Hi, I am Priyan,
I hail from Liverpool, and I am currently studying an integrated Masters in Bioengineering at Loughborough University.
After living some of the best times I couldn’t’ve even imagined, be it not for UNITECH during the academic exchange in Politecnico di Milano, with a group of people I can call more than just “exchange buddies”. I am now in an extremely interesting and exciting internship at the
beautifully located Geberit Headquarters in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. Holding the role of Product Development Engineer here at Geberit, as well as working alongside the whole PPS team, I have been trusted with the responsibility to complete my own personal project. To
invent a device to solve a long outstanding problem the company faces. From initial research and interview phases, moving into testing and prototyping, a successful future product now seems to be on the horizon.
I owe a large amount of satisfaction from my time here to Geberit for integrating me into the workings of a dynamic, intelligent, and most importantly a fun and welcoming team. An environment brimming with opportunity for professional development and peers for mentorship, where the age, experience and background differences (all be it rather large) were only seen as another positive chance to help us all grow.
What did you enjoy most about your experience in the UNITECH programme so far and how has the programme helped prepare you for the next steps in your career?
UNITECH for me was, as I first saw it in Loughborough, the conveniently attractive and only
available option that provided, simply, the chance to take an internship and a placement in
the same academic year. I saw it as the best of both worlds. However, …how wrong could I
be. UNITECH was so much more. It was the best of every world. Unmatched to my
knowledge for its chances to develop and opportunities to experience many different ways
of life, firsthand and second. It was strangely amazing, really, to be one in a group of 77
randomers so different in origins yet so similar in mind. To me, it felt like an environment
meant for each of us, a place where we could make true connections, a place of -and to
quote our UNITECH president- synergy.
The Cohort was given an ecosystem where we could flourish and mature, in a slingshot year
that provides a head-start in life, be that corporate or otherwise.
I can wholeheartedly say UNITECH will always be something I am proud to have experienced
and without regret have applied for.
UNITECH provided us with so much personal mentorship and allowed us to open up and
grow, the coaches were unbelievably supportive and knowledgeable. Not only did UNITECH
help to mold us into better leaders, but they also provided the steppingstones for us to test
out these new learnt skills, be it intercultural skills by the exchange semester or
organizational and management thought providing us the incredible chance to work in a
multinational corporation undertaking a meaningful internship. The constant close
connection to the program, wherever you are, always makes you feel part of a unique family
and never far from any help or advice. And once you are part of UNITECH it’s also part of you
for life. Even when the year was over, the programme continues to support you in finding
job opportunities and hosts future events to sharpen and learn new skills, constantly there
to give us the best competitive edge we can for our future careers.
Where was your internship? Were there any challenges that you faced? How did you overcome them?
I completed my internship at Geberit, located in the scenic Rapperwsil-jona Headquarters. A
clear and big challenge for me was moving to a new culture and way of life alone. I did not
know the language well nor did I know anyone to where I moved. It was a very difficult
challenge adapting to this new way of corporate life for me as well as trying to integrate
myself into my new and unfamiliar surroundings.
I overcame these challenges by always trying to make the first step with people, in work and
outside of it, and actively trying to contribute myself to the things going on around me.
Planning goals for my internship period was also a big factor I think in making the most of my
time then. I had to switch perspective and saw these 6 months now from as time of being
work and back on my ones to an opportunity of having little restrictions, where I am able to
try out new things and get back into old burning passions. Joining sports clubs and testing
myself to go out and do things alone, which before I would’ve considered uncomfortably
unnatural. Accepting the fact that in this new “world” things take much longer to unfold and
learning a lot about myself in the meantime while things were.