Hi everyone! My name is Claire Barrios and I am a freshman in the Swanson School of Engineering. I just declared chemical engineering as my major a few weeks ago! I’m minoring in chemistry and potentially industrial engineering, with a certificate in sustainability. I’m not really sure what I want to do with chemical engineering, but I like it because it has such a broad application to the world, so I have various options I can choose from and change focuses throughout my career. I want to do co-op in the future, hopefully during the spring of my sophomore year. After graduation, I want to take a gap year between my bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, and study Spanish in Mexico. Some of the clubs I’m actively involved in are Pitt’s EXCEL diversity program and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, where I am currently applying for a position on their E-board. I also recently joined a sorority, Phi Sigma Rho, a STEM social sorority. Outside of school, I love watching movies, learning about other cultures/travelling, and hanging out with my friends. I’m originally from West Virginia. I’ve had a lot of fun at Pitt, because I’ve been exposed to so many interesting cultures and have had so many opportunities about learning about cultures outside of my own.

When I first applied to the Plus3 Program, I chose Costa Rica, Vietnam, and Cypress as my top three choices. When I received word that I was chosen for the Plus3 Vietnam, I was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t Costa Rica—don’t get me wrong I would’ve gone to any of the countries, because I would take any opportunity to travel to a new country—but after doing some research on Vietnam and its history, I quickly became ecstatic to be part of the people chosen to go to this interesting and beautiful country. I learned from my research that Vietnam was not one of the modernized countries due to the colonialization of it by China, France, and for some time, the United States, too. However, the citizens of Vietnam have always kept an attitude of patriotism for their country, even when China tried to take away their identity for copious centuries of domination it had over them, then the French overtake for several centuries, and eventually the U.S.’s failed attempt at colonization. During my trip to Vietnam, I want to learn about Vietnam’s determination and how their culture has been shaped by the influence of other countries’ who colonized them. I want to take their idea of changing and adapting and apply it to engineering. Engineering is about adapting and changing ideas to see if it can become a solution to a problem. In seeing other countries and how they find solutions to problems, I can potentially change my mindset, so that I can come up with innovative ideas with an open mind, even if it means using unconventional ideas.

I can’t wait to see Vietnam and experience everything it has to offer to me, both professionally and personally. I also am excited to have the opportunity to meet new people, including my Plus3 peers, the students at the Business school in Vietnam, and the teachers who are assisting with the program.