Sydney Silroski started in general engineering, then switched to Mining Engineering, Industrial Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Civil Engineering and eventually landed on Business Information Systems with a focus on business entrepreneurship, management, and technology. Sydney graduated in Fall 2021 with a major in Business Information Technology and an International Studies minor.

During her sophomore and junior years, she participted in two Rising Sophomore Abroad Programs -  New Zealand track, and Spain and Morocco track. For the New Zealand track, she started with a class leading up to it: Engineering in a global context. The class taught her about working and functioning cross culturally, the culture of the destination they were going to, and she got to meet the people she was studying abroad with. During her study abroad trip, there were firms visiting from all engineering disciplines, in which some offered jobs. She also got an opportunity to look at some universities and visit civil firms. Sydney observed how their buildings were built in a way that were more earthquake proof, specialized for areas that are more prone to earthquakes.“I got to visit Weta studios which produces Lord of the Rings, so that was a great expedition to remember. They did engineering CGI and 3D modeling" Sydney recalls. She visited a handful of companies and learned how to interact with them. She also visited the Maori exhibit with native people and learned about them. The RSAP to New Zealand offered her a new cultural experience, company visits, and the opportunity to explore another country.

Sydney strongly recommends students to study abroad. She says, "There are a lot of benefits to RSAP. Worried about missing a semester? You’re only gone during a portion of the summer, 2-3 weeks. Also, since summer classes are more expensive, when I went, I paid Spring semester tuition prices." There are so many different disciplines, and she visited different companies with different focuses on engineering. Some students were interdisciplinary and realized they wanted to switch their major. “Wait, I could be an engineer and work in a movie studio?”

When asked if she would do anything differently, she said that she felt prepared. There was a Wednesday section for the Spring semester class which focused on functioning cross culturally. However, the Friday class section was specifically for students who were going on the same track, so she was able to talk to everyone she would be traveling with!

Mountains of New Zealand