Akiyah Smith took a leap of faith when the opportunity for an international internship arose.
The senior engineering technology major from Washington D.C., who is graduating in December, jumped at the chance to take part in a 10-week summer practicum with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nearly a world away in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
“That specific one just called out to me,” Smith said. “It was different, and me, personally, I don’t travel a lot so that was something I just kind of yearned for.”
Smith’s first time out of the country started with a flight and layover in Toronto, Canada, before embarking to South Korea on a 13-hour trek. Once Smith arrived there, she encountered a much different world than what she found stateside.
“It was very different,” she said. “There were a lot of signs I didn’t understand (because of the language) and I often had to use Google Maps or Google Translate, but I wasn’t nervous or anything like that. I was very excited to start a new chapter in my life. If you apply yourself, you never know what might come your way.”
During her internship, Smith was in the role of an engineering technician, which allowed her to shadow the engineers in four divisions – construction, Geotech, project management, and engineering design. Of all the divisions, the construction aspect was her favorite.
“It was so much more hands-on… you got to actually got to see what the contractors were doing with the building,” she said. “I liked being able to be on-site and seeing the end product.”
While Monday through Friday were the work days, the weekends allowed Smith to voyage out and get a greater glimpse of South Korean culture.
“The culture out there is very different,” she said. “On the trains, you’re not supposed to talk. They have Wi-Fi on the trains, so everybody’s on their phones. (Compared to) D.C., you can have a whole conversation and be loud, and have a regular conversation with your friends. You have to adjust to your environment.”
Smith said her trip to South Korea was a transformative one as it not only allowed her to experience new things but also gave her a personal and career-centric revelation.
“My goal is to get back to (South Korea). The (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) have branches everywhere, but the one place that fits me, I feel, is Korea,” she said. “I feel like I came in as one way and I’m not that person anymore. I came out a better person.”
