Erica Copenhaver
Class of 2020
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Erica Copenhaver, ’20, knew that at some point in her academic career she wanted to study abroad. As an Engineering student, Erica encourages her peers in the School of Engineering to plan ahead, as she started configuring her plan for study abroad as a first-year student. She understood that to achieve her goal, she would need to not only take summer courses, but also enroll in required courses early (or plan to take them later) before she embarked on her program.
In her Junior year, Erica embarked on the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA): Contemporary India program, a liberal arts based study abroad that is offered through the Global Education Office. She chose this program based off of her criteria of finding the perfect location, the requirement of living in a homestay, and the travel opportunities that would present themselves while living and learning in the region.
During her time in Pune, India, Erica joined 15 other students who participated in the program. Erica, knowing that she wanted a different experience for her time abroad, enrolled in courses that she would not have the opportunity to participate in on Vandy’s campus (Social Justice, Beginning Hindi, and Contemporary India). Each student was paired with another student and lived in a homestay with a local family, heightening the immersive component to the experience.
Passionate about prosthetics, mobility, and equitable access for those who require them, Erica located an internship with a Prosthetics Center housed in a large hospital in Pune. The center provided prosthetic limbs for people in need. She describes her experience as being invaluable for both her personal and professional growth. In her last month, Erica completed roughly 150 hours at the center. She surveyed patients, conducted research on prosthetics and biomechanics, and then completed a final paper based on her findings (which the Center utilized after her departure). When her time at the placement concluded, Erica was delighted to receive an offer from the center to return as a consultant upon her graduation at Vanderbilt. She says that she feels lucky to have found an internship opportunity that so closely aligns to the dreams she has for her future career.
The best advice Erica wants to give to her classmates planning a study abroad experience?
“Find comfort in ambiguity,” she says, “and don’t be tied to a structured plan.”
