Dear Graduate Program X selection committee,
Before I can even remember, I realized I saw life through a different lens. Whether lifting my eyes to glimpse the soaring beauty of the Aya Sophia or humbled by the stark wonder of Cappadocia, I realized I saw the world as designed creations of humans and nature. It is through this lens that I see design being the creation of meaningful solutions in the world that surrounds us.
My passion for design started in early adolescence. I became fully aware of this passion during high school. After graduation it motivated my choice to study in the United States. The thought of staring at that Chicago studio room that I would call home for several years evoked a sense of loneliness unlike I had ever known. However, this only strengthened my resolve.
The complex of the Art Institute of Chicago represented the greatest in talent, creativity and visionary thought, as well as the certainty that studying Industrial Design there would an unparalleled educational experience. As I discovered the outside structural landmarks of the Windy City, I knew I was changing inside. I later transferred to California College of the Arts in San Francisco, from where I graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts (with specialty in Industrial Design). And I am currently pursuing Software Engineering night courses, building programming skills for designing interactive websites and receiving a certification for HTML, Python, JavaScript and jQuery. With each tool acquired, I feel a progressive imagination being stimulated and shaped in the process of becoming the designer who I aspire to be.
Eager to be professionally involved, I soon immersed myself in working as an Industrial Designer as well as a Visual Designer for companies in Turkey, the Czech Republic, and the United States. The opportunity to apply academic knowledge directly in the field was complemented by my strengthened abilities to work with international teams. In this same process I have learned to effectively interact with people in different disciplines central to the welfare of an ongoing project. I am now able to customize my communicative input for designer or engineering patterns; and I am able to build productive work relations and achieve project goals. At the same time, I have acquired a strong expertise in using specialized software systems for translating organizational needs into functional and appealing products. The holism of industrial design intrigued and challenged me in new ways on a daily basis. Meeting these challenges has allowed me toachieve my goal of raising my skill sets to highest levels.
Attending X, one of the top universities in the country, reminds me every day that my journey from a small town in Turkey has prepared me for a world class career in the field that has been my passion for more than half my life. As such, taking this next step with confidence would represent going beyond what I had ever hoped to achieve.
Sincerely,
