Nicholas Taina

2014 Gilman Scholar

Hometown

Indianapolis, IN

Major

Biomedical Engineering

College

College of Engineering

 

Growing up in the Andes of Peru and currently living in the Midwest, I’ve come to greatly appreciate the benefits of being multicultural. I know that to get the most out of a new culture, one has to truly submerge and that’s exactly what I plan to do in Denmark. I study biomedical engineering at Purdue University with the goal of working in the medical devices industry. I will study at Denmark Technical University (DTU) in an exchange program that is unique in its specialized classes and in how it will integrate my senior design project. 

 

Different ideas, perspectives, and visions are what I expect to obtain from studying abroad. I will learn different perspectives on the applications of a biomedical engineering degree and the needs of the population. I will learn the different quality systems imposed on designs and the different regulations and standards at work and the challenges that arise. Having this global vision is an invaluable experience in almost any industry but even more valuable when dealing with improving health, an ongoing global challenge.

 

In moving from Peru to the USA, I learned how strong nostalgia can feel, especially when a home is oceans away. I also learned that lingering in these feelings for too long increases anxieties. I slowly learned that these were things that prevented me from really experiencing my new environment and because of this I’m now more than ecstatic to feel and be outside my comfort. In Denmark, I plan not to lose time during these initial periods but to quickly submerge myself into the culture. As soon as I arrive, I will participate in as many activities as possible with as many different groups as possible and will plan activities with these different groups to stay in contact as much as possible. While I might not face a strong language barrier due to amount of people that speak English, I will still keep learning the basics of the language in order to further submerge in the culture and find my way around.

 

The Gilman Scholarship enables me to achieve my goals and will ultimately allow me to give back to the global community through my work or perhaps with a breakthrough in medical devices.