In this episode, I speak with Aarish Lakhani, DAAD RISE professional alumnus. RISE professional offers summer research internships in Germany to master's and PhD students at companies in non-university research institutions with strong relations to industry. Aarish is a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Illinois, and he participated in the program last year. Aarish shares his experience with the program at Fraunhofer Institute in Bremerhaven, working on wind energy projects, creating a deep learning model for wind turbine power production. He highlights the cultural differences between Germany and the US and the importance of learning German and the benefits of the RISE program for his career. He also emphasizes the value of persistence and the impact of international experience on future opportunities. On a personal note, he shares one of his favorite activities, walking the 40 minutes back home past blackberry bushes and filling his lunchbox with the fruits of late summer. Have a listen! A transcript of this conversation is available on www.daad.org.