When Carlos Schwarck of Caracas, Venezuela chose KFUPM to study his master’s degree, he knew he was making the right choice.

“My country, as well as Saudi Arabia, is truly blessed to have plenty of natural resources, like oil, gas, and minerals,” said Schwarck. “I heard about great scholarship opportunities in Saudi Arabia that allow me to explore research that matches my goals as a geoscientist, especially coming from an oil-dependent country.”

Schwarck began his mineral studies graduate work in January 2024. His research, which is focused in the southwest of Saudi near Taif, is part of the Kingdom’s goal of diversifying economic sectors by exploring the nation’s rich mineral resources.

“Here at the College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences we have a lot of toys,” he said with a smile. “We have state-of-the-art facilities with cutting-edge technology and I’m really proud to say this because it’s not easy to access this kind of equipment elsewhere, as it’s really expensive.”

He said he didn’t have the same opportunities to work with similar technology back in Venezuela, and is grateful to do so at KFUPM.

“I was looking for opportunities that would allow me to specialize my studies in geophysics applied to mineral exploration,” he said. “Once I knew about the impactful transformations happening at KFUPM, the fact that the University has many programs in the top 100 globally, it was a straightforward decision that I am proud to have made.”

He said the transition from South America to the Middle East was easy.

For Schwarck, coming to KFUPM means being part of something bigger than mere academics. He’s part of the University’s transformation to a culturally rich society. “Once you are here with so many colleagues and students, not only Saudi people, but people from more than 60 countries, you will enrich yourself and you will find more points of view,” he said, adding “This lifts you out of your comfort zone in order to get a full picture of the culture of Saudi Arabia.”

But even more important than cultural experiences, he said, is the vast support network he has found since his arrival.

“If you have a problem, or are struggling with something, you will always find people willing to help you, and those people are your colleagues, the academic faculty, the administrative staff, and the workers,” he said, adding the entire KFUPM community is living under the same umbrella of ‘explore, learn, and solve together.’

Although a busy graduate student, Schwarck said he makes time for exploring the world outside KFUPM.

“If you want to explore outside campus, visiting Dhahran, Dammam, and Al-Khobar is a must,” he said, adding he enjoys visiting shopping malls, going to the movie theatre, museum, or walking along the Corniche to enjoy the seaside views.