Business school student interns at Center for European and German Studies
Photo: Mariana Haupenthal
Lea Fischer, 22, a native of Bassum, a small town in Germany, is at PUCRS for a second academic semester. The academic mobility student has classes at the Business School and has been doing an internship at the Center for European and German Studies (CDEA) since Aug 2017.
Lea came from Hoschschule Bremen (City University of Applied Sciences) as an International Studies of Global Management major. She is required by her home institution to choose a country of destination and the courses mostly have to address issues concerning emerging countries. Each student must choose a specific region in their 5th semester and do a mandatory internship in that specific country.
Brazil as a country of destination
Lea choose to come to Brazil because she had lived here before as a school student. As a Rotary International grantee, from 2012/2013, she went to Londrina (PR) and has since had a strong connection with the country. “During my first exchange in Brazil, I was so insecure. I didn’t know if I was going to adapt”, says she. However, she had such positive experiences that she decided to return. “No wonder the Brazilian culture is very different from mine, but I learned to understand it and appreciate it. That’s why when I was choosing my major, I chose one that would give me the opportunity to come back”, reports she.
As a student, the most striking difference between Brazil and Germany relates to how people lead their lives. “Brazilians value family and friends a lot. The country has taught me that we need to give more value to the time spent with our loved ones and live our lives in a more lighthearted way”, complements she.
Academic and professional opportunity
PUCRS professors played a very important role in motivating Lea to choose the university as they had visited Porto Alegre before and highly recommended it. “Besides, the fact that PUCRS offers courses related to my major, and this complements my studies in Germany, has helped me make my decision”, comments she.
On the other hand, the opportunity to do an internship at CDEA came after she met Dr Draiton Gonzaga de Souza, the center’s Vice President and School of Humanities professor, by chance, as she was speaking German around campus. The aforementioned center seeks to strengthen the academic cooperation between Brazil and Germany in the areas of teaching, research and information.
After they met, the student was invited to join CDEA events at the University, and was introduced to the project’s coordinator at PUCRS, Dr Cristiane Krause Kilian. “As I was looking for an internship, I was offered an opportunity there”, says Lea.
So far, the experience has been good. In her opinion, the internship has provided her with lots of learning opportunities, especially when it comes to everyday life in the workplace in Brazil. “My manager is very open to me and makes me feel part of CDEA”, comments she.
Future plans
Fischer claims that Brazil is very important for the German economy and many companies are looking for professionals who know the Latin American giant and who can speak Portuguese fluently. Hence, Lea believes that the things she does and sees at PUCRS will have a positive impact on her career.
“I dream to work in a German or any other international company in Brazil. I’m sure that my exchange at PUCRS and my internship at CDEA will make me achieve this goal”, says she.
As for academic mobility, Lea has a positive attitude to it. “I’ve met incredible people, I’ve seen amazing things and I’ve been learning a lot every day. I won’t hesitate to recommend international students to take their chances on this opportunity and come to PUCRS”, says she.
