Swanson School of Engineering

Today evening, we attended the Pitt alumni social event in Kunsthalle Museum. At the event I met a few alumni and had interesting conversations with them. First, I met two people from the life sciences college. They mentioned that they could help match and arrange us with internships in the area, which I am really interested in so I got their contact information. Next, I talked to a gentleman named Martín, who works in the energy sector. We had a nice conversation about the automotive industry and how European manufacturers are getting outcompeted by newly emerging Chinese electric vehicle brands. I only found out later in the evening the Martín is the CFO of CEZ Energy! The third person I talked to was an alumni who I saw was wearing a BMW motorsports jacket. I went up to him and showed him my BMW shoes! It turns out he used to own a 1200cc BMW motorcycle, which I was very impressed with. We also had a good conversation about the automotive industry and how electric vehicles are getting increasingly popular in Europe, especially with the high gas prices. Finally, I had a nice conversation with Aleš Holden, who has worked in the automotive industry for many years with Škoda, Shell Oil, and Scuderia Ferrari racing team. I asked him for some career advice and he explained that whenever I’m talking to someone, I should do so from my heart so that the other person can see a light shine in my eyes and understand my passion. He also said to always mention your my dream because you never know who might have the connections to give you an opportunity to achieve it. Overall, my experience proved to be very valuable. I gained more insight into the automotive energy, found someone who can support me on my journey, and made a connections for potential internship opportunities.