'Really excited:' UWM engineering students head to Taiwan with support from Foxconn

MILWAUKEE -- Students at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee will be hopping on a flight Friday night, Feb. 15 for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity thousands of miles away.  Students will not only get submersed in a different culture, but they'll set themselves up for a successful future -- thanks to a partnership between Foxconn and UWM.

"We won't be leaving before too long," said Liam Brodie, a UWM senior. "All ready to go!"

Foxconn UWM students sendoff

12 UW-Milwaukee students were ready to travel more than 7,000 miles across the world to Asia.

"I'm a little nervous for it because I don't know the language very well," said UWM senior Austin Wesner.

The students are the first to participate in a semester-long international engineering co-op in Taiwan.

Foxconn UWM students sendoff

"We're really excited for the opportunity for our students -- both the cultural experience as well as the technical expertise that they're going to gain," said Brett Peters of UWM's College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Austin Wesner

A sendoff ceremony was held Friday at Foxconn's North American headquarters downtown.

"I'd like to gain as much insight as to what engineering is inside of a different country," said Wesner.

Foxconn is bearing the bulk of the cost -- and UWM students hope it's a foot in the door come graduation time.

Liam Brodie

"Pretty much as soon as I heard about the program, I knew I needed to get involved," said Brodie.

As the nerves start to settle in, so does the excitement to experience engineering in a different  country.

"As a biomedical engineer, before I would have tried to end up in Chicago or something," said Wesner. "But now that this opportunity is here, I think it's incredible."

The students get back July 2nd. Organizers hope to continue the program next year with an even bigger group.

Foxconn UWM students sendoff