Undergraduate / memories of Christmas holiday in 2004 [3]

plz check this and correct if possible...!

Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are? *

As much as anybody, I too cannot forget the unpleasant memories of Christmas holiday in 2004. Apart from leaving those tragic memories though, the horrific tsunami has helped me better understand who I am and what should my role in the society be. Struck by the enormity of the destruction, I immediately joined the Tsunami Relief Work Force, assembled by a major political party(JVP) in the country. From nearly 500 people, I was the only person who was not a member of that party, and in fact, I did not know anybody in that group. By the end of the first day, most of the people I worked with knew me by my name, and in the second day, I was the person to count and lead when we were lifting a boat, a vehicle, heavy debris, or when we found a human body. This was partly because my loud voice but mostly because others admired my confidence and were eager to followed me. I was recognized as a leader.

Since then, I have taken many responsibilities as a leader. Serving as the president of the '2004 Batch Past Student Society' of the school I was able to help to launch the website for the school through the society, and also planned to launch a magazine that would help students who have limited access to resources.

In the first year of the university in Sri Lanka, I lead two projects related to engineering coursework. In the second year, I was elected as the editor of the Engineering Faculty Student Union. As one of the five office bearers, my responsibilities included solving matters of the second year student community, organizing art-related events and getting support from the engineering community for these events. Even though it was hard to keep-up with academics with all those work, I was able to keep it balanced. Observing the services of the canteens, hostels, health center and cleaning services, we were able to keep the campus services at the best. Academic standards of the university too was included in my responsibilities and thus, compelled me to interface the professional engineering bodies of the country with university student community.

For me, the most important part of my life was my role as a leader. It has given me a lot of experience and has helped me stand-up as an independent individual who can both co-operate with and guide others.

Undergraduate / UC prompt 1. Electrical Engineering. [4]

Hi guys, I just finished my essay, don hav any1 to proofread, could any1 plz help??

What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field - such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities - and what you have gained from your involvement.

I have chosen Electrical Engineering as my major driven by many amazements it has taken me into throughout my life. As a child I always wondered how things work and was always amazed to find answers. Later, my enthusiasm in computers and software engineering grew towards electronics as I learned more and more about the very core of the computer architecture. As an Electrical Engineering Undergraduate in Sri Lanka, the courses I took eventually assured me that my choice was indeed right. After coming to USA and encountering the immense possibilities of electronics combined with quantum physics has stricken me so hard that I cannot wander elsewhere. The knowledge that I have attained through experiments, self learning, field visits, and of course, formal education has lead me to believe not only that Electrical Engineering has everything that I love but also that I have something in return for the field.

My interest on electronics runs back to my early childhood. When I was at grade one or two my mother, answering a question I had, taught me about the structure of atoms. At the time when I was in the middle school, my friends would make small radios or running LED circuits found in little booklets and I would stare at those circuits for hours trying to understand how they worked, how transistors and ICs worked, rather than soldering some components to see LEDs flashing not knowing what is happening there. Later, playing computer games and getting bored with them, I started self studying how games are made and became quite familiar with Java, C++ and VB with Object Oriented Programming concepts. These early experience with computers and semiconductors inspired me and I was compelled to study hard to get in to a university for further education.

It was in my University in Sri Lanka where I obtained most of my experience and where I formally declared my major. For the first year project paralleling engineering course work, I chose to develop a 'Remote Controlled Continuous-Speed Fan Regulator', which, at that time, was not readily available in Sri Lanka. The project was successfully completed using two micro-controllers and their features like PWM and USART. In the second year I selected the subject 'Robot Design' in addition to the common Electronic/Electrical engineering subjects to further strengthen my knowledge on digital electronics. The design and development of the robot, which can find its path from the arrow marks through a maze of obstacles has given me a good experience in circuit design and analysis, using tools like OrCAD and assembly language programming. The two years I spent in the campus, as much as it has bound me to electronics, took me far ahead of my friends in college here in USA.

Recently I came across the theories of modern physics which have deepen my desire to study further. Specially, after learning about quantum mechanics and QED I have started studying the basics of quantum physics. Taking both Physics 101 and 102 in the same semester, I focus my leisure time on studying these with the books my professors recommended. Exploring the whole new world opened by these new theories and finding their uses as an Engineer has since become my ambition.

Therefore, my choice in electrical engineering is a result of gradual development of interest. Experience from early radio circuit design to late robot development together with the interest in computers have given me confidence on my future in the field. I have come through a long journey of excitement to this point where I just have to keep going straight; straight, towards the edge of invention and discovery in electronics.