Testimonials

I was a member of the team that represented the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca at the X th edition of the Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition, Seattle. I graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering (CCIA) of the Technical University. Afterwards I continued my academic studies at the Politecnico di Milano University with the Master of Architectural Engineering, which I graduated in October 2015. The choice of this mastership was largely influenced by the competition I participated in. Being part of a team of engineers and architects, I had the opportunity to experience inter-disciplinary work and understand how important it is for the relationship between these professionals to work to have a successful project. After this experience, I wanted to broaden my area of ​​knowledge in the field of architecture, so I chose a master that combines engineering and architecture. The experience gained during this competition has been very useful in the two years of master. Teamwork, interaction with various professionals from all corners of the world, the design process, from the early stages of concepts to the final stage represented by physical models and posters, are just a few elements that I have experienced during the master and with whom I was already familiar since the competition. The SDC was not a simple competition to take part in, it was a challenge considering the entire process, starting with the design and construction of a complex layout and finding sponsors that allow us to carry it over the ocean.

I was selected to be the team captain who represented the Technical University of Cluj Napoca at the 10th edition of the "Seismic Design Competition" contest held in Seattle, USA. This contest has opened new horizons for me and has influenced my decision to go abroad to study. After graduating from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, I applied to the "Politecnico di Milano" University for the "Civil Engineering for Risk Mitigation" Master, where I am currently a student in the last semester. During the preparation for the contest I realized how difficult it is first and foremost to work in a team and how important communication is. During the faculty, there was not a lot of emphasis on this "teamwork" and for me it was the first experience of this kind. Another important issue has been to solve the various challenges that have arisen, namely: organizational problems, such as preparing documents for sponsorship and very tight deadlines. Perhaps the hardest thing I had to do was to motivate my teammates to work harder, to get more passion to get the best results, but to the end of the contest I was no longer a team but more rather a family, thanks to the coordinators who have been very involved and were by our side. The opportunity to represent university at such an international competition gives you unimaginable feelings. After three years I still remember the experience and the pleasant memories I have with my teammates, starting with sleepless nights working at college and up to the Seattle awards ceremony, in short was an unforgettable experience.