Deborah Moreno: “CIEE Berlin introduced me to many people who helped make the experience better and with whom I have been able to explore and try new things”

We love to hear about the experience of our students who, in addition to studying, do their internships in Berlin. This is the case of Deborah Moreno, one of our Open Campus students for the Fall 2024 semester! She is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, and lives and studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a major in Industrial Engineering with a concentration in Consulting. Deborah also interned during Block II at a startup called Get2Germany working as a Business Development Intern. Definitely a challenging and interesting experience. 

According to the research “Standing out in a competitive market: The impact of a global internship on career readiness” done by CIEE and IIE, 81% of internship survey respondents indicated that participation in a global internship supported their development of a wide range of job skills relevant to their professional and academic journeys. Furthermore, three in four alumni confirmed that participating in an internship abroad was helpful in acquiring their first full-time job.

Here Deborah tells us more!

• Could you tell us more about your experience in Berlin so far?

I came to Berlin with very few expectations of the city and its culture since I hadn’t researched what people like to do here and what popular activities are. I think that allowed me to discover it on my own. 

During the warmer months, I made sure to explore the city as much as I could; I tried different foods, visited different neighbourhood’s, and started to warm up to Berlin. 

CIEE Berlin introduced me to many people who helped make the experience better and with whom I have been able to explore and try new things. Now that it’s colder, it’s getting darker earlier in the day, which isn’t the best weather to explore the city, but I have seen many Christmas Markets starting to open or about to open, which I’m looking forward to in Block III.

• What has been the best moment/experience?

One of the best experiences was the overnight excursion we did with CIEE to Dresden. We had private tours, catered traditional German dinners, and other cool experiences we could choose from the next morning. I also was able to buy last minute tickets to the Dresden Opera House which was incredibly impactful, both the performance and the venue.

• What would you tell a student that is thinking on studying abroad, some advice?

I would probably say to take the chance. It may not be the experience you expected, but it can surprise you in many ways. The people you meet, the foods you get to try, who you see walking outside, and even conversations you hear walking down the street are filled with so many details about a culture different than our own, and I think it’s a very productive experience. You get to explore who you are and what you like outside the context of your bubble at home with your friends and family.

• Can you tell us more about the internship you are doing, and which is your role there?

My internship was with a very new startup here in Berlin called Get2Germany working as a Business Development Intern. I would work between 17-20 hours a week and the schedule can be arranged between the supervisor and intern (they are usually very flexible!). Their office space is at the Freie Universität Berlin in Dahlem dedicated to startups and small businesses with certain perks for entrepreneurs. My role encompassed different projects, at first, I helped oversee a financial plan for the next fiscal year to apply for a grant (using mostly Excel). Later, I developed a white paper analyzing a potential market entry they had begun to research. I included a competitor analysis, a detailed overview of the recognition process for healthcare professionals in Germany, and other important sections. It was mostly independent work, but I would consult with my supervisor whenever I needed clarification or guidance. I presented my research to the team of co-founders and had productive discussions about my progress.

 How has the experience to work in other country/culture been and which would be the main challenges/ opportunities?

The experience is very unique. The team I worked with had previous interns who are international, and startup teams are usually composed of international coworkers. However, in my case most of them spoke German and would do so amongst themselves in the office. Thankfully, I have some German knowledge and could participate in the conversation occasionally, but I could understand how those who don’t speak German could feel in this context. Despite this, the team very welcoming, friendly, and interested in my work and contributions to their projects.  At the end of the day, it’s important to know that it’s not personal. For my supervisor at least, English wasn’t his first language, so he felt more comfortable speaking in German and translating documents into German. It’s a matter of adapting and working with others’ preferences as they do with you. However, I am very interested in entrepreneurship and was exposed to it through their pitch decks, investor meetings, grant applications, financial planning, and mere discussions in the office. So, a big opportunity in this context would be to work with a team that meets your career interests beyond what you learn in school.