My name is Kayla Carlson and I am a first-year student at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. In June of 2017 I graduated from Pennsbury High School, which is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When I am not at school, I live with my family in a suburban area near the city of Philadelphia, close to the Delaware River.
For almost half of my life I have known that I was meant to be an engineer, but I was very indecisive about a specific branch to study. Among other reasons, I liked Pitt’s engineering program because first-year students do not need to declare a major until the spring semester. In February of 2018 I decided to major in chemical engineering due to my interest in chemistry and its diverse applications in industry and research.
In addition to all things STEM, another significant interest of mine is the German language and culture. I took five years’ worth of German in high school and I am continuing to study it at Pitt, hoping to complement my chemical engineering degree with a certificate in German. In high school I also participated in two cultural student-exchange programs and in total I have spent about two months living with host families in Oldenburg, Germany. Wenn Sie möchten, können Sie gerne mit mir ein bisschen auf Deutsch reden!
When I am not doing schoolwork or studying, my hobbies include reading, listening to music, video editing and speed-solving Rubik’s Cubes. I am also an avid Fitbit wearer and like to go for walks to get those steps!
I chose to apply for the Plus3 Program because I wanted to experience the professional and industrial aspects of Germany, which are different from my mostly cultural experiences so far. One of my main attractions to Pitt was the abundance of international opportunity coupled with my major. Being able to study abroad in an engineering context, especially in Germany, is a perfect combination of my two main passions that I hope to one day turn into a career. An ideal life for me would be spent working as an engineer for or with a German company. The Plus3 Program can help me begin to gather experience to make this dream a reality.