Hi everyone, my name is Shreya Gaddam! I am currently a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh enrolled in the College of Business Administration studying Supply Chain Management and Marketing. This May, I will be participating in the 2 – week study abroad program in Augsburg, Germany!
I was raised in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, which is around 45 minutes outside Philadelphia. I have a younger sister and a dog named Chester Bean. On campus, I work for the Panther Post as a mail clerk, which is the University of Pittsburgh’s official mailing service. I am also involved with Strong Women, Strong Girls which is a mentoring program that creates an outside support system for young girls in the Pittsburgh area. Personally, I love photography and recently I purchased my first film camera and I can’t wait to use it in Germany! I am also very fond of cinema and love watching movies and tv shows in any language or genre! My current favorite is an Italian tv show called My Brilliant Friend on HBO, which is based on a series of novels of the same name written by Ann Goldstein who narrates the turbulent journey of the close friendship of Lila and Elena growing up in 1950s Naples, Italy. In addition, I enjoy working out, specifically running. Nothing energizes me more than a mile run!
I choose Plus3 Germany because of the opportunity to work so closely in an industry that is so heavily supply chain based. The automobile industry in Germany is the perfect environment to learn about the business processes of an industry that is known for their efficiency and attention to detail. During the span of the program, I hope to learn about how the automobile industry functions from both a business and engineering perspective, German corporate culture and to make lifelong connections. Ultimately, I want to come back to Pittsburgh as a more knowledgeable business student (and person!) and apply the concepts that I learned abroad in my studies at Pitt CBA!
On a more personal note, I can’t wait to go to Germany, because I was actually born in Heidelberg, Germany. However, I moved to the United States when I was only 2 years old, not to worry though, my parents’ experiences and fond memories of their time in Germany also traveled across the Pacific Ocean. Growing up, I was very familiar with German culture and not to mention my dad also works for a German company, so I had the best of 3 worlds as I was immersed in German, Indian and American culture. In 2019, my family and I got to visit our “hometown” for the first in 15 years, which was such an amazing experience to finally see all the places that my parents would constantly talk about in Heidelberg. So now I am beyond thrilled to visit Germany by myself and learn more about German culture from a different perspective!