As I look back on my international experience, I am filled with gratitude, growth, and a newfound sense of confidence in both my personal and professional life. This opportunity was more than just an internship abroad it was a turning point in how I see myself and how I operate in unfamiliar environments.

Professionally, this internship was a major step forward. Working with Carvago, I developed a car catalog matching project using the Gemini API and Python, where I was responsible for building an MVP that compared and matched vehicles across different listings and databases. The technical skills I gained were only one part of the journey. More importantly, I learned how to communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely. In a digital-first workplace where Slack and email served as the primary forms of communication, I became more intentional and structured in how I explained project goals, updates, and roadblocks. Over time, I noticed I could express my thoughts more confidently and logically, which helped me become a more effective collaborator and leader on my team.

One of the biggest personal growth areas for me was learning how to take initiative. Outside of work, this showed up during our weekend trip to Barcelona. I planned the itinerary, coordinated sightseeing, and made sure our small group had a great time without wasting the limited time we had. This sense of ownership extended into my professional work too. When building the MVP for Carvago, I didn’t wait for every instruction. I made decisions, experimented, and shared progress. This proactive mindset is something I will carry forward into all my future work.

Another major takeaway from this experience was learning how to stay calm and think critically under pressure. This skill was tested in a very real way at the end of the program when I got stuck in Turkey with no way back into the EU. It was an incredibly stressful situation. Flights were limited and I didn’t have a clear way to return to Prague to collect my belongings or fly out of the Schengen Zone. Rather than panic, I focused on solving one piece of the puzzle at a time. I was lucky enough to find a flight directly back home from Turkey and coordinated with a friend to check in my bag from Prague. The situation was less than ideal, but it made me realize how much more composed and capable I’ve become in unfamiliar, high-pressure environments.

Culturally, living and working in Prague taught me about the importance of patience, flexibility, and humility. Whether it was navigating menus in Czech when ordering food or dealing with language mix-ups, like when my friends and I booked movie tickets and realized too late that the Superman film was in Czech, not English, I learned to accept that miscommunications happen. The key is to laugh, learn, and adapt. These small, everyday experiences were just as valuable as the professional ones. They reminded me that success in a global context requires not just technical knowledge but also requires empathy, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to keep your cool when things don’t go as planned.

From a broader perspective, my time abroad redefined what success looks like. In the Czech work culture, success seems less about hustle and constant busyness and more about efficiency, clear communication, and accountability. That stood in contrast to some American norms I’m used to, where being busy is often equated with being productive. I appreciated how the Carvago team placed value on quality work and meaningful results rather than just long hours.

Returning to Pitt, I feel equipped with more than just new skills on my resume. I’m bringing back a stronger sense of self confidence. Knowing I can handle my self in a completely new country knowing no-one, or the language, and still being able to excel makes me confident I can work in any condition. I’m more confident now, not just in what I know, but in how I learn, adapt, and engage with people from different backgrounds.

This experience has clarified my career path in data and AI, while also strengthening the soft skills that are so often overlooked but deeply valuable. I plan to share what I’ve learned with classmates and peers, whether it’s helping someone prepare for their first internship, navigating cultural differences, or learning how to be a better communicator in global settings. Most of all, I want to encourage others to step outside of their comfort zones because that’s where real growth happens.