Hello! My name is Delaney Rodriguez and I am a third-year student here at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m in the business school, and my majors are Finance & Business Analytics. I am also involved in a few different things on campus, including a gaming club and a business frat. I’m also very proud of the fact that I am a resident assistant for a group of wonderful first-year students. A little bit about me outside of school, I have a cat named Bella, I’ve chipped a tooth falling off an electric scooter, and I’ve put over 300 hours into my favorite video game since August!

So where am I studying abroad? Well, through the Pitt Business Plus3 Program, I will be going to Augsburg, Germany for two weeks in May 2024! I have never travelled outside of North America before, so being able to go so far from home is very exciting to me. Also, as a Pittsburgh area native, there is a lot of German culture in this city, so going to the place where this all originated sounds amazing!

Besides the excitement that comes from studying abroad, I do hope to grow personally, academically, and professionally. Something I heard a long time ago (and I can’t remember from who) was that if you’re never uncomfortable, then you’ll never grow. Going to a foreign country and having to navigate around an unfamiliar culture and language will probably be uncomfortable because I’m not used to it. But that does not mean it is not worth it, and I think I will see a lot of personal growth because of it.

When it comes to my academics and professional life, I see this as a way to increase my understanding of a foreign culture as well as a way to grow my network outside of the United States. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and hope to learn everything I can from this experience. H2P!