Hi everyone, my name is Ben Solomon and I’m so excited to be studying abroad in India! I’m a senior with majors in Computer Science and Computational Biology, minors in Sustainability and Economics, as well as the Honors Degree. This trip is the last thing I do at Pitt as I am graduating in August to start my full time job at PNC Financial Services in their technology department. I grew up in the North Hills of Pittsburgh so I haven’t traveled far for school, and I will be staying in the region once I start my job at PNC. During my time at Pitt, I’ve done volunteer work, competed in hackathons, and acted as a Resident Assistant for Frederick Honors College students in Sutherland Hall. In my free time, I love going on bike rides, hanging out with friends, and exploring new places around Pittsburgh. I am training to bike the GAP and C&O trail from Pittsburgh to D.C. (333 miles) this summer, a goal I’ve had for a several years. The trip to India will be good training, but more on that in a bit.

I care deeply about sustainability and try to live my life through that lens. For example, I always try to walk, bike, or take the bus anytime I can instead of driving a car. I acknowledge that taking an airplane has significant negative emissions (although it is less emissions than a medium sized car going the same distance). I hope that my experience in the Himalayas will further strengthen my commitment to sustainability and will be a net positive event in the long run. The combination of experiencing a developing country that burns coal for majority of their electricity production with the incredible natural beauty of the Himalayas will be a powerful image that will likely stick with me for my whole life.

The study abroad program I am going on is called Leadership in the Himalayas and will take place in the Indian Himalayas in the northern region of Uttarakhand and will focus on leadership skills. I chose this program because strong communication and leadership skills are extremely transferable and impactful to any career. Furthermore, India has a very different culture from the U.S. so I am excited to expand my global horizons. The trip includes a 10 day trek through the Himalayas involving carrying our own gear and keeping ourselves in (reasonably) good condition for the duration. I will definitely use the survival skills learned on this trip to aid me on my bike across the GAP and C&O trails. Overall, this study abroad experience will prepare me for surviving life after college, both in the wild and in the workplace!

I’ll keep you updated how the trip goes!