Beautiful river!
A little bit about me…
I am an international student at Rice; I was born in Poland, and grew up mainly in England. When I was in my 2nd to last year of high school, I discovered the US-UK Fulbright program, which helped me apply to top universities in the USA. Before hearing about this program, I had never actually considered studying in the USA or even abroad, and my first day at Rice during O-week was actually my first ever time traveling to the States. One of my main reasons for choosing Rice was actually the entrepreneurship program, which has had a big impact on my learning and entrepreneurial career since I started college. Some other reasons I chose Rice include its Houston metropolis location, diverse student population, variety of student organizations, language program offerings, and the renowned reputation of the Jones Graduate School of Business. At Rice, I am a member of RISA (the Rice International Student Association), the Rice Entrepreneurship Club and Olympic Weightlifting Club. I am also a tour guide and international orientation advisor for the class of 2027. I am also currently working on founding an Eastern European Association. My planned major is Business Management, and my minors are Entrepreneurship, Neuroscience, and Politics Law & Social Thought. My dream career is to join a start-up or found my own company whilst in college, and then work in real-estate, preferably in a place like California or Florida. My entrepreneurial interests are fashion, technology, social enterprise and medical devices. If I never had to work or study again, I would spend my time taking care of French bulldogs, learning languages, working out and traveling.
Why I chose to do Summer school in Amsterdam…
I wanted to study abroad this Summer firstly because of the class ‘LILIE Design Thinking’; I am looking forward to exploring the design process in depth as an aspiring entrepreneur with an interest in the fashion industry and technological innovation. Furthermore, as an international student, I have not seen my family for a year, and so I knew I wanted to stay in Europe this Summer. This study abroad program has enabled me to pursue Summer classes whilst feeling like I am back at home. My family lives all around Europe; my auntie and cousin live in Rotterdam, Netherlands, my twin brother in Dublin, Ireland, and my grandfather in Erlenbach, Germany. I am very excited because all these members of my family will be traveling to meet me in Amsterdam this week, as it is so close to where they live! This is definitely a bonus of this program for me.
In Amsterdam, I can’t wait to…
When exploring a new city, I tend to explore the surroundings with no specific destination. I have found in the past that this is the best approach; it can result in unexpected new relationships and unforgettable memories. I do not like to have a fixed schedule; I don’t even use google maps when I can’t find a particular place I want to go to; I just use my intuition until I find some place fitting.
I am excited to explore the local Dutch restaurants, tour the Anne Frank Museum, ride a bike around the city, and take a boat cruise. One of the things I looked forward to most initially was visiting the Amsterdam Business School and meeting the Dutch students. I really enjoyed meeting them, and I was surprised about how friendly and direct they were. They invited us to a student event that they are hosting tonight, just 5 minutes after meeting us. I am looking forward to the event!