Submission Number: 286
Submission ID: 992
Submission UUID: abf2501a-48cb-4e78-afb3-b306d4e19611

Created: Fri, 04/15/2022 - 22:44
Completed: Fri, 04/15/2022 - 22:44
Changed: Tue, 05/06/2025 - 02:22

Remote IP address: 184.96.163.37
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No

Flagged: Yes
Locked: Yes
{Empty}
Zachary
Weiner
He/Him/His
Nederland
Colorado
United States
80466
Mechanical Engineering
English (5), Spanish (2), German (1)
A few years ago, in the summer of 2019, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Switzerland and Germany with a group of students from my high school in order to attend a 3-day leadership summit in Davos, with students from around the world. The focus of the summit was “The Power of Communication,” where teams of 6 students from diverse backgrounds had to work together to identify communication difficulties and problems facing global youth, and come up with solutions. Clearly, communication and strong teamwork was a major part of this summit. The teams had to work together to identify issues that not only we were facing, but that others were as well, then brainstorm and develop a product/solution together. As part of this project, each group had to develop specifications and simple prototypes of their solutions, so I was able to utilize my design and engineering skills to lead our group in these aspects. Our group’s work focused on an issue based around having several different social and ethnic identities, where students were having a hard time sharing their full self with everyone around them. Our solution basically aimed to allow youth to share their many identities, whatever they may be, through a wearable device that would transmit the information to new acquaintances, allowing them to understand each other on a deeper level, without requiring people to directly share information that may be considered unnecessary or improper to announce in a conversation. I believe this experience prepared me to be a part of the Global Engineering RAP by immersing me in a different country, with a different language and culture than I was used to, trying to solve a problem that was faced by several youth from all different backgrounds. This experience pushed me to learn basic German both in preparation of and during the trip, and gain a better understanding of some of the different cultures represented at the summit. I was required to look beyond the perspectives that were provided by myself and my teammates, and instead look at what other students and groups could benefit from. To me, I believe this experience gave me the basics of being both a global citizen and a Global Engineer, and I would love to continue to learn and grow through the Global Engineering program.
In a program designed to broaden horizons and allow students to explore and realize new concepts, there are only a few details that really can be asked for in a neighbor. First and foremost, I want the person living down the hall from me to be passionate about Global Engineering, and helping others, as this is the core trait that this community is built around. Second, I want to live down the hall from someone who is driven and hard-working. I love working with people who are just as excited and hard-working as I am, because it makes the entire experience more enjoyable and beneficial for everyone involved. On the other hand, I want them to be able to step back and have some fun, because that is what fosters an accepting and enjoyable environment, where people can make friends and have fun. Aside from these few basic traits, I don’t want to know exactly what kind of person I will be living and working with, as it is the diversity of perspectives and characteristics that allows people to learn and grow.
I would like to be a member of the Global Engineering RAP, on the simplest level, to learn to be a Global Engineer. From a young age I have been interested in looking abroad, and in the context of engineering, looking for what we can learn from other countries and cultures and identifying how those same countries and cultures could benefit from our assistance. As a member of the RAP, I would be able to focus specifically on this interest, while directly implementing it within my wider education as an engineer, both broadening my understanding of the world around me and expanding the implications of my work and education. Additionally, I would have the opportunity to make connections with engineers and engineering programs on a global scale, providing me with direct opportunities to use my personal skillset to help and aid those in need around the world. On a more personal level, the RAP would provide me with an amazing and supportive community to go through college with. Overall, CU’s community seems to be a diverse and accepting one, but it is a very large school. Through the RAP, I would also be a part of a smaller and more tight-knit community that would help me through the major life transition that is starting college. On the other side, I hope to contribute to the community as much as I can. One main contribution I plan to make is just preserving that small, tight knit community that I hope will help me. Additionally, using the experience I have collaborating and assisting others, I want to help and work with others in the community as much as possible, whether that be on schoolwork, projects, or anything else non-class related.
{Empty}