Hello everyone. I'm going to apply for GKS-G Scholarship 2027 intake. I would be very grateful if anyone can provide me with a feedback on my personal statement so that I can be a stronger candidate. Thank you for your time and consideration to help.
Regards,
Shajeeah Daarain
Before I understood design as a profession, I understood it as a sanctuary. As the daughter of an Army Officer and Civil Engineer, I grew up moving between cities and entering unfamiliar houses every few years. What fascinated me was watching my mother transform those empty spaces into homes. would help her arrange furniture, choose colors, and rethink the way rooms were used. Through these experiences, I began to understand that a space is more than its physical structure; it can influence how people feel, function, and connect with their surroundings. Drawing became another constant in my life, and together these experiences gradually led me toward Interior Architecture/ Design.
At university, my interest developed into a disciplined approach to spatial design. I ranked first in the entrance examination for Interior and Environmental Design and discovered that successful design required much more than visual appeal. It required understanding function, proportion, materials, human behavior, and the relationship between people and their environments. A nature-inspired furniture project particularly shaped this understanding. I repeatedly refined my concept through 27 iterations, learning to balance creative intent with material limitations, fabrication, functionality, and local execution. The experience taught me that good design is not achieved through a single idea, but through questioning, testing, and refining that idea until it becomes both meaningful and feasible.
My understanding of the built environment expanded further during my internship at Suhail & Fawad Architects in Islamabad. Working in an architectural practice while continuing my university schedule exposed me to space planning, AutoCAD, SketchUp, and the relationship between indoor and outdoor environments. I began to look beyond the interior boundary and became increasingly interested in how
architecture shapes the experiences that occur within it.
This interest became particularly clear through my final-year project, Café de Flora. Inspired by observing the limited opportunities employees at my brother's workplace had to step away from their demanding work environment, I proposed the adaptive reuse of the top floor of an existing office building into a garden-inspired employee café. The space incorporated greenery, natural elements, views toward the Margalla landscape, and unconventional seating such as swings to encourage relaxation and social interaction. My intention was not simply to create an attractive interior, but to transform an existing structure into an environment that could positively influence the everyday wellbeing of its users. The project received 89/100 from the final-year jury
and a 4.0 GPA. More importantly, it changed the direction of the questions I wanted to pursue. I became interested in how architecture, interior design, environmental considerations, and human wellbeing could be addressed as parts of one integrated system.
My connection with Korea developed separately and long before I considered it as a destination for graduate study. I first encountered Korean music through PSY's "Gangnam Style" in 2012, and several years later my interest in Korean culture grew through music and Korean media. Over time, this became a broader interest in Korean language and culture, and in 2020 I began studying Korean through an online course offered by Yonsei University. As my education in design progressed, I also began noticing the spatial environments I encountered in Korean media from a designer's perspective. I was particularly drawn to the use of natural light and openness in spaces such as Maiim Vision Village, the contemporary expression of Dongdaemun Design Plaza, and the way spaces such as Cheongsudang Bakery combine cultural references with contemporary and nature oriented experiences. I
also noticed the efficient planning of compact Korean residences and the use of multifunctional furniture, which connected naturally with my own interest in furniture and small-space design.
These observations did not initially lead me to decide that I would study architecture in Korea. That decision developed later, as my academic and professional experiences made me aware of the limitations of my current training. After completing my degree, I gained experience in teaching and professional practice, including architectural drafting and interior-related work. I also returned to my own department as a visiting faculty member, teaching perspective design,
furniture design, interior space planning, and fundamentals of interior design. Teaching strengthened my ability to communicate design concepts and made me realize how much I value contributing to the development of other young designers.
At the same time, my professional experience made one limitation increasingly clear to me, although Interior Design had given me a strong understanding of human-scale environments, I wanted to understand the building itself at a broader architectural level. In Pakistan, my educational background also limits my direct transition into a master's degree in Architectural Design. Rather than viewing this as a reason to abandon my existing discipline, I see it as an opportunity to build upon it. I want to understand architecture from the building outward while retaining the human centered perspective I developed through Interior Design.
