Letters / Motivation Letter for Double Degree DAAD Scholarship for Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design [3]

"Please note; Recommended content for your motivation letter are: Why are you interested in this specific program? What special qualifications and skills did you gain through your previous academic career that are relevant to this program and that you can build on? What specific professional experience do you have that will contribute to the aims of this program? How do you hope to develop your career after receiving the Masters degree?(In case you also apply for the IUSD Double Degree program, please indicate why you are interested in the programs contents and its focus on Germany and Arab countries in the MENA region)."

Dear selection committee,
This letter is written from the centre of one of the most dangerous cities in Africa.

In March, a young chartered accountant got swept away in the flood through an open manhole on her way from work. I never knew her but her story broke my heart. It is glaring to me that the city has several deficiencies in, urban planning, policy making and public participation. Several cities across Africa experience this challenge.

I strive to be a part of the solution. During my National Service, for example, I and other Corp members organized rallies, radio talks and collaborated with local communities with the aim of a cleaner and healthier ecosystem. Through architecture school, I learnt how to visualise and create complex designs using traditional drafting and design software programs. I design to ease the lives of the users and because change is constant, I can adjust designs to accommodate it. For these reasons, I was sponsored by the United Nations Development Program to come up with inclusive methods to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Governance has appealed to me since I was 8 years old. This has encouraged me to get a Diploma in Leadership Development at Covenant University. Someday, I will be in the position to help Africa advance. For me to make effective change, I need the tutelage, vision and the quality of research that the University of Stuttgart is known for.

I am choosing to get this degree in Germany not only because it is beacon of development, but also because I know I will get top-tier education. As a child, while we gardened, my mother told me stories of how the German government rewarded it's citizens for owning gardens. She often cited Germany as the leading example of development. I started learning Deutsch on my phone and it has given great insight into German culture.

I am highly interested in the MENA region because crude oil is a natural resource that they have in common with my country. The black gold has brought prosperity along with its fair share of troubles. However, the MENA region is turning things around on a fast track to recovery. Learning in Egypt and experiencing the urban fabric will help me understand what we are missing in sub-Saharan Africa.

This Master's in Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design combines lessons that will otherwise take me decades to master into two years. I look forward to an intensive period of unlearning, learning and relearning. I know that armed with this course, I will be able to make unprecedented transformation in the way urbanisation is done across Africa.