Hi everyone! My name is Julia Knapp. I am a first-year engineering student majoring in Bioengineering. I intend to possibly minor in Mechanical Engineering as well. I am interested in a career in the medical biomechanics or biotechnology realm, most likely in prosthetics. I was born and raised a 20-minute drive outside of Philadelphia in Swarthmore. However, I spend all my summers at Long Beach Island and most of my winters in the Poconos Mountains. I love to spend my free time outdoors doing hobbies like playing soccer, skiing, hiking, and surfing. Music is also a huge part of my life. I have played four instruments for 10 years now– cello, trombone, piano, and bass guitar. I also love food, whether it be cooking and baking or trying new cuisines. Vietnamese food is my favorite type of food, and I am most excited to see how much it differs in country compared to what I have experienced! Lastly, I love traveling! I have traveled to 6 other countries and will add 3 to that list this summer! I am so grateful for this opportunity to go to Asia for the first time!

Vietnam was my top choice for a study abroad location even before coming to Pitt. Vietnam has been a dream location to visit on my bucket list! I believe the Plus3 program in Vietnam is a perfect fit for me. I wanted to be a part of Plus3 mainly because of its involvement in the Pitt Business school. Business and engineering are very intertwined. Also, as I am sure other engineering students can agree, my current education has not strayed much from being general STEM courses with a lack of real-world applications. For this reason, I am most drawn to this program for the opportunity to go on company visits and see how businesses apply engineering practices into bettering their companies. I also find this program to be outside of my comfort zone. I believe that the Plus3 Vietnam program has a heavy focus on economics, which is a topic I would have absolutely zero experience in otherwise. Additionally, considering the Vietnam War and its unique history, I find the specific economy of Vietnam to be a fascinating subject. I also appreciated the aspect of learning about Vietnam’s important history, as I had no previous formal education on this topic as well. Lastly, it is a trip that I would have much difficulty doing on my own; this is very likely my only time visiting Vietnam. For these reasons, I saw Plus3 Vietnam as a way to diversify me not only educationally but personally as I experience their culture.