Hello everyone, my name is Dominic Zeto and I am a freshman Mechanical Engineering student in the David C. Frederick Honors College. I lived in Erie, PA before moving to the University of Pittsburgh but have extended family in Pittsburgh and St. John’s, Newfoundland, so I’ve been travelling since birth. Quite literally I was on a plane at 6 weeks old. So far, at Pitt, I have been involved in Performance Collaborative and Ruckus Improv, so if you have seen me on stage, thanks for supporting Pitt theater! I also am in Food Recovery Heroes and Panther Racing for my volunteering and engineering club respectively. Before Pitt, I was also in theater but also played Varsity Ice Hockey and was on my high school robotics team. Safe to say I am used to being involved in every opportunity I can have, which led me to being in Plus3 South Korea.
Academically, I am quite ahead in credits, but this has allowed for me to be very flexible in my curriculum and really learn the content before graduating. I am also still holding on to the 4.0 and hopefully Spring semester finals don’t change that! The hardest class I have had to take so far is Thermodynamics, but it is so rewarding as so many engineering applications rely on its ideas.
During my degree, I planned on fulfilling a Co-Op and going into the workforce focusing on fluids and thermodynamics. However, recently, I got accepted to the SMART Scholarship for the Department of War that guarantees me summer internships and a job after graduation in propulsion and propellors for the Navy, which is exactly the type of job I wanted anyways. With all that info out of the way, like I said above, I want to take advantage of every opportunity I get.
Plus3 South Korea was the perfect starting point. Coming to Pitt, I knew I wanted to study abroad at least once, but homesickness hit hard. Plus3 was the perfect mix as it was only 2 weeks but still invaluable to my degree, as it checks off the Engineering Elective requirement. To continue, Plus3 focuses on looking at cutting-edge technology. This will heavily bolster my career as I can understand how modern designs are being created and how global companies operate. Academically and professionally, Plus3 South Korea was a no-brainer as I will learn so much for my degree and my future career in the Navy. Finally, personally, I can’t wait to learn Korean culture and especially stay with Buddhists for a full day. I feel these opportunities are once-in-a-lifetime and I am ready to experience every one of them. The hardest part of the whole trip will be leaving Korea.
Well, that is all I have for now. I will talk to you when we touch down in Korea!