Hello! My name is Hadley Hellgren and I am a first-year Environmental Engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh. I am from Freeport, PA, which is about a 30-minute drive north of Pittsburgh. I have a job at my local Target, where I am a style consultant. Some of my hobbies include collecting vinyl records, playing the piano, thrifting, kayaking, hiking, and playing volleyball.

In the future, I plan to become a professional environmental engineer. As for a specific field, I am open to and curious about the opportunities that will arise, using my resources at the Swanson School of Engineering to explore my professional career options. Travel has always been a passion and priority of mine, so I hope to have the opportunity to travel in my professional career, developing cross-cultural knowledge and applications beneficial to the field of engineering. No matter what application of engineering I pursue, I hope to make a difference in the area of sustainability and environmentalism. I am passionate about equitable access to clean drinking water as well as topics such as the clean energy transition.

At Pitt, I am involved in Epsilon Eta Environmental Honors Fraternity, an academic co-ed organization that brings together students of a plethora of majors to further professional development, personal connections, diversity and equity, and community service in the environmental field. In this organization, I am currently a fundraising chair, where I organize and promote various events to raise money for environmental causes. In the future, I will seek an executive leadership position to better prepare me for professional leadership roles. Additionally, I am involved in the Outdoors club, where I join other outdoor-loving individuals on trips to local parks to partake in camping, backpacking, and hiking. In other academic pursuits, I am seeking a certificate in sustainability, as well as possibly pursing a minor in Spanish.

The Plus 3 program I chose is the Netherlands because I have always been interested in the Dutch culture. I am excited to try Dutch cheese and see the beautiful tulip fields in person. It has been a dream of mine to visit Amsterdam, among other European cities, for many years. This will be my first trip to Europe, so I hope it will prepare me well for a future of studies, personal travels, and professional experiences abroad. I am interested in this program specifically because of the flood control systems that the Netherlands has implemented to lower the sea-level around the highly populated city. The engineering feats surrounding these systems are very impressive, and I hope to see these systems firsthand. Additionally, I am excited to learn more about how the Dutch businesses incorporate sustainability into their practices, from the Floating Farms to De Tulperij. I am also excited to learn about clean energy in the Netherlands, because they are known for their windmills which have been around for centuries. Professionally, I expect to gain insights on the cultural differences of Dutch businesses compared to American businesses, which will help me to adapt to other styles of professional communication.

I am beyond excited and grateful for this opportunity to travel to the Netherlands!