This is why I seek graduate study in Korea. I want to study in an environment where I can encounter contemporary approaches to architecture, sustainability, environmental responsibility, spatial efficiency, and human centered design while learning from a different urban and cultural context. Korea's combination of rapidly developing cities, limited urban space, contemporary architectural expression, technological development, and continued engagement with cultural identity provides a valuable context for the questions I want to investigate. I am particularly interested in how existing and limited spaces can be transformed into environments that are
functional, environmentally responsible, and responsive to human wellbeing.
The Global Korea Scholarship is especially meaningful to me because it would allow me to pursue this academic development without making the financial limitations of my circumstances determine the level of education I can attain. However, my motivation for applying extends beyond financial support. I am seeking an academic environment in which I can challenge the boundaries of my current
discipline, develop the technical and conceptual skills required for architectural practice, and learn approaches that I can eventually adapt to the needs of my own country.
My long-term goal is to become a professional who can bridge architecture and interior design rather than treating them as isolated disciplines. I want to develop the to create buildings and interiors that are functional, ergonomically considered, energy conscious, sustainable, and aesthetically meaningful. I am particularly interested in adaptive reuse and environmentally responsive design because I believe that improving existing spaces can be an important part of creating more sustainable built environments.
After completing my graduate studies, I intend to return to Pakistan and apply this knowledge within my professional practice. I hope to establish an interdisciplinary design practice that brings architectural and interior perspectives together and eventually contribute to academia as well. Having already experienced the value of teaching, I want to continue sharing knowledge with future designers. In the longer term, I also hope to build academic and professional connections between Pakistan and Korea through workshops, collaborations, internships, and design exchanges, creating opportunities for young Pakistani designers to learn from international practices while developing solutions suited to their own context.
My journey toward architecture is therefore not a departure from Interior Design. It is the continuation of the same question that began in my childhood, how can a physical space become a place that genuinely improves the lives of the people who inhabit it? Interior Design taught me to understand that question from within the space. Through graduate study in Korea, I hope to learn how to approach it from the
scale of the entire building and ultimately bring both perspectives together. I want to return with not only a graduate degree, but with the knowledge and perspective to contribute meaningfully to the future of sustainable, functional, and human centered architecture in Pakistan.
Regards,
Shajeeah Daarain
Before I understood design as a profession, I understood it as a sanctuary. As the daughter of an Army Officer and Civil Engineer, I grew up moving between cities and entering unfamiliar houses every few years. What fascinated me was watching my mother transform those empty spaces into homes. would help her arrange furniture, choose colors, and rethink the way rooms were used. Through these experiences, I began to understand that a space is more than its physical structure; it can influence how people feel, function, and connect with their surroundings. Drawing became another constant in my life, and together these experiences gradually led me toward Interior Architecture/ Design.
At university, my interest developed into a disciplined approach to spatial design. I ranked first in the entrance examination for Interior and Environmental Design and discovered that successful design required much more than visual appeal. It required understanding function, proportion, materials, human behavior, and the relationship between people and their environments. A nature-inspired furniture project particularly shaped this understanding. I repeatedly refined my concept through 27 iterations, learning to balance creative intent with material limitations, fabrication, functionality, and local execution. The experience taught me that good design is not achieved through a single idea, but through questioning, testing, and refining that idea until it becomes both meaningful and feasible.
My understanding of the built environment expanded further during my internship at Suhail & Fawad Architects in Islamabad. Working in an architectural practice while continuing my university schedule exposed me to space planning, AutoCAD, SketchUp, and the relationship between indoor and outdoor environments. I began to look beyond the interior boundary and became increasingly interested in how
architecture shapes the experiences that occur within it.
This interest became particularly clear through my final-year project, Café de Flora. Inspired by observing the limited opportunities employees at my brother's workplace had to step away from their demanding work environment, I proposed the adaptive reuse of the top floor of an existing office building into a garden-inspired employee café. The space incorporated greenery, natural elements, views toward the Margalla landscape, and unconventional seating such as swings to encourage relaxation and social interaction. My intention was not simply to create an attractive interior, but to transform an existing structure into an environment that could positively influence the everyday wellbeing of its users. The project received 89/100 from the final-year jury
and a 4.0 GPA. More importantly, it changed the direction of the questions I wanted to pursue. I became interested in how architecture, interior design, environmental considerations, and human wellbeing could be addressed as parts of one integrated system.
