments and academic paths best suit me.

Conclusion

Looking back, my study abroad experience was not about academics. It was about navigating a new culture, forming connections, and developing the adaptability needed to approach global challenges. While Leeds may not have been my perfect city, the experience itself was incredible. As I move forward in my career, the lessons I learned will shape how I engage with diverse teams and tackle engineering problems on an international scale.