Through my previous work, I have gained intercultural competence by working with cross-disciplinary technical teams on projects and mission-based work that span borders. Whether dealing with natural systems, such as watersheds and rivers, or artificial systems, such as software and control structures, these systems do not stop at national borders. Addressing them requires bilateral and multilateral collaboration that I genuinely enjoy.
Step 2 · Narrative Experience (CARL Framework)
Context
I took UMBC's Global Engineering course, a joint program with the University of Porto in Portugal, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, and Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia in Brazil. Students from all four institutions worked in international teams to design solutions to real-world global challenges.
Action
Working across time zones, languages, and academic traditions, I helped my team use human-centered design and systems thinking to frame the problem and develop a solution. I focused on making sure each member's perspective shaped the design, rather than defaulting to the approach most familiar to me.
Result
Our team delivered a solution grounded in the needs of the people it was meant to serve, and I completed the course with a certificate signed by faculty from all four partner universities.
Learning
I learned that the hardest part of international collaboration is not technical. It is building shared understanding before choosing a direction. That lesson carries into my study of international law and security, where lasting solutions depend on parties who start from different places.