Meet with a Global Engineering Fellow

The following Global Engineering Fellows will hold office hours on the third floor of Kunkle Lounge, Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., during Fall Semester 2019. Stop by today to ask your questions about our many study abroad opportunities in the College of Engineering! Click here to view their schedule. No appointment is necessary!

Ellie Alberti (Singapore and Kenya)

Hello! My name is Ellie Alberti and I am currently a junior studying chemical engineering with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. I studied abroad during the summer of 2018 in Singapore and during the summer of 2019 in Kisumu, Kenya! In Singapore I worked with international students and faculty at the National University of Singapore on an original design project. I was able to explore a beautiful city, learn about the design process in a different setting, and meet amazing people along the way. As a part of the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program (HESE), I had the opportunity to work on a social venture in Kisumu, Kenya. This experience taught me how to view engineering problems from different cultural perspectives and made me realize the extent to which engineering impacts the entire world. As a Global Engineering Fellow, I want to show other students that Penn State offers amazing opportunities that reach far beyond University Park!

Matthew Aronson (Singapore)

My name is Matthew Aronson, and I am a junior studying biomedical engineering. I spent the spring of 2018 studying at the National University of Singapore as a part of the Faculty of Engineering and University Scholars Program. Singapore was an incredible country to study in because it is a melting pot of various cultures through the shared presence of language, food, religion, and other ethnic traditions. Additionally, the country is advanced in many modern technologies which makes it an ideal location to study engineering. Furthermore, its location allowed for easy and inexpensive access to the rest of Southeast Asia to visit countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and more. I feel that this experience allowed me to work with other engineers from around the world to solve different problems than what is just faced in the United States, and help gain a global perspective. I cannot wait to help engineering students find the right program for them that will allow them to stay on track with their degree and study in the country they desire.

Andrew Berlin (Spain)

My name is Andrew Berlin and I am a senior studying mechanical engineering with a minor in international engineering. I studied at the University of Navarra’s engineering campus, Tecnun, in San Sebastián, Spain, in Spring 2018 and had an incredible experience. Being one of only four Americans at my school, I was able to develop friendships with people from all over the world. I took engineering courses and was able to do quite a bit of traveling as well. I am very excited and motivated to help others find programs that fit their interests as well as my program fit mine!

Jessie Cooper (Peru)

My name is Jessie Cooper and I am a sophomore studying electrical engineering. This past summer, I was fortunate enough to expand my engineering studies by studying abroad in Lima, Peru. I was really interested in studying in a more unique location and have always wanted to travel to South America, so Peru was the perfect place for me. This program was extremely eye-opening and I was able to learn a lot about my area of study while being fully immersed in the Peruvian culture. I am very excited to help engineering students find a trip that is right for them because studying abroad gives each person a totally different view of the world. Many engineering students are hesitant to study abroad and I would love to show them that not only can they travel, but it will benefit their studies and help them in the future.

Alyssa Grube (China, England)

Hello, my name is Alyssa Grube. I am an engineering science major and an engineering leadership and development minor. I studied abroad in China during the summer of 2016 and in England the spring of 2018. I believe that was great about China for me were the architecture, history, culture, and food of each region we visited. I feel that the academics, culture, and history of England were great about the country when I studied there. I chose China because I felt that the study abroad program being held there would be valuable to me as an engineer, and I chose England because I had heard that the classes there were challenging. As a Global Engineering Fellow, I want to help other engineering students find a program so they can have an opportunity to form new experiences and become a more international engineer.

Abby Keppel (Germany, South Africa)

My name is Abby Keppel. I am a senior in mechanical engineering with a minor in engineering leadership development and a certificate in international engineering. In summer 2017, I participated in the Engineers Made in Germany Program in Pforzheim, Germany. In summer 2019, I traveled to South Africa with as a part of an embedded program with a course for my minor. These experiences have been some of the best of my college career! Speaking to students who had studied abroad themselves made me want to have an experience like theirs. Now I am able to do the same thing for others as a Global Engineering Fellow. In studying abroad, I grew so much as a person in my confidence and in my perspective. I think any great engineer should have a global experience themselves. I am so excited to tell you all about my experience and help you find one too!

