Hi! My name is Becca Swartz and I am a sophomore Bioengineer at Pitt. I am from Media, Pennsylvania, which is right outside of Philadelphia. I am minoring in Mechanical Engineering, and hoping to go into the medical device industry with my degree! I love traveling and will be spending my summer after Plus3 abroad in Israel doing an internship at a startup medical device company there. I have a twin brother, an older sister, and 2 cats at home. I have applied my love for cats to volunteering at a local rescue to help feed and care for cats in the shelter. After one of my volunteering visits to the shelter, I ended up adopting my own cat, Samuel, this semester!

Outside of school, I love spending time with my friends and exploring Pittsburgh while I am here for school! I enjoy trying new things and attending Pitt football games. I love reading, especially on the beach, watching tv, and doing puzzles. One of my favorite things is catching a good sunrise or sunset.

I decided to go on the Plus3 Transfer Plus program in the Czech Republic this summer. My main reasoning was that I regretted not going on the Plus3 program last year as a freshman. As soon as the transfer/upperclassmen version was announced, I knew I had to apply! I am extremely excited to get to go on a Plus3 program to help maximize my time on a short-term study abroad. From the pre-departure meetings and the required readings, I already feel like I have gained so much from this program. I can’t wait to get to know everyone better and learn more about the unique culture of the Czech Republic. Professionally, there is so much that this program has to offer through our classes at Charles University and several company visits. I am excited to take in all that this program and Prague have to offer, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you along the way!