Each summer, Lehigh students travel around the world, bringing what they’ve learned in the classroom into communities. Through initiatives like the Soaring Together Scholarship Program and the Iacocca International Internship Program, students gain global perspectives, professional experience, and opportunities that might not otherwise be possible.
Here are a few of the global opportunities students pursued this summer.
Sofia Schnerr '28 | Hans Kuder ’28 | Charlotte Witmer-Rich ’28 | Chancey Smith ’28
Sofia Schnerr '28
Germany — Engineers Made in Germany Program
Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering
When I first read, “a once-in-a-lifetime experience” in the brochure for the Engineers Made in Germany program, I had high expectations. Thanks to Matthias Weyer and Karoline Schäfer, I found a second home in Germany and made lasting friendships and memories.
During my six weeks in Pforzheim, Germany, I took classes taught by experts in production and supply chain management, innovative laser-based production facilities, and German language. Outside of the classroom, we took day trips to cities like Heidelberg and Strasbourg, toured the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing facilities, and spent nights in Berlin and Munich. I also had the opportunity to explore Germany, France, and Italy, go on adventures with new friends, and immerse myself in different cultures.
It was amazing to study in a place so synonymous with engineering and the automotive industry. I learned so much that I hope to carry with me throughout my career. I’m eternally grateful to Lehigh and the donors who made this once-in-a-lifetime experience possible.
Hans Kuder ’28
India — Iacocca International Internship Program
Major: Bioengineering
When I traveled to India through the Iacocca International Internship Program, I joined an environmental science lab as a bioengineer focused on hardware development. It was a unique experience because rather than working on medical equipment, I helped develop a tool for elephant detection.
The goal of the device is to reduce human-elephant conflict. Often, people don’t realize an elephant is nearby until it’s too late, and this would help prevent fatalities on either side. Elephants communicate at frequencies humans can’t hear, but with machine learning algorithms, we’d be able to detect these infrasonic waves and send a warning to people in the area. I’m interested in equitable innovation, and creating solutions for population-specific problems like this is rewarding.
This was my second time in India, and the experience changed me. I was able to learn more about the people and their culture, build empathy, and gain a deeper sense of understanding. When you’re working with others, especially when there’s a language barrier, it teaches you patience. We’re all humans just trying to do our best, and that level of understanding goes a long way.
Everyone was so welcoming and wonderful. I made friends and connections I never would’ve expected to, and that’s been a gift.
Charlotte Witmer-Rich ’28
Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria — Lehigh Choir Arts Program
Major: IDEAS – Sustainable Systems
I’ve always loved making music, so the concept of performing for audiences across different cities in Europe was really appealing to me. We spent four days in the capital of Slovenia (Ljubljana), visited Pula (Croatia), Graz, and ended in Vienna. Our concerts were about every other night, most alongside choirs from the communities we visited.
Many of the places we performed were gorgeous old churches. Singing with people from different choirs—people you may not be able to share a language with, but who you can connect with through a universal love of music—was really special.
After our shows, we’d have dinner and spend time with the other choirs. After one of our concerts in Slovenia, the choir hosted a Slovenian barbecue for us at a barn just outside the city. They even taught us some of their traditional dances. It was such a neat way to connect with people from a different culture. You don’t get that on just any vacation.
When we weren’t performing, we explored the cities. We hiked near Lake Bled in Slovenia, explored the coast of Croatia, and went to a jazz club in Vienna; my friends and I even went and watched a production of The Phantom of the Opera.
The whole experience was like a fairy tale, and it’s one that I’ll never forget.
Chancey Smith ’28
Thailand — Iacocca International Internship Program
Major: Business and Economics
I spent eight weeks in Bangkok through the Iacocca International Internship Program, in partnership with CRCC Asia, which ran the on-the-ground program. I went with a five-student Lehigh cohort, each of us working with different companies across the city. My role was with an early-stage relationship-tech startup, building out product and strategy, although what interested me most was less the product itself than the people on the other side of it. I've always been interested in the mechanics of how people think: what catches their attention, what they gravitate toward, what they care about, and how those things show up in the way they live their everyday lives. Being in Thailand gave me another way of looking at those same questions.
I lived in Phra Khanong, in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok, but traveled north to Chiang Mai, south to Krabi and the islands, and through places like Khao Yai and Kanchanaburi. There are plenty of moments I can still picture immediately: a four-hour jungle trek in Khao Yai, walking up waterfalls in Chiang Mai, hiking through the rain until we came out above the clouds, and washing elephants are just a few. The memory I come back to most is much quieter. About eight hours before we needed to leave for the airport, our entire group was together at K-Buffet on our last night. We talked about the summer, brought up old stories, made jokes, and kept going from one conversation to another until the restaurant closed. Eight weeks earlier, we had been strangers trying to figure out the same unfamiliar country. By then, we had a long list of stories that only made sense to us. The country we had spent the summer discovering was suddenly a home we were leaving behind.
I came into Thailand with my own experiences, assumptions, and way of seeing the world. I left with a better understanding of how much culture, environment, and personal experience can shape the way people think, communicate, and make decisions. Being surrounded by people with different backgrounds gave me a chance to see things from perspectives I wouldn't have encountered at home, and I think that's one of the most valuable parts of a global education. I developed a more global mindset by becoming genuinely curious about how people in another environment live and think. I think back on the ordinary, everyday moments: exploring a new market, getting off at a new train stop just to see where it took me, and sitting by the water at night watching the city lights reflect across it. Overall, I realized I don't simply want to know more about the world. I want to be in it. And I'm incredibly grateful that Lehigh and the Iacocca Institute gave me the opportunity to do that.
