Top Engineering Student: Ramón Rodrigáñez

Over the past couple of decades it is becoming more and more common for young engineering students to study and/or work abroad. The experience of moving to another country can be nerve-racking, overwhelming or frightening; perhaps all at once. However, the feeling that hits you after getting out your comfort zone and not only succeeding but also having fun while doing it is priceless. Today we wanted to share the story of Ramón Rodrigáñez, a second year master's degree student at ICAI that is currently taking  M.S. Management Science & Engineering at Columbia University. He obtained a Fulbright Scholarship and a Scholarship from the Spanish National Association of Engineers of ICAI. Ramón wanted to study in the US and, during his second year at École Centrale Paris, he felt inspired by his French peers that were applying to some first class American colleges such as MIT, Stanford, Columbia or Berkeley. He applied for scholarships at La Caixa and Fullbright programmes and after a long process of asking for recommendation letters and doing interviews, he got both thanks to his unique approach and entrepreneurial spirit. He opted for the Fullbright Scholar program and ended up studying at Columbia University, in the heart of Manhattan, NYC. The economic support he obtained from the Spanish National Association of Engineers of ICAI allowed him to pay for the rest of the program and moved to New York City. Classes started on August 18th and he felt very welcomed by his master's and Department members (IEOR, Industrial Engineering & Operations Research). They have started preparing one of the key subjects of the master's: Operations Consulting. He will work part time with consultants in three simultaneous projects for three companies, one specialized in financial services, one operations consultancy and a startup focused on logistics. Ramón is a great example of a young engineer who took his chances and finally took control of his academic career. Hopefully you will find this story inspiring and realize that limits are relative, and that hard work and determination pays off. Check out our challenge!