PERSONAL STATEMENT
Personal statement
My academic life has been as impassioned as my personal life. I have been a student with keen interest with scientific curiosity since my days in primary school. I have been able to satisfy this curiosity through diligent study of mathematics and the sciences, especially physics. Due to this intellectual ability, I always desired to engage in academic pursuits especially with regard to physics. I am certainly going to build on my wealth of exposure in my line of study, which would give an advantage to me when looking for a job.
It was therefore my pleasure to have received the Gilman scholarship. I am cognizant of the fact that such a great opportunity is not to be taken for granted. The fact that I got an opportunity at all to be able to study abroad meant a lot of things to me. First, I have the opportunity to fulfill my intellectual passion to study engineering, having desired throughout my academic life to fulfill my interest in the pure sciences. I would like to become a scientist and provide a solution to the many engineering challenges in our country today.
Further, I would want to be a role model to those who wish to pursue such a course. Many students with my background wish to achieve success in their lives, but it has constantly remained a challenge.
Secondly, my unique family background, though not exactly a disadvantage, presents medley of circumstances that I have to unravel. The fact that I am a first generation college entrant in my family tree means that I not only have to meet a myriad challenges, but also be able to provide leadership and a solution to the many problems that are inherent in our family. My parents have responsibilities with other children, and the income that they are earning is less than what is sufficient to cater for family needs.
Scholarship to overseas countries has always been awarded to students pursuing particular arts courses. However, I have obtained studentship with a Chinese college and therefore I will have to learn the Chinese language. This is not easy, but I would request for an additional grant to cover for the expenses of studying Chinese. Learning a new language can be both interesting and challenging, and I am determined to triumph over it in order to be able to give me ease in communication with the lecturers and fellow students.
Many factors informed my choice of the preferred country of scholarship. First, the Chinese have made great strides in the issue of renewable energy, making use of wind-power as an alternative source of energy. There is a lot of innovation that is currently underway in the Chinese energy and engineering sector that offers an important exposure to foreigners. Secondly, China is a country of great aesthetic endowment and so it will be a great opportunity for me.
The timing of this scholarship fits my study programs well. I have summer vacation in my course which I will be using to attend this study. I would be home otherwise, and run jobs to earn income for the next semester, but the opportunity cost of grabbing this chance for studies is greater. I always spend my summer holidays in the neighborhood companies to secure some chores, and generally this usually gives me the pocket money to fill the financial gap that remains due to insufficient support from parents.
The two courses that I would undertake are’ green, global and sustainability’ and ‘renewable energy’. As of now, the world stands challenged to offer alternative means of providing energy to power its industries, with the current pollution rate from industrial effluent and gases having reached unfathomable levels. This means that the focus of technology in the future should not just be on how to make life more convenient and comfortable even at the cost of the environment. Rather, scientists should offer solutions for use of renewable energy. There is a great untapped potential in renewable energy sources. These subjects will prepare me to delve into such an area.
This scholarship, though awarded on merit, is a great privilege to me, considering my precarious situation. Being an African American presents its own challenges. Not many minority students obtain such opportunities. Besides, the underpinning of our society is arts and music. I therefore have to work tooth and nail to ensure that I cut an edge in an area which is traditionally not pursued by a majority of students of my orientation.
In conclusion, the offer of this scholarship will go a long way to thwart the challenges which threatened to imperil my ambitions to study abroad. The financial handicap, being the major factor, has now been successfully been solved. I know I have to prove myself that I am worth the chance, and I believe that I am equal to the challenge that comes with this privilege.
References
Bradsher, Keith (January 30, 2010). "China Leading Global Race to Make Clean Energy". The
New York Times.
China. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
Jacobson, Mark Z. (2009). "Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy
security". Energy and Environmental Science (Royal Society of Chemistry) 2 (2): 148
