From August 2022 to February 2024, I attended Mines ParisTech in Paris, completing a 1.5-year dual degree exchange program.

The training I received in France is equivalent to the second to early third year of local engineering students. It included two engineering projects, one research project, an internship as a corporate engineer, and a five-month specialized course.

One of the engineering projects I chose was 'VR Game Design and Development'. Our team, consisting of five female students from Ukraine, Russia, France, China, and Brazil, selected the topic 'Cartographie du son (Sound Mapping)'.

It was a relaxed and open topic provided by a local theater, which needed an attractive piece for an upcoming circus performance that could be used for publicity, showcasing artists' collections and ideas. The material we received consisted of sound clips recorded by the artists themselves, some of which were single words and others were sentences. The theater wanted these sounds to be presented spatially.

After discussions with the theater, we decided to create a three-dimensional scene representing four stages of life: nursery representing childhood, a bar representing youth, an office representing middle age, and a park representing old age. We categorized the sound materials into these four life stages and attached them to various objects in the scene. The final product was an interactive 3D scene where users, using VR headsets and controllers, could wander through the scene or touch objects to hear attached sounds. The volume of the sounds varied with the distance between the user and the objects, providing an immersive experience.

2.Corporate Engineering Internship: Electric Vehicle Charging Station Deployment

My corporate engineering internship was completed at Qovoltis, an electric vehicle charging station company. I was responsible for two charging station deployment projects. During this period, I visited the installation sites of the charging stations and had the opportunity to interact with professionals from various fields, which greatly contributed to my personal growth.

Qovoltis, founded four years ago, specializes in supplying, installing, and maintaining electric vehicle charging stations for individuals, businesses, public housing estates, and hotels. My internship involved two main parts: pre-sales, where I conducted site surveys before client contracts were signed, including designing circuits, selecting installation locations for charging stations and meters, determining the quantity and types of materials required, and providing quotations; and project coordination, where I managed the entire process from client contract signing to project delivery acceptance, including selecting and coordinating engineering units for construction, coordinating with the grid operator for meter installation, engaging third-party organizations for safety certification, and providing regular updates to clients.

Being involved in a project from client development to delivery acceptance gave me great satisfaction and made me feel the joy of being an engineer. In the later stages of my internship, I had the opportunity to directly manage project management, which excited me and presented significant challenges.

I had to use French over the phone to urge electricians to start work as soon as possible, correct mistakes made by parts suppliers, and handle complaints from clients about waiting too long. All of these experiences were novel and educational. Ultimately, one project was successfully completed after a one-month delay, while the other had to be handed over to a new colleague due to the end of my internship period.

3.Specialized Course: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The last five months of my exchange were spent in public and specialized courses, focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship. Among the nine students in our program, I studied subjects such as law, business, and entrepreneurship. Notably, our course instructor led us on a week-long visit to London, where we visited multiple incubators, venture capital firms, and business schools.

Most of our time in this course was spent in the 'Start-up Studio', where students implemented their own ideas and created their own start-up companies. I independently designed and developed the app 'Parisian Dessert Guide' using ChatGPT. During the final presentation, I received unanimous praise from investors and classmates for my innovative pitch and high-quality execution.

I still remember the atmosphere during my pitch, with all the classmates and teachers listening attentively and being emotionally moved. The feeling of being listened to, acknowledged, and recognized enveloped me, giving me an unprecedented sense of confidence and satisfaction. I think this is something we should learn from the French—generously recognizing and encouraging others.

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