Sustainable and Innovative Resource Management (SINReM) - Motivational Letter

Hello!

I'm applying for the Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Sustainable and Innovative Resource Management (SINReM) Program. Requesting for your comments on the initial draft of my Motivational Letter.

To the SINReM Consortium Selection Committee:

I came from an archipelago in Southeast Asia abundant in agricultural, oceanic, metal, and mineral natural resources, but due to poor resource management, it is in the brink of resource depletion. The Philippines have led to providing legal and policy framework in Asia for protecting its environment yet unable to enact a single policy or plan on sustainable consumption and production to guide its businesses. Local companies have been mastering sustainability reporting, yet many still must define the relationship between what they produce and the value these create for their businesses and stakeholders.

The concept of raw material availability has been a challenge even during my undergraduate studies. Working in groups, we were tasked to create a product applying the chemical engineering principles. Through this experience, I was able to develop my critical thinking skills to get the product proposal approved, striking that perfect balance of originality, raw material availability, and marketability. My interpersonal skills were put to the test when I presented the product's profitability to a hundred fellow students, professors, and industry experts during the mini expo resulting in a corporate sponsor's choice award. For my thesis, I have explored the possibility of producing biodiesel from a manufacturing company's generated waste. Working with an industry partner in the province, I have successfully extracted methyl ester from coconut oil soapstock, a by-product of vegetable oil refining, to produce biodiesel.

In the private sector, we mainly focused on meeting the sales demand conforming to industry norms on health, safety, and environment operating at optimum cost. Through the years, optimizing procedures, processes, and systems have been our goal in the operations division. As operations engineer, I have simplified operations and blending processes to reduce base fuel input and waste generation through the technical evaluation of capital projects prior to implementation. In support of the division's program on environmental assessment, I reduced the water and electricity consumption of my district though process optimization and rainwater harvesting projects. To manage and eliminate risks in the terminal operation's setting, I have conducted risk assessment across 30 terminals and sales offices nationwide and addressed them through development of automation projects. This current linear economy focuses on improving the efficiency of individual units instead of the entire supply chain management. From the outside, it may be practical, but it is not beneficial long-term in the society and environment.

Currently, researchers have focused mostly on developed countries, while less attention has been paid to developing economies. The lack of adequate data sources that can support in-depth research may be one of the root causes of the lagging sustainable development in the Philippines. Through the International Master of Science in Sustainable and Innovative Resource Management (SINREM), I will become a sustainability innovator with the technical knowledge of a researcher and a perspective by an entrepreneur. The curriculum's objective to produce T-shaped professionals will help me make connections across disciplines but not sacrificing the technical hard skills. Moving as a single cohort in the first year will provide a comparative perspective in providing innovative sustainable solutions in the same pressing issues on raw materials. Moreover, the opportunity to collaborate with companies and universities in partnership with EIT Raw Materials Network will serve as a benchmarking experience as I adapt it to the unique context of my country.

Upon completion of the master's program, I am to work at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). Aligned with their mission, I will be championing solutions to the global sustainability challenges through research, analysis, and knowledge sharing. With my combine extensive operations management experience in the private sector, SINReM Master's Degree, and experience in the IISD, I will return as a sustainable development consultant, working across the private, public, and non-profit sectors in my home country.

Thank you very much for considering my application.

Not all of the information contained in this essay provides itself as useful to a motivational letter for the scholarship. Some of the information works well in a statement of purpose. The others, in a personal statement. For this essay only a few of the paragraphs can be used to define your motivation. The following information can be used to revise the essay into a personal statement. I will be including sections of the existing paragraphs as reference for you to use.

- All of paragraph 1
- In the private sector, we mainly focused on meeting the sales demand conforming to industry norms on health, safety, and environment operating at optimum cost. Through the years, optimizing procedures, processes, and systems have been our goal in the operations division. (Discuss the problems you encounter in these sectors that have motivated your interest in higher education.What insurmountable obstacles have you encountered that can only be worked around by additional education and training? )

- All of paragraph 4

The last paragraph is not part of a motivation letter. The suggestions above should make the revised version sound more like a motivation letter than the current version. This version does not indicate motivations, it indicates your background and training, plus work experiences for the most part. Those information should be placed in the statement of purpose, where the relationship between your studies and your training come into play for the reviewer's consideration.

@gamemaker
It looks like a Personal statement rather than a letter of motivation. I would advise to outline WHY the current program will benefit you future career, and HOW your home country would benefit from knowledge and skills you gained.