My connection with Korea developed separately and long before I considered it as a destination for graduate study. I first encountered Korean music through PSY's "Gangnam Style" in 2012, and several years later my interest in Korean culture grew through music and Korean media. Over time, this became a broader interest in Korean language and culture, and in 2020 I began studying Korean through an online course offered by Yonsei University. As my education in design progressed, I also began noticing the spatial environments I encountered in Korean media from a designer's perspective. I was particularly drawn to the use of natural light and openness in spaces such as Maiim Vision Village, the contemporary expression of Dongdaemun Design Plaza, and the way spaces such as Cheongsudang Bakery combine cultural references with contemporary and nature oriented experiences. I
also noticed the efficient planning of compact Korean residences and the use of multifunctional furniture, which connected naturally with my own interest in furniture and small-space design.
These observations did not initially lead me to decide that I would study architecture in Korea. That decision developed later, as my academic and professional experiences made me aware of the limitations of my current training. After completing my degree, I gained experience in teaching and professional practice, including architectural drafting and interior-related work. I also returned to my own department as a visiting faculty member, teaching perspective design,
furniture design, interior space planning, and fundamentals of interior design. Teaching strengthened my ability to communicate design concepts and made me realize how much I value contributing to the development of other young designers.
At the same time, my professional experience made one limitation increasingly clear to me, although Interior Design had given me a strong understanding of human-scale environments, I wanted to understand the building itself at a broader architectural level. In Pakistan, my educational background also limits my direct transition into a master's degree in Architectural Design. Rather than viewing this as a reason to abandon my existing discipline, I see it as an opportunity to build upon it. I want to understand architecture from the building outward while retaining the human centered perspective I developed through Interior Design.
This is why I seek graduate study in Korea. I want to study in an environment where I can encounter contemporary approaches to architecture, sustainability, environmental responsibility, spatial efficiency, and human centered design while learning from a different urban and cultural context. Korea's combination of rapidly developing cities, limited urban space, contemporary architectural expression, technological development, and continued engagement with cultural identity provides a valuable context for the questions I want to investigate. I am particularly interested in how existing and limited spaces can be transformed into environments that are
functional, environmentally responsible, and responsive to human wellbeing.
The Global Korea Scholarship is especially meaningful to me because it would allow me to pursue this academic development without making the financial limitations of my circumstances determine the level of education I can attain. However, my motivation for applying extends beyond financial support. I am seeking an academic environment in which I can challenge the boundaries of my current
discipline, develop the technical and conceptual skills required for architectural practice, and learn approaches that I can eventually adapt to the needs of my own country.
My long-term goal is to become a professional who can bridge architecture and interior design rather than treating them as isolated disciplines. I want to develop the to create buildings and interiors that are functional, ergonomically considered, energy conscious, sustainable, and aesthetically meaningful. I am particularly interested in adaptive reuse and environmentally responsive design because I believe that improving existing spaces can be an important part of creating more sustainable built environments.
After completing my graduate studies, I intend to return to Pakistan and apply this knowledge within my professional practice. I hope to establish an interdisciplinary design practice that brings architectural and interior perspectives together and eventually contribute to academia as well. Having already experienced the value of teaching, I want to continue sharing knowledge with future designers. In the longer term, I also hope to build academic and professional connections between Pakistan and Korea through workshops, collaborations, internships, and design exchanges, creating opportunities for young Pakistani designers to learn from international practices while developing solutions suited to their own context.
My journey toward architecture is therefore not a departure from Interior Design. It is the continuation of the same question that began in my childhood, how can a physical space become a place that genuinely improves the lives of the people who inhabit it? Interior Design taught me to understand that question from within the space. Through graduate study in Korea, I hope to learn how to approach it from the
scale of the entire building and ultimately bring both perspectives together. I want to return with not only a graduate degree, but with the knowledge and perspective to contribute meaningfully to the future of sustainable, functional, and human centered architecture in Pakistan.
