Hello, I am Kipras Belopetravicius and I was born in Kaunas, Lithuania in 1999. When I was just an infant, my mother won a green card and we moved to Chicago, Illinois where I have lived my entire life to this day. Currently, I am in my third year of studying Electrical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Valdas Adamkus himself graduated from this school during his time in the United States which fills me with pride. At the moment I am interning for Ignitis Group at their brand new Cogeneration Power Plant in Vilnius, Lithuania.
I chose to spend my Summer in Lithuania because I will always take any opportunity to spend some time in my homeland. More importantly, this is the first time I will actually be working as an active member of Lithuanian society instead of just visiting family during my summer vacations. I grew up as a huge Lithuanian patriot in Chicago as I have been a member of the Ateitininkai organization and Lithuanian choirs since my youngest years. Along with this, we uphold our Lithuanian identity at home by speaking almost exclusively Lithuanian, cooking and eating Lithuanian food, and celebrating holidays in a traditional way. I remember from my early childhood seeing the shadows of the Soviet Union still cast along Lithuania. Today, however, I can see just how rapidly Lithuania is advancing in terms of business, politics, and culture which fills me with infinite pride. I want to be able to hop on the ever-accelerating train and do my part to send Lithuania into a bright and prosperous future.
I chose to work at Ignitis Group as they are responsible for power generation and distribution in the country and as an Electrical Engineer, I have a particular interest in Power Engineering. The plant I currently work at, while fully operational, still has areas under construction and is considered to be the most modern cogeneration power plant in all of Europe at the moment. I am honored to be a part of such an advanced technological facility and to be able to provide such an essential service to hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians. The knowledge I gained has been invaluable as the projects I worked on required me to familiarize myself with all the pipes, valves, as well as every aspect of the power plant and how they interact with each other.
Bring Together Lithuania has so far been one of the most fun and professional experiences of my life. The program provides an unmatched ability to network with some of the most prominent figures in Lithuanian business, politics, and cultural society stemming from Presidents and Ministers to startups and youth groups. Through the various excursions and tours, we are able to explore the country and take in the abundant culture and history of our little nation. At Bring Together Lithuania, we work hard and we play hard, starting our days with internships and going to meetings with various politicians and business leaders, then ending them with sports, going to a beach or attending concerts in our free time. Along with this, the bonds made between group members become similar to a family and will more than likely expand far past our six weeks together.
