Hi everyone! It’s been a year since my last blog post, but I thought it was time to share some exciting news! I’ve been working for two months as an intern at Delta. Above is a picture of me (far right) with my coworkers, Abigail Gyger (ALIS student), Veronica Young (ID graduate), and Sterling Gerdes (IAML graduate). We’re enjoying some coffee from the first Starbucks ever after spending all day working at the Seattle airport. As a second-year International Affairs and Modern Languages major (Russian, Spanish, Arabic), working with everyone at Delta has been a good opportunity for me to explore my professional interests and get some real-world experience.
I’ve come away with this experience with a lot insights, but I’ll only share what I think is the most important one here. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but engineering isn’t just about physics, materials science, and design. Engineering is liberal arts and liberal arts is engineering. To engineer a truly better world, we not only need to have the technical expertise create safer, technology-based solutions to social problems, but we also need to have the expertise to understand the context of those problems and why they exist in the first place. As liberal arts majors, we are all engineers in our own way.
Delta has allowed me the freedom to explore this role. As an intern, I’m not just sitting around doing simple tasks and busy work, I’m out in the field looking for solutions! This is especially important when you consider that global companies like Delta can play a role in international relations on par with official government foreign service officers. After all, one of the first points of contact for foreigners is the main channel for getting to America – private airline companies.
In the past, I’ve largely ignored the important role that the private sector plays in international affairs, and I’ve instead focused on the public sector as a means of reaching my professional interests. But now, I’m reconsidering. By completing my work with Delta, I can improve the relationships between foreign nationals and Americans.
How did I get this amazing opportunity? I owe everything to the faculty and staff at the School of Modern Languages and Delta’s willingness to create new opportunities for students. The Modern Languages Student Advisory Committee has been advocating for greater professional opportunities for students, and the administration responded, inviting companies to develop partnerships with students. Delta reached out with the international project I’m working on. I was able to participate because I drew on my international experiences as one of Georgia Tech’s Russian Spring Track participants.