Meet the students

Undergraduate Panama

Andrea Carolina Parra Choy

UniversityNational Taiwan University

MajorMechanical engineering


“Taiwan has so much to explore, taste, discover, that without an open mind would be impossible to try and a waste having around.”

I came to Taiwan to learn traditional Chinese and pursue my degree in Mechanical Engineering. Taiwan offered me the exposure to a different culture that I was looking for along with a safe and highly organized environment and a very polite and respectful society that has allowed me to feel comfortable living here for nearly 5 years.

I have learned so much from this country in terms of caring for the environment, efficiency, being independent and open minded. Taiwan is like no other place so resetting your mindset is necessary when coming to such a different country. There is so much to explore, taste, discover, that without an open mind would be impossible to try and a waste having around. People are so nice and caring but sometimes very shy so, as foreigners, we need to be able to break the ice between us and Taiwanese so that we can make friends and get to know them better.

“NTU is full of geniuses and super talented students that also enjoy participating in numerous clubs.”

The language barrier makes one the biggest challenges that we must overcome to interact with people and perform well in our subjects. It is important to keep in mind that as we live by ourselves, we need to manage our time very well to be able to fulfill our academic responsibilities and cope with the other aspects of life (social, house chores, etc.).

The university I go to, National Taiwan University is in the heart of the capital city, Taipei. The campus is beautiful, spacious and always lively with people coming and going. NTU is full of geniuses and super talented students that also enjoy participating in numerous clubs that range from sports and music to volunteering and astronomy. It is mandatory to study hard and commit to each’s responsibilities to be able to fulfill the requirements for graduation on time.

After graduation, I would love to stay in Taiwan but I am also open to keep on traveling and gain some working experience to later on pursue a master degree.