What our students are saying
Interview with Donya Fakhravar, STEM graduate, currently Design Engineer at Global Water & Energy Group in the Netherlands
What’s your name, how old are you, and where are you from?
I am Donya Fakhravar, I am 30 years old an I am from Iran.
Which University did you graduate from before joining Unibo?
University of Tehran, Iran.
Why did you choose Chemical Engineering, and STEM in particular?
I did my bachelor in chemical engineering and I wanted to stay in the same field but make it broader. STEM gave me the chance to keep being a chemical engineer and make my knowledge wider in Environmental aspects which was my favorite specialization. Besides, I needed a scholarship to fund my education and I could fit into criteria for Unibo action II that could cover my whole expenses.
Have you been abroad during you studies at UniBo? Tell us about it.
I did my master thesis in TU Delf in Netherlands via Erasmus+. My thesis was in the field of safety and security and I managed to publish a paper out of it.
Name 3 adjectives to define your experience at UniBo.
Unique, antique and young!
What was the most interesting subject?
The most interesting subject was biotechnology courses but transport phenomena remained my favorite.
Did you make new friends? Did you enjoy your free time, and feel at ease in Bologna?
I made many friends. I had the best time in Bologna. It was one of the pleasant cities for student life that I have ever seen. The only difficulty is accommodation, it can take a while to find one!
How was your relationship with the Professors and the staff of UniBo?
I never had a problem with staff and professors except one time from a professor that I guess managed to make everyone cry at least once! beside sthat everybody in staff and faculty were nice and supportive.
What would you suggest to a student that is about to apply for a University Program? Would you recommend this Curriculum ?
I already recommended to many!
Was it easy to find a job?
I moved to Netherlands after my graduation because my boyfriend (a unibo Alumni as well) found a very good opportunity there. Honestly it took a while to find a job and I guess mainly because of the language barrier. I did another internship in TU Delft in the field of wastewater treatment. The internship together my degree from Unibo helped me to find a job that almost 100% matches my backgrounds and interests in the field of wastewater treatment and biogas production.
What are you doing now, and are you applying the knowledge acquired at UniBo?
I am one of the few lucky people in the world who work almost 100% in accordance to my education. I am a basic design engineer in a company that build wastewater treatment plants for industries (mainly food industries). I do use my knowledge acquired at UniBo. I even check my notes and text books from my studies!
Can you tell us something in your mother tongue about STEM?
دروازه ایی به دنیایی جدید و بزرگ