Hello, my name is Juan Pablo Colmenares Bittar. I am a first-year Natural Gas, Renewables, and Oil Engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh. Originally, I am from Downingtown, PA, about 45 minutes away from Philadelphia, and I chose Pitt because of the excellent opportunity it provides. I’m very excited to pursue a career in my field of study as I aspire to one day work with large renewable energy sources as they become more prominent, such as solar panels or wind farms. On campus, I am involved with the Engineers for a Sustainable World club and always try to find ways to be more sustainable. I am an outgoing person who loves nothing more than to try new experiences and see new places.
For those reasons, I chose to be a part of the Plus3 Netherlands program. Since the program emphasis is sustainable engineering, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to dip my toes into a field where my future career might end up. Seeing all the advanced mechanisms of sustainability in the city and company visits for eco-friendly plants we have lined up to see excites me extremely for what will come. From this trip, I hope to gain a newfound knowledge of how engineering is perceived in other parts of the world. Does it have just as much priority in being eco-friendly, or is it even more in a leading country for sustainability like the Netherlands? I am also very thrilled to create new connections with not only the people I travel with, but also the alumni and professionals in the field that I will meet whilst abroad. These relationships can open future opportunities, which I hope could one day turn into possible work opportunities abroad.