Motivational letter - Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Architecture program - DAAD

letter of Motivation

Dear Members of the DAAD Scholarship Committee,

With great enthusiasm that I am writing this letter to express my interest for the DAAD Study Scholarship within the Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Architecture program. The pursuit of knowledge, innovation, and sustainable development behind my educational and professional journey, made me direct my attention to two programs the M.Eng. in Healthy and Sustainable Buildings at Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) and M.Sc. in Resource-efficient and Sustainable Building at Technische Universität München (TUM).

I completed a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture and Urbanism at UniFipMoc in 2017. During ten semesters of my architectural studies, I have made it my mission to always innovate and dare in all facets of my academic projects, conceptual solutions, architectural structures, and sustainable construction strategies. Through this approach, I not only improved my creative and problem-solving skills also I took the opportunity to explore the vast knowledge shared by my esteemed professors.

While I studied, I had the pleasure of interning at a prestigious architecture office in Montes Claros, where I could have my first contact architectural area. After I finished my graduation, I worked with other professionals in the field. However, in November 2020, I decided to try something different, and I embarked on a transformative professional journey as an intern at the Municipal Council for Economic and Sustainable Development of Porteirinha (CODESP), more specifically CODESP's Project Bank. The CODESP is formed for members of civil society organizations and local governments, our responsibility of together identify and development of sustainable development projects in fields such as tourism, urban planning, agroecology, and empowerment of marginalized groups. Working at CODESP I developed a deep passion for the field of social projects, and within a year I was promoted to Executive Manager and Coordinator. Currently, I am responsible for a team of six interns at CODESP's Project Bank.

Through my work at CODESP, I approximate to some community associations in special two of them, the Association of Civil and Ecological Construction of Serra Geral- ACCESG and Barranco House of Herbs Association of Hope and Life- ACEBEV reference organization in ecological construction projects in the region. Inspired by their work, I idealized the Quilombo Sweet Home Project with the objective of providing technical assistance for socially impactful housing construction and renovations, along with training in sustainable sanitation and construction techniques. Between October 2021 and November 2022, in partnership with ACCESG, ACEBEV, and funded by the Architecture and Urbanism Council of Minas Gerais this initiative was executed where I had the privilege to manage and technically supervise the Quilombo Sweet Home Project.

When I studied for the first about Germany architecture, I was enchanted. My professor raffled the analysis of projects' assignments, and curiously I picked up the only German project, the Elbphilharmonie. Then, I also noticed that most architecture books were originally written in Germany. I was wondering about one day study in Germany, however, as someone from a low-income background in Brazil, the dream of studying abroad remains distant without the support of a scholarship. I hope that with the DAAD scholarship providing the necessary financial means, I can fulfill my academic aspirations without so many financial challenges, allowing me to concentrate fully on my studies.

There are few Higher Institutions in Brazil that offer Master's degrees in the area of Resource-efficient, Healthy, and Sustainable Building, and They don't have the high quality as the M.Eng. in Healthy and Sustainable Buildings at Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) and M.Sc. in Resource-efficient and Sustainable Building at Technical University Munich (TUM). The choice of these Postgraduate Studies programs left of meticulous research and examination of the course curriculums I conclude that perfectly fits my aspirations, career, and personal goals to become a Design and planning specialist in Sustainability architecture, being out of the comfort zone, in-depth understanding of resource-efficient and sustainable building practices, interacting with individuals, new perspectives from diverse backgrounds contributing significantly to my personal growth. Both the DIT and the TUM appealed to me, primarily for their reputation for academic excellence, sustainability focus, advanced infrastructure, industry partnerships, and student support. However, the M.Eng. in Healthy and Sustainable Buildings at Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is my first option. The reason for this is due to its approach focused on practical application, benefiting me as an aspirant in the ability to apply advanced techniques to specific problems at the frontiers of knowledge.

In conclusion, I am extremely motivated to embark on this transformative opportunity. I believe that my deep passion for sustainable building, my work history, my ambition to promote sustainable practices on civil construction aiming to inspire changes in my local community and around the world make me an ideal candidate for the DAAD Scholarship.

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