Peter Looft, '23, Mechanical Engineering

Back in 2018, Engineering student Peter Looft was a recipient of the Office of Global Engagement's annual Passport Day grant, which offers students the opportunity to apply for a fully funded passport if they had never received one before.

"It’s not cheap to get a passport and it is not a quick process either so that had always put a barrier for me in the past," writes Peter. "I had never been outside of the country before and studying abroad was something that really interested me so I thought this would be a great opportunity to get one.  I also thought this would help me through the process and make it a bit easier."

Not only did Peter receive his passport through the Office of Global Engagement, but he would eventually go onto participate in a study abroad exchange in the United Kingdom in the Fall of 2019. "My first international experience was actually studying abroad at the University of Sheffield which was one of the best experiences of my entire life! I also travelled a lot around Europe while I was there and visited a total of 10 different countries by the time I left including England, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Malta.  I met so many wonderful people while I was there and wouldn’t trade the experience for the world."

The University of Sheffield is known for its high-ranking Engineering programs, and provides a great deal of opportunity for STEM majors to go abroad. It also opened the door to Peter for a number of international experiences. Since going abroad, Peter writes, "I traveled to Spain to visit a friend from when I studied in Sheffield!  I also made a trip to Montreal for memorial day 2022.  More recently I did close to a month traveling around Europe again this time visiting Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, England, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland! On that trip I actually visited my friend from Sheffield again in Spain as well as 6 former exchange students who I met through working as a Study Abroad Ambassador."

Peter joined the Study Abroad Ambassador team in the Fall of 2021. The Study Abroad Student Ambassadors play a vital role in the study abroad team as they are a bridge between the office and the Drexel campus community.  These positions are an opportunity for study abroad returnees to share their experiences with prospective students. Peter served as a student ambassador through Winter of 2022, and is now preparing for a new chapter of international adventures after he graduates - including going abroad to Spain to serve as an English Language Assistant.

"Getting my passport through Passport Day opened up so many doors and my eyes to the world," writes Peter. "I can’t recommend taking advantage of the program more."

Interested in learning more about studying abroad, the Ambassador program, or other funding opportunities? Click on the links to find out.

All photos by Peter Looft.