Danny Ayele
Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2020
“I gained life-long friends from different parts of the world, a greater understanding of how large the world is, and life experiences that I will never forget.”
Rahul on a weekend trip with fellow UR students in the picture (Wade Bennett - ECE, Muhammad Ahmad - CS) at Gaztelugatxe in Basque Danny hanging out at the Temple of Debod in Madrid, Spain.
Where did you go? What program did you do?
I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain through the IES Program
Why did you want to go abroad?
I had never left the country before studying abroad! I wanted to learn about new cultures and meet people from across the world. I wanted to literally push myself out of my comfort zone, the University of Rochester, and explore new places.
Did you work with anyone to help arrange this?
I worked heavily with the financial aid office and my counselor in order to ensure that I would be able to afford my time abroad.
Enjoying the view in Lisbon, Portugal.
How would you rate the relative ease/difficulty of arranging study abroad?
Arranging study abroad was easier than I thought it would be. The most difficult part was applying for a student visa which only took a couple hours of my time. But overall, very easy!
Were you able to take classes to satisfy degree requirements here, and if so which classes did you take?
All my classes satisfied my degree requirements in some way. I took the equivalent of Spanish 101, Heat Transfer, Heat & Power, and Discrete Mathematics abroad.
If you received a scholarship or any additional funding to study abroad, what did you receive? How important was this in enabling you to study abroad?
I received the Hajim International Experience Scholarship, Rochester Study Abroad Grant, and the Future Engineers IES Scholarship. These scholarships were extremely important for my study abroad experience! I advise any student that wants to study abroad to apply to as many scholarships they can.
What did you gain from this experience?
I gained life-long friends from different parts of the world, a greater understanding of how large the world is, and life experiences that I will never forget.
Danny riding a camel in the Sahara Desert in Morocco.
Any particularly memorable experiences? Describe them here!
During spring break, I was able to spend a week in Morocco traveling to all its largest cities including Tangier, Fes, Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Chefchaouen. On this trip, I got to ride a camel into the Sahara Desert and go sand-boarding!
Any advice for students thinking about studying abroad?
Do it! Every college graduate I know says their one regret from their time in college was that they never studied abroad. Now I completely understand why.
Questions? Ask Danny!
Email: dayele@u.rochester.edu