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"I'm surrounded by coconuts, and you learn a lot from these people."

The former student Luis Alarcón is doing his project Master's Thesis at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

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Luis Alarcón next to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. PHOTO: Courtesy
03/12/18 16:47 Communication Service

project The former student Luis Alarcón is carrying out his End of Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). It is a 'National Lab' of the department of Energy of the United States that is linked to Stanford University and has a large particle accelerator that makes it very famous "and attractive to work in it", as Alarcón recognizes. "There are many lines of research here and I am at department of Mechanical Engineering," he adds.

Luis arrived in the USA at the beginning of September and will return to Spain in May. "On my return I will have to defend the project at Tecnun", says this former student of the School, who is delighted to be able to work in such a prestigious center. "It's very curious that everything here is given acronyms. At the first meeting with my working group, they started to talk using so many acronyms that I just wrote them down and then looked up what they were; I didn't understand anything," he recalls with amusement. 

As for the differences he has found between living in San Francisco and San Sebastian, Luis is clear. It has been neither the facilities nor the research: "What has surprised me most is the rain, it hasn't rained since I arrived", exclaims the young man from Cordoba. "It's true that in Cordoba it was the same, but so much time in San Sebastian made me forget that it doesn't rain all over the world", he exclaims with laughter. 

"Also, people are super independent and for me, who am the opposite, that's what struck me the most. For example, here it is normal to eat looking at the computer, while at Tecnun we waited to go to cafeteria and be there for at least an hour eating and talking to whoever." 

However, like Tecnun, Stanford is also home to thousands of activities from all over subject. Here, sports are promoted a lot and it is very typical to meet up to watch a soccer, soccer or basketball game... It is part of the culture," explains Alarcón. It's part of the culture," explains Alarcón. 

Another thing that has struck him is that volunteer activities is not promoted as much. "Yes you can sign up to clean parks and things like that, but at Tecnun I used to go to ASPACE and I looked for something similar when I arrived, without much success. In the end I found some little nuns from Mother Teresa who have a house in San Francisco and do great work."

Luis is delighted with his American experience. "Since I arrived, every day I have had the opportunity to excel in something new." The language and the job have been his biggest challenges. "This is my first job and it's also the first time I've lived outside of Spain for so long," so it's a double challenge. In addition, he considers it very positive to be able to be at one of the best universities in the world. "That is highly valued professionally, and I have the opportunity to work with people who have a lot of experience." Alarcón recognizes that he learns from everything; from the way of intervening in meetings, preparing them, drawing conclusions, etc.

"Silicon Valley is the area of startups. Every time I go out for a beer I meet someone new who has a story to tell. I'm surrounded by coconuts, and you learn a lot from these people," explains this Alumni Tecnun, who says that the experience is helping him mature in different aspects of his life.

Finally, Luis does not forget the School. "I am here thanks to the opportunity given to me by Tecnun. I would never have achieved something like this on my own, so I am very grateful. And if I'm doing this well, it's thanks to my family, friends and teachers, who never stop supporting me for a moment, even though we are nine hours apart," concludes Alarcón.

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