Achieving a Goal!

My first few weeks in Munich have been surreal. Diving headfirst into being on my own and out of the country for the first time was nerve-wracking but exciting. I applied for the overseas internship not as a program I had recently come to discover - it was one of my biggest goals I had set myself at the start of first year, to work hard and strive to reach. Fast forward two and a half years, I’m so extremely lucky and grateful to be here. 

What I expect from this internship is to be immersed in a professional work environment, and gain the necessary experience that starts my journey as a professional designer. Being my first time overseas and on my own, I expect to grow as a person, to step out of my comfort zone and lean in towards building life long relationships. 

Being the first to arrive in Munich out of the batch of interns, I thought it would be daunting navigating the works of Germany by myself, but it was quite the opposite. Tristan, an intern from the previous batch, made my Munich welcoming so stress free and fruitful, I couldn’t have been happier to have someone show me around. I was lucky enough to gain insight about the internship and Germany itself right before he left. 

My first few weeks at the internship have been nothing less than the best. I have found myself coming to work early and staying behind, immersing myself and advancing my skills in blender, lightroom and photoshop, whilst learning new software like Omniverse, after effects, and even some hardware, having access to a VR headset. 

There's so much to look forward to during my time in Munich. I look forward to learning new visualisation skills in blender, I look forward to exploring the culture of Germany with the other interns, and building professional and personal connections whilst here.

Riley Mackay-Dotta
BMW Group Design Intern, 2025