Undergraduate / UBC Undergrad Personal Profile: (Engineering) [2]

Tell us about who you are.

How would your family, friends, and/or members of your community describe you? If possible, please include something about yourself that you are most proud of and why. (maximum 250 words)

For as long as I can remember, I have lived the life of a nomad. Travel, settle, repeat. While this may sound fascinating, I never felt like I belonged to any particular nation, culture, or community. So, in search of identity, I promised to relish every travel experience by adapting to new norms and practices, appreciating different traditions and using the culmination of these adventures to represent an open-minded and curious character. I could one day be reciting a favourite poem from school in South Africa; on other days, I could be impersonating an idol from Dubai or eating cuisines from Singapore that I became fond of. My friends often envied my ability to switch personalities effortlessly when interacting with different cultures. Especially after serving in the military, they portrayed me as someone who could understand and adapt to any situation. My will to train in harsh environments, follow strict disciplines and tolerate mental and physical pain alone taught me to adapt and overcome any barrier I face. Being a soldier helped me find that sense of belonging to a community, and the friends I made before my service created my identity as a citizen of many nations. It fills me with pride to have translated these experiences into bursts of passions that I have indulged and succeeded in. Engineering is a challenging major that tests students' potential to solve new problems everyday. It requires versatility and determination, a trait I believe my experiences have geared towards.