Six months overseas navigating new communities, furthering my education and exploring different countries taught me some lessons that are now deeply ingrained in who I am.
While I was lucky enough to be undertaking the semester with two friends, I also looked forward to being in classes where I knew absolutely no-one. Being uncomfortable forced growth and connections with new people. I don’t know how many times I asked someone “Is anyone sitting here?” before starting up a conversation with them. I met many students who had completed their Bachelor at TU Delft before starting their degrees, but also a good amount who had studied elsewhere and before deciding to complete their Masters at Delft. It was interesting to find out how students decided to choose to study aerospace after a different degree for their Bachelor and to feel their passion. Also, to find out how different the aerospace industry and workplace culture is like across different countries in Europe.
Having never spent an extended amount of time overseas before, I’d never seriously considered the possibility of living and working in another country. Now, I am excited to start a career that may take me anywhere in the world. While studying at TU Delft, I joined the student aerospace society, VsV ‘Leonardo da Vinci’, among ~2700 students passionate about exploring the field of aerospace. I attended their annual space industry event, “Discover Your Space” and heard from over 20 companies operating in the Netherlands. I learnt just how large a part wind energy played in the aerospace industry there and across other parts of Europe, as well as how international some of these companies are. Every so often, the student society and my university courses brought in industry professionals to present on a topic. My favourite was from my Polymer Composites Manufacturing class, where we heard from a manufacturing and test engineer about the day-to-day realities of producing and testing wind turbine blades. As someone with a Women in Engineering scholarship, I felt lucky to be sitting there, feeling inspired by her presentation. I hope to do the same for younger generations.
As well as the student aerospace society, I joined the campus’ recreation centre, where I signed up to all kinds of classes. Brazilian jiu jitsu, knitting, dance, yoga- I stepped out of my comfort zone to meet more people and to see if there was a hobby waiting to be discovered. While the floor-grappling didn’t quite stick, I did manage to knit a scarf that eventually became a Christmas present! Again, being uncomfortable in unfamiliar spaces, where I was a complete beginner, led to some great conversations and connections. One snowy day outside my student accommodation, I saw a group of people building snowmen and igloos. A simple “that looks cool, can I join?” led to them asking if I wanted to go inside and take pictures- of course I did!
Involvement in the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) at Delft led to the making of one of my closest friendship groups during my time there. An international potluck dinner brought six strangers together, from different degrees, countries and cultural backgrounds. As we each presented our dish, it became easy to share the memories connected to it and appreciate the different experiences of each other’s lives. Although our backgrounds were very different, a suggestion of playing Mario Kart afterwards in someone’s campus accommodation sealed the deal. Hearing everyone’s stories reminded me that good leadership starts with listening and understanding others, especially when people with different perspectives are brought together. During a very important round of Mario Kart, we talked about having a willingness to “be down”: showing up to events when you don’t know anyone, putting yourself out there, and not being afraid to show effort. It is also important for a leader to have the courage to be the first one to step forward.
What is any trip without its travel crisis? When heavy snowfall and icy conditions swept across the Netherlands in early January, the national train service encountered the most disruptions and cancellations ever recorded. On the day I was travelling from East Germany back to Delft, the cancellations began rolling in and the possibility of being stranded in a remote German town felt very real. To quote the train conductor, “It’s absolute chaos in the Netherlands right now”. From this situation, I learnt two lessons. Firstly, realise what you can control and accept what you can’t. Secondly, I learnt to make quick decisions and stand by them. I jumped onto multiple trains as the doors were closing, crossing my fingers that they wouldn’t be cancelled so I could inch my way west. Seven trains later, I finally made it back home.
It just so happened that I applied the “accepting what you can’t control” lesson the very next day. I had taken a train to Amsterdam to visit an old friend from school and of course, the train home was cancelled. A quick dinner catch-up became a good old-fashioned sleepover. Previously, the idea of being stuck in a new city with no way home would’ve made me a nervous wreck- typical Type A behaviour. Now, it’s a fond memory and a reminder of the value of building strong relationships.
Unexpected experiences such as these shaped my understanding of leadership. In difficult moments, people look toward someone they trust to gain a sense of calm and direction. Being a leader means earning the trust of people around you and that starts with trusting yourself first. Self-assurance isn’t about immediately having all the answers to a situation, but it comes from knowing your ability to handle a situation as it arises, staying composed when plans change and giving others the confidence that all will be well. While my situation wasn’t particularly dire, I now know that I am able to handle unexpected circumstances and have confidence in my ability to do the same in the future.
Throughout my exchange semester, I was fortunate to travel to other countries in Europe. Everywhere I went, I learnt “Hello, Please, Thank you and Goodbye” in the local language. Equipped with the most basic phrases (and with no façade of fluency), it still showed an effort to communicate with people in their hometowns. It was interesting to learn the nuances in communication in different regions, and I now know to do my research before going anywhere. I look forward to experiencing more cultures and becoming a better communicator.
Since returning home, I’ve found that one of the most common reactions I’ve received was, “That was your last semester?” It was! Studying at TU Delft was a goal of mine since my 3rd year at university and I was determined to make it happen. There were definitely some risks: any problem in credit transfer or class changes could mean having to undertake an extra semester of classes after the exchange; it being my last semester of study disqualified myself from receiving the OS-HELP loan; and the difference in semester dates meant officially graduating 6 months later than originally planned. However, taking those risks and deciding to go was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself.
Now that I’ve stepped into my next phase as a graduate engineer, I have already started to apply the lessons learnt during my time on exchange. Stepping out of my comfort zone to spark connections: I have applied this in my new role, speaking to various engineers within the business to organise technical training and learn quickly. Trusting myself first to earn other’s trust in high-pressure situations: I’ve not yet faced such an event since being back home, but I now have the confidence to do so. Focussing on what I can control and accepting what I can’t: this is relevant to almost any situation in life, and reduces time spent worrying so that I can focus on things that matter. Finally, doing my research before entering new cultural spaces: engineering is a global industry and understanding local norms smoother collaboration across teams. With the generous support of the Liveris Academy and the Pekol Family (after which my scholarship is named), I had a transformative experience that broadened my perspective of the world and my field, improved my abilities as a leader and has given me a better sense of self as I continue my engineering journey.
