Alexander Hirsch is a Robotics Engineering major at UC Riverside spending a full academic year at Lund University in Sweden. Inspired early by stories of his father’s own study abroad experience, he has long viewed international immersion as a path to deeper personal and intellectual growth. At UCR, Alexander has thrown himself into hands-on engineering: contributing to a patent-pending roof-locking mechanism at HexHomes, refining the accumulator and drivetrain systems for Highlander Racing’s Formula SAE team, and collaborating with peers from around the world at the Taipei Tech International Robotics Competition. Drawn to Sweden’s global leadership in robotics and sustainability, Alexander chose Lund for its cutting-edge research environment and its culture of balance, community, and innovation. Since arriving in August, he has embraced Swedish life—from passing his language orientation course to joining Lund’s engineering “guild” and adopting the bright-colored overalls worn proudly by students in each technical discipline. He has also discovered the joy of fika, the Swedish tradition of pausing for coffee, cake, and conversation, and sees these daily rhythms as part of what makes the university community so welcoming. Academically, Alexander is energized by the rigor and pace of his courses, which emphasize immediate hands-on work. He is already designing and soldering his own boards for a lab project and is excited to dive deeper into robotics research over the coming months. Whether learning Swedish, navigating new academic expectations, or adapting to life in a northern climate, he sees every challenge as part of the growth he sought when he applied. Alexander hopes his time in Sweden will shape not only the kind of engineer he becomes, but the kind of global citizen he aspires to be—one committed to innovative, sustainable, and human-centered design.