WHAT INSPIRES ME?

 I have always had a diverse cluster of intellectual interests. Ever since I was a child I have been intrigued by the world around me. I remember my dad would bring an assorted number of books for me when he came back from work. The topic of these books ranged from Astronomy, Biology, Economics and Literature. The subject that fascinated me most was engineering.  At the young age I remember taking equipment apart to see how they worked. By growing up this way, in high school I decided to study Science. I feel engineering is the quintessential reflection of who I am as a person.  

I love to have a problem and come up with a solution; it is one of the most concrete ways that I can change the world; no matter how negligible the change is. Nearly everything that we use or do today is related to Engineering. It is the engine of prosperity from lasers, to electricity to computers; that allows us to change people’s lives, clean up the air, and develop new products and basically take humanity to higher heights. The knowledge required to become an engineer covers so many discipline and is quite fascinating. To be part of that legacy would be magnificent.  

An engineer should know a wide range of information in order to solve a problem. The books my father gave me as a child contributed a lot to the analytical brain I have today.  They helped sharpened my mind and enriched my knowledge towards things, this is why I can draw a parallel between myself and an engineer. Another aspect to finding innovative solutions is creativity. As a teenager I had a dream that made me want to take humanity to the next level. The dream is of a future world that has extremely advanced technologies that do not emit toxic substances and harm the environment and other species, a vision of skyscrapers that complement mountains, rivers and trees.. However, lack of creativity in the field is a major reason for the bad reputation it has gained. The sort of creativity that engineering demands is much greater than many other disciplines, since it usually addresses a practical problem and requires a simple solution.

I believe that Engineers have to be entrepreneurs who can see through challenges and find solutions within a local context. In my country there is a huge swathe of problems when it comes to electricity, water supply and infrastructure. This trend can only be reversed by training passionate and restless engineers who would want to change the status-quo. This is why I want to attend UBC, because becoming an Engineer resonates very well with me. I love building things and engineering fits perfectly with my personality.