It was nearing Thanksgiving break in 1999 when I got a mass e-mail from the Engineering Career Services office stating that Dell was looking for students interested in a six-month internship position at their manufacturing site in Limerick, Ireland. I submitted my resume and was lucky enough to be granted an interview. I had to pay close attention as the voice at the other end of the phone was like one I had never heard before.

About a week later, I found out that I had been selected as one of the ten Iowa State students to intern with Dell! The weeks before our departure went by quickly, and before I knew it, I found myself standing at the front door of Dell Computers at 55 Clover Hill in Limerick, Ireland. We reported to work the next day to find a very relaxed European work ethic. The tasks at hand were important, but I quickly learned that the Irish place a higher value of life experiences rather than work responsibilities. It took some time to get used to the concept.

In the meantime, our group of ten students took trips all across Europe. There were trips to the running of the bulls in Spain, to see Big Ben in London, the Eiffel tower in Paris, Gaudi’s architecture in Barcelona, the Van Gogh in Amsterdam, as well as the Guinness Brewery in Dublin. One of my favorite memories was being in Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day 2000!

There was also a local basketball league that I joined. We took weekend trips to neighboring towns to play. The competitive spirit in the Irish is definitely alive and well from what I saw at those tournaments. There was always time after the games for a night out on the town. Those times allowed me to see the more personable side of Ireland, learning about their political situation as well as what issues are important to the Irish. Through these conversations I learned that we do have a common thread: we are all not only citizens of our own respective countries, but also the world

During my time at work I was re-taught the lesson that many times “who you know can be just as important as what you know.” I forged a bond with my manager from the beginning and was allowed to participate in several additional projects within the European Products Group where I worked with people from all over Europe. I learned some basic French to help me understand the French version of Windows OS. Because of my work environment, I had many awesome experiences with people from other countries and cultures that I would not trade for the world!

Applying my engineering expertise at Dell was yet another great opportunity. It was great to apply what we had learned in class and use it to help Dell. We were always called in to help troubleshoot software problems that seemed unsolvable. For example, as an industrial engineer, I was able to apply my facilities design coursework to help create a new floor plan for an area to facilitate process improvements. It was a unique experience to be considered an expert simply because of my Iowa State University education.

Looking back on my experiences I can definitely see a change in how I view the world. I find myself more confident that I can succeed in any type of environment. In today’s global economy I think that my ability to assimilate into a foreign environment quickly and make an immediate impact will be invaluable!