Participating Year: 2006–2007
City Abroad: New York, NY
Company Abroad: Siemens Transportation Systems, Inc.
Home University: Sugenheim, Germany

“CDS’s orientation for all the new interns was helpful because it explained how to get started in the U.S., for example, how to open a bank account or get a Social Security Number. CDS made clear that they were there to help us throughout our stay in America, especially if we had problems with our internship or our host company. In the first days when you don’t know anybody yet, it’s a good feeling to know somebody who you could contact. The training program also offers a lot of free time activities for the interns, like visiting baseball games, ice hockey games, or football games. This was a good opportunity to get to know other interns from different companies.

“I learned a lot and gained a lot of professional experience as well as more self-confidence. […] I could get along very well with the work and that gave me more faith in myself. I am not afraid to apply for jobs with new topics anymore, because I know that I can learn it if I want to. The job in an international work environment gave me the chance to get to know different cultures and lifestyles and to broaden my mind. All these things extend my soft skills which can help me in my future, both professionally and personally.”

Participating Year: 2006
City Abroad: Indianapolis, IN
Company Abroad: Hellmann Worldwide Logistics Inc.
Home Town: Kristiinankaupunki, Finland

“This period of my life has given me more than any other 6 months in my life. It has taught me about life, business, and cooperation with international people. I can say that I look at the world differently now. I am more self confident, and have better social and professional skills.”

Participating Year: 2006
City Abroad: Columbus, OH
Company Abroad: Hirschvogel Inc.
Home Town: Frickenhausen, Germany

“It was a great experience for me to learn about the American way of living and way of working. I am convinced that my knowledge about U.S. culture and behavior could be really helpful for future business connections.”

Title: International Co-op Coordinator
City: Ontario, Canada
Company Abroad: University of Waterloo

“Our students are eager to get hand-on experience with global leaders in their field of study and the U.S. is home to many of the biggest names in business. Our students return from these work terms with top notch experience, a greater appreciation for American business norms, and an appetite for continued global exposure.”

Title: Director
City Abroad: New York, NY
Company: Citigroup

“After two weeks of training, we place our interns into one of our branch locations, and they immediately become contributing members of the financial center. Whether it’s making office visits to foreign Missions at the U.N. or advising U.S. clients about the array of Citigroup’s global financial services, our interns have been able to draw on their past experience and global knowledge to provide quality service for our customers.”