Hey everybody! My name is Ishan Patel and I am finishing up my first year as bioengineering student here at the University of Pittsburgh. I am also pursuing a minor in chemistry and a certificate in sustainability. On campus I am a member of Steel City Raas, which is an Indian cultural dance team here at the University of Pittsburgh. We compete as part of a national circuit. I am both a dancer, as well as business manager of the team.

I am from South Brunswick, New Jersey. I am part of a family of 5, including my sister, Diya, and my dog, Coco. In my free time, I love to go to the gym and hanging out with friends. In high school, I was a member of my school’s marching band, and so music is still a pretty big part of my life. Some of my favorite artists are The Weeknd, Weston Estate, and Kendrick Lamar.

I am very excited this summer to be a going to Amsterdam as part of the Plus3 Netherlands program! One of the main reasons I chose to apply the the Netherlands as my first choice is because I have never been to Europe before, and my roommate, who takes a trip out to Europe practically every year, had told me that the Amsterdam was by far his favorite city in Europe. In terms of Academics, I hope to learn about how engineering and business practices go hand in hand from a concept to customer standpoint, and especially learn about how Dutch culture affects these practices. I also hope to work on my networking skills through company visits, and be able to ask meaningful and thought provoking questions to the company executives.