Hello all! My name is Ryan Earle and I am a freshman in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. I am majoring in Chemical Engineering with a certificate in Nuclear Engineering and a minor in Economics.

I have lived in Pittsburgh for my entire life with my family and, as of recently, our new dog, Buddy! My oldest brother, Andrew, graduated from Pitt last year as an Economics-Math double major. Now he attends Michigan State University, pursuing a PhD in Economics! Jason is currently a junior at Pitt as a Communications and English Writing double major. One of my favorite things about having a brother at college with me is that we are in the same a cappella group! Our group, Pittch Please, recently competed in the International Championship for Collegiate A Cappella and placed third in our region! Music has always been one of my interested and I’m so happy I continued it at Pitt! Along with my a cappella group, I also participated on many intramural teams such as soccer, volleyball, football and even ultimate frisbee. Soccer has always been my “main sport” and my favorite to play so, once again, I’m glad I could continue to play.

Being from the Pittsburgh  area, I didn’t travel very far to go to school. In fact, I’ve never traveled very much at all! This program will be my first time abroad. That’s why I’m more than excited to be participating in Plus 3 Germany! I chose Plus 3 because of its convenience to a first-time traveler abroad such as myself. I feel like it is the perfect length; you get a lot of exposure to the culture without being there for an entire semester. I chose the Germany program specifically because of its focus on the automotive industry. Cars have always been a subtle interest of mine and they were definitely the topic of study that appealed to me the most! Personally, I hope this trip gives me experience travelling abroad. I have already learned a lot and know I’ll only learn more while we’re there. Academically I hope to learn more about business. Being an engineering student, I don’t get much exposure to non-science and mathematical learning, but I know I will get that here. It is this learning that will develop me professionally; a program so uniquely specialized such as this one really makes someone an expert in that field!

I’m counting down the days. Before you know it I’ll be posting from Germany! I can’t wait for this adventure to begin!