This article is part of a series of interviews with MUDEC students who interned abroad in Spring 2020. Although COVID-19 cut short their study abroad experience, some internships were completed online.

MUDEC junior Hunter Friel majors in Mechanical Engineering. Friel was born in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Tell us a little bit about your internship in Luxembourg: where you interned, the location of your internship, what you did when you were there. Has your internship changed in any way since returning to the United States?

The internship that I was lucky enough to be a part of was with ArcelorMittal, a steel manufacturing corporation. It was located in one of their headquarter offices in Esch, the second-largest city in Luxembourg. Thankfully, the train ride there and back was quick and painless. When I was working, I would review the English of technical documents that were to be published. This includes marketing advertisements, engineering reports, and technical reviews. I had to ask my boss about the differences between British and American English everyday (What is a car park? You mean garage?).

Why did you want to intern with this company?

Originally, I wanted to intern with ArcelorMittal because they are known as the world's leading company in the production of steel. After being introduced to my supervisor, Franck Pichoff, I quickly realized how incredible of a work environment this would be. The people were the kindest, the work was extremely interesting, and I have never felt more welcomed.

Why did you want to intern while abroad?

Abroad, I did not have the option to take my mechanical engineering classes. I worked hard to get ahead in my major classes so that I could be a part of MUDEC this semester. The ability to intern at such an illustrious company was extremely valuable. I was able to take this semester to focus on my professional development.

Why did you choose to study abroad with MUDEC, and what were you looking forward to when you returned to the U.S.?

I chose to study abroad with MUDEC because I know that I will never again have the opportunity to tour Europe for 4 months after I join the workforce (it was a great 7 weeks, thanks Corona). As I return to the States, I am most excited for the basic things: Hot Cheetos, a mirror in my bathroom, and being government-quarantined.

What is a fun fact that most people don't know about you?

During a trip to Switzerland, paragliding with my friends, we witnessed a poor student nose dive into the cement below. Most people say that the worst thing that can happen in Europe is being pick-pocketed (shoutout Tory). Personally, I think that emergency dental work takes the prize. Putting this aside, this semester has been one that I will never forget thanks to MUDEC staff, ArcelorMittal, and my close friends.

Read more about the internships at ArcelorMittal in this recent post from the MUDEC LinkedIn page.