My time in China was a once in a lifetime experience that I would never be able to recreate if I wanted to recreate it. We were all told that the two weeks we were going to spend in China weren’t supposed to be a vacation. Going in I took those words to heart. I knew we were there to learn first and foremost, but who says you can’t learn while having fun? I think what this trip ended up being surpasses the word ‘trip’. It was a life changing journey.

Ethics is always a touchy subject. What is ethical or not can vary depending on the person, but ultimately ethics is important in all professions and all companies should strive to be ethical. Ethics can be especially important in business since companies often have a lot of peoples’ important information (bank accounts, social security numbers, credit card numbers, etc.). I remember a case when we were at Horiba, and they were talking about how they pride themselves in their quality and they will always strive to provide quality products and services. In my opinion, that is the ethical thing to do. You should always give it your all, and never cut corners. Unfortunately, not all companies follow this same ideology. I think if they did, the world would be a better place.

After going on this trip, I learned that it is important to understand all aspects of a business. Having both business and engineering students on this trip really opened my eyes to how much there is to learn. By learning and understanding all aspects of a business you are ensuring that you can always remain useful and be a contributor, and people like that are ultimately some of the most valuable assets to a business. I realized that my engineering knowledge is lacking after the Horiba visit and working with Frankie. Being useless is a horrible feeling; make sure that you always strive to be useful.

Learning never stops. College may seem like the end of your education, but it really is far from it. In fact, I think that the most important lessons you’ll learn come after college. You’re always in school; it’s called life. Plus 3 China really helped me realize that. There wasn’t much teaching going on, but there sure was a whole lot of learning going on. It’s important for me to be open, learn from events, people, and my mistakes. That is how I will become truly knowledgeable.

While exploring China and visiting companies, I got to observe the social environments in which people live and work. From the formal environments (Huawei) to the utmost casual environments (VIP Kid) there were a few common characteristics: strong work ethic, respect for one another and themselves, and employees seemed to be more reserved. It was different from American companies where the work ethic is a bit more relaxed, and teamwork is highly encouraged, and, in some cases, teamwork is the only option.

Plus 3 taught me a lot about working with people in other professions or, in this case, majors. Unfortunately, our team only had three people instead of four, so I didn’t get to work with two engineering students, but it was still valuable experience gained. Although we didn’t always know what each other were talking about, we assigned certain tasks to each other and we all made sure to do our part. We’d even help each other out occasionally even if we didn’t know what we were doing. Teamwork really will make the dream work if it can be executed correctly.

I would like to thank Pitt’s study abroad office for giving me the opportunity to apply and then go on this trip! Without them Plus 3 wouldn’t even exist. I would like to thank Dr. Li and Chris Kirchof for being awesome people and being there for us every step of the way! I would also like to thank the Asia Institute (specifically, Nancy, Jane, Dora, and Liliana) for being terrific hosts! Last, but not least, I’d like to thank all the students who were along with me for the ride! You made this trip 100 times more enjoyable than I ever thought it could be! You guys really are the best and I look forward to our O-week reunion. Plus 3 China changed me in a lot of ways, and I’d like to think they’re all good ways. Until next time.