Engineering was recently awarded the Erasmus+ Scholarship and given the opportunity to participate in a student exchange programme abroad. She spent an academic semester at the Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Germany.
Whilst in Munich, and after successfully completing her exchange semester, Fanam took the opportunity to apply for a six-month internship at BMW in Munich, and she was successful. Her internship period at BMW comes to a completion at the end of May 2022.
Raised in a community of Wentworth that is plagued with many social ills, she believes it ignited the fire in her. She believes that her community gave her the drive and motivation to just simply want more out of life.
As a young girl she was always solving problems whether it was at home, school or with friends. She was elected head girl of her Primary School and student representative throughout her journey at DUT. Studying at DUT had forced her to grow not physically but mentally.
Explaining how she got the opportunity to go for the exchange programme, Fanam indicated that her department notified all students of the student exchange programme, commonly known as an Erasmus scholarship via email.
“All the students within my department had a fair opportunity of applying for it and being selected. All that was required was a good motivational letter along with a recent copy of our academic transcript. We were told this would be reviewed by a panel at DUT and the successful candidate would be contacted. To my great surprise of course this happened to be me. Thereafter my details were given to the Hochschule München University of Applied Science and the registration process began,” she said.
Being a student at the Hochschule München University of Applied Science, she had an option in the beginning of the semester to either livestream classes or attend in person which then completely moved to online as the number of COVID-19 cases increased rapidly.
When comparing her programmes from the Hochschule München University to the ones at DUT, she would say that the level of complexity is relatively the same however the workload seems to be more in Germany. “I would also like to add that they are very innovative with their style of teaching. One of my favourite things were participating in a simulation game for one of my marketing modules. It felt so real and the equipment they have in lecture rooms and laboratories are more updated and advanced than ours,” she added.
Luckily for Fanam, her programmes were all in English, so she did not face any language barriers.
“All the students at the university speak good English as well, but of course I am learning some Deutsch,” she stressed.
For Fanam this was also her first time travelling out of South Africa.
“I have only ever travelled to Johannesburg and Umtata to visit family. So, you can imagine the anxiety I had leaving South Africa for the first time, but of course there are no regrets,” she said.
Some of her highlights at the Hochschule München University were being able to interact with students from various countries and learning about different cultures. She also enjoyed the independence that came along with being a foreign student, like having to budget for her small household, her health, appearance, sightseeing and eating different cuisines.
The challenges she does face is the freezing cold temperatures.
“The cold still challenges me till this day, it also took me a while to come out of my shell and make friends. Being away from loved ones, you have days when you feel homesick and moments where you just long to be with family,” she expressed.
However, Fanam did mention that she loves the food and every week she encounters a different taste.
“Groceries are very affordable, and the quality is top-notch. I feel like I’m shopping at Woolworth’s every week,” she laughed.
For Fanam, one of her goals when moving to Germany was to work alongside some amazing German engineers as the country is well-known for dominating the engineering field.
“I asked around and was even told that it would be close to impossible to get an internship because I had no work experience, but nothing stopped me from job hunting. I wrote and submitted some good cover letters and kept on praying. A day after my birthday I received a call from one the managers at BMW, Munich, telling me that he was so impressed with my cover letter and grades, and he would love to give me an opportunity to put my knowledge gained to practice. In that moment I realised once again that nothing is impossible with the God we serve. I had my interview with the head of department and the manager and once again just being myself and well-prepared for questions left them impressed,” she beamed.
Fanam conveyed that she is working in the Proof Cubing department at the BMW Group, Munich, alongside many experienced, well-travelled and educated colleagues.
Her internship period is for six months.
“This all feels like a dream for me, every day I go to work humbled and completely grateful that I have this opportunity. I know it won’t be easy, but I will keep an open mind and a hard-working attitude towards every task handed to me no matter the size. I hope to grow as a young engineer and pray that this window of opportunity opens doors for me,” she relayed.
For Fanam, her career objective is to one day be an experienced, well-travelled and competent engineer that is of great value to her company and to society.
Her advice to aspiring engineer students is to go for it!
“When you want something and are truly deserving of it, nothing and no one can stand in your way. The journey is never easy but nothing worth having comes easy,” she imparted.
Fanam strongly believes that she would not be where she is today without the support of her community.
“I am humbled and completely grateful for my parents, my DUT community, my sponsor: ND Engineering and everyone that played a part in my journey and of course above all else, God, as nothing would be possible without him,” she said.
Pictured: Ashley Fanam
Waheeda Peters
