Summer Adventure Series: Ambassador Shoshana spent her Summer in Cape Town, South Africa

For October, we ask our ambassadors how they spent this past summer. This week Shoshana takes us across the ocean to her experience at Eventerprise, a startup where she developed her design skills.

By Shoshana Swell '20, Information Science and Performing and Media Arts

My name is Shoshana Swell. I am a Junior in The College of Arts and Sciences, double majoring in Information Science and Performing and Arts. This past summer, I traveled 8,000 miles to live in Cape Town, South Africa. My time there was an experience I'll treasure forever. I have always been passionate about the intersection between visual storytelling and human-computer interaction to generate positive social change. I believe the best way to grow as an individual, creator, and as a student is to push yourself in unknown and new situations. This past summer, these interests led me on an adventure to Cape Town, South Africa.

Mission 1: Find a way to get there In February 2018, I found a job posting at a tech-startup called Eventerprise located in Cape Town, South Africa and accepted the offer to travel and work for this emerging company. After receiving the job, I had to find a means to gather money for travel and expenses. I applied for and was a recipient of the Summer Experience Grant. This grant helped fund my entire trip including airfare, accommodation, and food. Mission 2: Blastoff to Cape Town A week after I finished finals, I flew to my new home in Cape Town. I left with my passport, a suitcase, a housing agreement and not much else. Leaving the United States with no connections in Cape Town and many uncertainties, I embraced the new risks and explored the world beyond my comfort zone. Twenty-four hours later my plane landed; Cape Town International Airport welcomed me and my journey began.

Mission 3: Making Cape Town my new home Cape Town, 8,000 miles from my New York home, at first, unsettled me. The realization that I'd be spending the next few months in a vastly different country hit me all at once. Quickly, though, my shock turned from excitement to elation. I moved into a student-living space in Observatory — a small town outside of Cape Town —full of international interns and local students.  I built lifetime friendships with students now living full-time in Cape Town, and others who moved across the world to London and Singapore.

Mission 4: Internship I worked as a User Experience and Videography Intern to solve problems through design, to improve the digital platform’s features and to enhance user experience. During my time there, I was the only American and was surrounded by international interns from various countries in Europe, Singapore and South Africa. I not only developed my design skills each day at work, I also learned about new cultures and distinct experiences.

Outside of my internship, I attended local entrepreneurial events, such as the Amazon AWS Summit and an event about robotics in Africa. I learned about the intersection of AWS products and local innovators to generate products and new technology. I also had the opportunity to explore innovative ideas to improve rider safety in Cape Town Ubers, by designing a new Uber safety feature. You can read more about my case study and research here.

Mission 5: Adventure Some people like to walk around, but I like to dance! Check out my video I made dancing with new friends at all the places we visited in Cape Town. Between dance moves, I went swimming with sharks! I went Great White Shark Cage Diving and made it out alive! While inside the cage, multiple Great White Sharks nearly brushed my cheek. I wasn't scared, only exhilarated.

South Africa is known for its shark filled waters. After being up close to one, I tried the odds in the open water. I found my favorite surf spot at Muizenberg Beach. One time, I was on a wave and spotted a seal ride it with me. I rented a board and a wet suit on the weekends and surfed (read: wiped out) a lot. Another weekend, I traveled along the Garden Route. The Garden Route is a journey that stretches from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape. With 12 friends, I packed up and headed on a five hour road trip outside of Cape Town. Along the way, we fed elephants and hung out with penguins!

I made animal friends, too!

Mission 6: The Future My experience in Cape Town exceeded my every expectation. If you have the opportunity to travel 8,000 miles away from home during your time at Cornell, take the risk! As for the future, this summer I will be working at Facebook as a Product Design Intern. I look forward to exploring more of the Design industry in the years to come. If you have any questions about my experience, or if you would like to learn more, reach out to me! ses372@cornell.edu