Ellen Salpietro, an Australian systems engineer at Boeing Australia, described how her full‑time MBA at ESMT Berlin broadened her perspective on deep‑tech, robotics and international innovation ecosystems. Salpietro said the program validated her cross‑cultural assumptions and expanded career opportunities, while also describing personal challenges transitioning far from family and support networks. She highlighted the value of school services—orientation, housing help and structured advising—in navigating administrative and cultural differences, and detailed tactics such as scheduled calls and voice notes to manage distance from home. For international MBA directors, Salpietro’s account underscores the importance of robust onboarding and immigrant‑focused student services to sustain cohorts drawn from global engineers and deep‑tech professionals.