Max Le Moine, fourth-year industrial design student, recently returned home after a summer internship with Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, Colombia. During his time there, Max designed an origami-inspired folding wheelchair ramp, an innovative and accessible solution to provide greater freedom for disabled folks.
Max’s experience with living in Colombia
“It was a pleasure to live in Colombia for three months and really immerse myself in the beautiful Latin American culture. Going down, I have heard great things about the country but I had a new understanding and appreciation for the culture and history. Throughout my travels, I got the chance to learn about Colombia’s history which was SO INTERESTING – and I’m not normally a history buff.
Another great opportunity I had was really getting to learn Spanish! I went from barely speaking to being comfortable in (simple) conversations making me more confident in my language skills. Living and traveling in Colombia was a life-altering experience.”
Max’s Project
“As an Industrial Design student, it was extremely beneficial for me to work with Universidad EAFIT’s engineering department. This had me focus on the technical and art side of design through the exploration of Origami which is important.
During the project, I had the opportunity to explore my interests (Accessible/Inclusive design) which resulted in a product that I’m very proud of! Working with the university, I also was taught how to use research to inform my design process which was really interesting. Working with Universidad EAFIT was definitely beneficial for my career path.”
For more information on his project, please see Max’s website.
Check out Universidad EAFIT’s video about Max and his coworker’s experience in Colombia.
This internship was made possible by Global Skills Opportunity.