Hey everyone, my name is Ethan Schwam and I am a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh. I am currently enrolled in the university’s School of Business and my intended major is supply chain management or marketing. I am from Marlboro, New Jersey, which is more in the center of the state and I am about 45 minutes from New York City and Philadelphia. In my free time I enjoy hanging out with friends, going to the gym and playing sports, and spending time with my family and my two dogs. This summer, I will be participating in the Plus3 Cyprus summer program and will be learning about the supply chains of various companies within Cyprus while also exploring the many interesting things about the island.

I have traveled out of the United States before, but only in the Americas, so this will be the furthest I have ever gone for travel. When I found out I had been selected for this program, I really didn’t at I didn’t know much about Cyprus, and it seemed different from anywhere I have ever been before. After doing some more research on the country I discovered how beautiful the island, especially when learning about its history during class and looking at pictures of things such as the beaches and historical architecture. I am extremely excited to explore the country and to learn about the various companies’ operations that we will be visiting, and for the many things I will be able to see while on the trip.

Overall, I am excited to travel with everybody else in the program, and hope to have a productive and enjoyable time in a foreign place to most of us. I hope to gain a better understanding of the operations side of these various companies, as it is definitely a field that I am interested in pursuing once I hopefully earn my degree. This program is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I cannot wait to take advantage of.