The Internship Abroad Experience That Almost Slipped Away

By:

Asmeret Jafarzade

Published:

Countries

Demographics

, ,

Majors

Regions

Asmeret Jafarzade

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hola! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> Wentworth Institute of Technology <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Madrid, Spain <i>Program provider:</i> COF Global Education Opportunities (GEO) Center <i>Major/minor:</i> Computer Science / Data Science <i>Demographics:</i> African American/Black, Immigrant, First-Generation College Student, Transfer Student <i>Future career aspirations:</i> I plan to pursue my Master's Degree in Human-Computer Interaction(HCI) while simultaneously volunteering with Hack. Diversity as a technical tutor. After I acquire my Master's Degree, I plan on creating a startup that is focused on learning in Asmara, Eritrea. it will expose the youth to technology stacks and familiarize them with concepts so they can use it to propel their career forward. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> Goal number one: To master Spanish. I am on a conversational level but I am aiming for my language proficiency to become advanced. Goal number two: To learn Salsa by taking lessons every couple of weeks. Goal number three: To travel around Spain and visit at least 5 countries during my study abroad experience.

This was October of 2021. I was a couple of months in at Wentworth Institute of Technology after transferring from a community college. Studying abroad had been roaming in the back of my mind fueling my desire to learn Computer Science from a different perspective, from thousands of miles away. I started inquiring about scholarships that can help cover my expenses abroad. I was writing essays, and looking into programs with the help of my CO-OP advisor Sara and my study abroad advisor Rebecca. She was of tremendous help in pointing me the right direction and giving me resources that helped me become a recipient of this prestigious organization. Fast forward about 6 months in, I started looking into the study abroad programs. I set out to learn Catalan because my school said that was the only school that has a partnership with my institution. I cross-checked my curriculum and had the associate Dean approve of my syllabi that were offered by the University in Girona, Spain. I started planning my study abroad by learning Catalan. I did not want to show up in Girona not being able to conversate with the locals. I am proficient in Spanish and I said how hard can this be? It was challenging and way distinct than Spanish. However, as I was embarking on this journey of learning Catalan to turn my dream of study abroad to reality, I receive unpleasant rules. My dean said I could not study abroad and the credits will not count to my degree. I was shocked, disappointed, and heartbroken. But I was relentless to seek other opportunities that would allow me to have an abroad experience. I looked into doing an internship abroad and luckily I landed an internship in Malaga, Spain. Since my school requires us to complete two internships that will count toward our degree, I wanted to explore that. I am very grateful to have found an opportunity in my Computer Science field that fulfilled the requirements of my school. Through this experience, I learned that if you persist relentlessly, you can make your dreams come true. I will be staying in Malaga, Spain from February until May. I am excited about what this experience will have in store for me and what invaluable lessons await me. Stay tuned to follow me on my journey. Vamos!