As explained here, German Engineering schools consistently make the list of the best engineering universities in the world.
 This article lists Germany as the fourth best country for engineers on the hunt for work.
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Rising junior Paula Gonzalez of the Lehigh women's tennis team is an engineer, so what did she do this summer? Go to Germany where she learned plenty of technical, and life, skills along the way.
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"I've always wanted to travel and explore the world outside the United States," she said. "My family is originally from Colombia, so I've been there, but that's it. I felt this was really the only summer I had the opportunity to study abroad. I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity."
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Gonzalez made the most of the opportunity, taking part in the Engineers Made in Germany program, which included students from Lehigh, Penn State, UMass-Lowell and Rutgers.
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"We had every single class together," said Gonzalez. "There were no German students in our classes. There were over 30 students, who were pretty much in the same classes every day. All the classes were in English, except the German class, which was a mix."
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By the end of the six-week program, Gonzalez knew some German, but communicating in a different country was more challenging than her engineering classes (which isn't easy by any means either).
Marienplatz in MunichÂ
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"Arriving to Germany that first day was very difficult because the airport is a 40-minute train ride from the university," she said. "I landed in Stuttgart and it was very complicated. I couldn't find the machine to buy the train ticket and when I did, it was all in German.
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"My two other Lehigh friends literally arrived a minute later, as soon as I finished buying my ticket," Gonzalez continued. "One of them is fluent in German and he knew exactly what to do. He had already been to Germany several times, so he helped us with everything. If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would have made my train."
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Gonzalez arrived in Germany on May 18, departing June 29. In between was a learning experience, both as an engineer and person immersed in a different culture.
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"It was nine credits in six weeks," she said. "We took a German class and then a production and supply chain management class. The other three credits featured several different mini classes (robotics, lasers, sustainable mobility, cyber physical systems and automotive ECU development)."
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Gonzalez and her classmates were in class from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. almost every day. Once or twice a week, they went on trips.
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"The Engineers Made in Germany program was very oriented to automotive subjects, so all the classes tried to include that topic," said Gonzalez. "There were a lot of mechanical and industrial engineers in the program. We took trips to see the factories and plants of Porsche, Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi."
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The automotive industry was not an interest to Gonzalez previously, but her time in Germany her eyes for the potential of working in the industry. Her production and supply chain management class was similar to some industrial engineering courses she had taken.
From when Gonzalez went to the Porsche Museum
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"I have to say, I'm not a car fan, but just seeing how everything was put together and all the work it requires, I learned a lot," she said.
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Gonzalez did plenty of traveling, heading to Munich, Berlin and Strasbourg, France through the program.
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"Munich and Berlin were mostly for us to get to know different cities within Germany," she said. "We got to explore Germany and go to the Cathedrals."
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Meanwhile, on her free weekends, Gonzalez visited Rothenburg and Cologne in Germany, and Salzburg in Austria.
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Every day was a learning experience for Gonzalez, constantly adjusting to the German lifestyle.
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"They don't use their phones as much over there," she said. "You'd see people my age hanging out, just talking. Wherever you go in the United States, people are always on their phones. But in Germany, everyone was talking. I learned a lot from just seeing how different the culture and people are, and the way they communicate."
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Communication became key for Gonzalez with her living situation.
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"In Germany, they don't have dorms connected to the university," she said. "I thought we'd be in an on-campus setup or near the school, but we were divided into different flats (apartments). I was in the biggest one and there were 12 of us - guys and girls. We had seven rooms and only two bathrooms for 12 of us. We had one washer, one dryer and one little kitchen.
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"It took time to get used to, especially being people you just met," Gonzalez continued. "But once you get to know people and what they do on a daily basis, you get in a routine."
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Gonzalez's routine featured, and will continue to feature, plenty of engineering. Moving forward, she has a lot of options and now has her eyes open to more options thanks to her time in Germany.
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"I would really like to do something with logistics and production, making companies more efficient in factories," she said. "That's an option, but I know it's also very difficult."
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As a high-performance collegiate athlete, Gonzalez has also always been interested in the sports clothing industry.
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"As a result of that, I was able to work in that sector last summer in Colombia," she said. "I saw how everything worked at the factory, how they made the shirts, and would like to keep it as an option once I graduate."
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Yet another interest for Gonzalez is pharmaceuticals. Â
No matter what she ends up doing in the future, the present sees Gonzalez well on her way to reaching her dreams. She takes pride in being a female in the engineering field.
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"We were definitely a minority in Germany," she said. "There were only eight girls and about 27 guys. At Lehigh, there's always more guys than girls, but it's not as obvious (compared to the average). This summer was the first time I was in a class and noticed the gap (between males and females), which was wider than I had felt in my classes at Lehigh."
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Whether she's the only female or one of several, Gonzalez has excelled in practically every situation she's experienced. Her ability to adapt to different situations will only keep her options open post-graduation.
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"Engineering is very broad and you can really work in almost any type of company as an engineer," said Gonzalez. "I feel like every company needs an industrial engineer."
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Wherever Gonzalez ends up after graduating in 2021, she can look back to this summer and know part of her was made in the summer of 2019 thanks to the Engineers Made in Germany program.
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