Zhewen “Eric” Li (Singapore)

Hi. My name is Zhewen “Eric” Li and I’m currently a senior majoring in computer science with an engineering leadership minor. I grew up in Nanjing, China, and am attending Penn State as an international student. I participated in the Engineering Design 2-week summer program at the National University of Singapore in 2017, and it is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Last year I joined the Global Engineering Fellows program, it has been my pleasure to help answer questions from students who also want to have an amazing experience abroad. I also have loved sharing my experience with others I want to encourage everyone to take advantage of the countless opportunities to study abroad through Penn State because it’s one you’d never forget!

Lorraine Peters (France)

Hi, my name is Lorraine Peters and I am a senior in biological engineering and I spent my 2018 summer at INSA Lyon in France. Before this, I never believed that studying abroad while staying on track as an engineering student would be feasible, but there are options for us! Studying project management in an engineering school in Lyon opened my mind to another way of approaching problems as I learned skills that will serve me in my professional career and I met people and took courses that helped me develop as a person. During my time in the program, I explored the French Riviera, hiked the Alps, visited Switzerland, and made lifelong friends. I am a fellow so I can help you choose a study abroad program that will fit your needs and I am happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have while exploring your international options.

Morgan Roggenbaum (Singapore, South Africa)

My name is Morgan Roggenbaum and I am a junior studying Biological Engineering. Last summer (2018), I traveled to Singapore for three weeks to take an engineering design course as part of the Summers by Design Program. Singapore is a very unique country with both Western and Asian influences. Although it is a foreign place, Singapore has a familiar city feel, making it the ideal location to experience the world outside of the U.S. for the first time. This summer (2019), I went to South Africa for one week through ENGR 422, an embedded course that teaches valuable skills in cross-cultural and virtual communication. During the semester, we were placed in groups of students from South Africa and Australia, working on projects for real customers. At the conclusion of the semester, we had the opportunity to travel to South Africa to meet our teammates face-to-face and present our work to the customers. Through both of these opportunities I have experienced growth in leadership, confidence, and cultural understanding. I can easily say that studying abroad has been the best decision I have made at Penn State. As a Global Engineering Fellow, I hope to help other engineering students find and plan international experiences that change their lives and perspectives. I never imagined I would study abroad, but the opportunities at Penn State have made it happen. I want to help other students discover these opportunities too.

Nick Sonsini (Spain)

My name is Nick Sonsini, and I will be a senior this fall studying electrical engineering. I studied abroad in Seville, Spain the summer between my freshman and sophomore years. While abroad for those five weeks, I studied both the historical and contemporary artwork and architecture of Spain. I chose Spain because the program I found (through CIEE) best fit my academic and work schedule that summer. Culturally, Spain was similar enough that I wouldn’t struggle to take it all in in such a short time, but also different enough to appreciate a new language and way of life. Overall, I had a lot of fun on the trip and met a lot of really great people, both Sevilla residents and fellow American students. It is this enjoyment of the experience that led me to help other engineering students make a decision to go abroad.

Taylor Wegelin (Peru)

My name is Taylor Wegelin. I am a senior in electrical engineering. My abroad program was this past summer in Lima, Peru for the Cross-Cultural Engagement and STEM program. . What I loved most about my program was that even though it was named for STEM students we had many others from business to communications. This was the first time I had ever gone out of the country so I chose my program carefully. I chose Peru for a few different reasons. The biggest reason was I have family in South America and I wanted to be as close to their culture as possible. Another huge reason I chose this program was because Spanish is the second most spoken language in our country. I hope to help other students that were just like me less than a year ago. As an engineer, with such a heavy course load, I did not think studying abroad was a possibility for me until the fellows helped me. I hope that I can now do this for other engineering students!

Yijia “Doris” Xu (Spain, Israel)

Hi my name is, Yijia “Doris” Xu and I am a senior majoring in industrial engineering. In summer of 2018 I had a great opportunity to study abroad at Tecnun, University of Navarra, in San Sebastián, Spain. And I loved my experience so much that I decided to study abroad again. Spring of 2019, I studied and interned abroad in Haifa, Israel at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Both of experiences have been so incredible and I can’t be more grateful for the opportunities Penn State has given me. I am so excited to come back and share my stories and help other engineering students, especially international students, to realize actually how easy it is to study abroad and how life-changing it would be.