I chose to participate in the GTL program having already spent a year in France as part of an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degree. The opportunity to spend another year in France as part of my graduate studies was too appealing to pass up, and, in fact, played a part in my decision to attend Georgia Tech for graduate school. The time spent studying in Metz made for a unique and almost intimate environment, since there were relatively few students in each class- this promoted relationships both among the students and with the faculty.

Some of my classmates from GTL are still among my best friends today (of both French and American nationalities), and we have an annual mini-reunion every year. The time I spent at GTL and ENSAM in Paris have also contributed to my career- living and working with students and faculty of other nationalities have uniquely prepared me for a career in which maintaining international working relationships is a major requirement.

Since graduating from Georgia Tech in 2000 I have worked for Schlumberger, an international oilfield services company. Schlumberger is an extremely diverse company, and I find that I utilize the skills developed working and living abroad frequently in the professional environment.