Hello! My name is Matthew Thiel, and I am a freshman in the David C. Frederick Honors College at Pitt double majoring in Political Science and Economics. I hope to pursue becoming a lawyer after I graduate, but we will see where life takes me. At Pitt, I am heavily involved with both Rugby and Speech and Debate, and I am a member of the Phi-Alpha-Delta Pre-Law Fraternity. I’m a huge fan of movies, reading, video games, and classic rock, and I really enjoy lifting with my friends at the Petersen Events Center.

I have experience working in both high-pressure work situations, as a shift-lead at a busy Jersey Mikes, and in the fields I am passionate about, through legal internships during high school. I pride myself on my ability to work with others and problem-solve, and I lead through the example of my own hard work. I look forward to being able to use my personal and professional skills to help make this trip productive for myself and others. I have a particular interest in the field of diplomacy, an area that I hope is able to be explored over this course of this trip.

I deeply care about helping others and the world around me, and the importance of sustainability in bettering the environment cannot be understated. Sustainability connects directly with what I am studying at Pitt, impacting how decision-makers weigh every issue that they have to deal with and having important economic consequences on the ways in which we live our lives. The Plus3 trip to the Netherlands is a vital opportunity to explore these issues firsthand, and I hope to get a greater understanding of how leaders and innovators across fields weigh the economic and climate consequences of how they decide to treat sustainability. The opportunities to grow in my understanding of sustainability and its impact in decision making offered by this trip led me to select it, and I feel I can make a positive impact through learning more about this up close.

I also hope to learn as much as I can about Dutch culture and how it is both similar and different from our own. I have only been to Europe through Ireland, and I am excited to get a chance to branch off a bit and explore a country that I am not as familiar with (especially given that I am travelling to other European countries this summer!). The food and architecture of the country excite me the most, and I hope to get some time to bike along the canals. This trip offers tremendous opportunity for personal and professional growth for me, and I will take full advantage of everything that Amsterdam and Rotterdam have to offer.