Personal Statement
Mohanad Mattahen, Palestine, Computer Science
Recently, a college of mine from at UNDP/PAPP asked me how I would describe myself. This is not a simple question. To begin, I can describe myself as a person who opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by a very sweet family that care about him; I was born on 23rd of November 1983 in Jenin Camp. Where I spent all of my life. It was a great life of all the difficult conditions a Palestinian family faces, especially in a refugee camp. One may ask, what is the difference? Well, this difference is that, in camp life, one need to struggle meeting almost every human need including the basics such as food, shelter, education, health care etc. Life there is indeed far from even average living standards. However, all these challenges, in a way, helped me grow up as a person faster than my age in terms of maturity, responsibility, reliability, endurance etc. And more than everything, camp life nurtured my determination and perseverance with which I stood up to show the world that even in these extremely difficult conditions, people can still have the capability to pursue their dreams.
Until the beginning of 21st century computers were treated as luxury in Palestine and only the wealthy families could afford them. It was the year 2002 that I first interacted with a computer while I was in college and until such time I had a very faint idea about what they looked like and how they functioned. I saw it was faster than anything I had ever seen and I wanted to know how it works. In no time they replaced my interest in other technical appliances and devices (Radio, TV , Video players etc.) which I loved to fix from my childhood days that earned my nick name, "Mechanic". With the advent of this new passion of mine, I was determined that I would pursue a career in Information Technology in future no matter what obstacles come my way. This is why I entered Computer Information Technology Faculty by 2002 in which it concentrate on software development, and developing software solutions. In college I a lot of software development languages and tools such as C++, Java etc. and moved into developing internet applications after completion of college. I was successful in that field because of my passion to learn, It was my intention to fulfill my graduation requirements quickly so that I could develop real applications that serves people and communities.
I finished my Studies in February 2006. Since then, I have worked for three companies to date, which forms six years of experience. These six years helped me a lot in learning new skills and acquiring practical knowledge that cannot be taught in school. I learned commitment, accountability, reliability and how to be an effective member of a team.
At the beginning of my work life I had a problem with managing how to deal with huge numbers of requests at the same time. Experience taught me how to do this. Today, I have the ability to work on multiple projects at the same time and deliver the required work on deadline.
In conclusion, coming back to the question: How I would describe myself? What I thought was a difficult question, actually is not that complicated. I am someone who has always been inquisitive and has thrived on learning - especially when it can be linked to practical application for making things work better and providing solutions. I am someone who respects the human spirit and appreciates what it is like to have aspirations and dreams and the desire for them to come true. I am someone who will work hard and give 100% effort to make things that I am committed to happen.
Impressive start. You have a very strong case and you attempt to present it beautifully. Pay attention to the corrections done by Susan. I am too very impressed with your story and love to offer my help :)
This is my suggestion;
One may ask, what is the difference? Well, this difference is that, in camp life, one needs to struggle meeting almost every human need including the basics such as food, shelter, education, health care etc. Life there is indeed far from even average living standards. However, all these challenges, in a way, helped me grow up as a person faster than my age in terms of maturity, responsiblity, reliability, endurance etc. And more than everything, camp life nurtured my determination and perceverance with which I stood up to show the world that even in these extremely difficult conditions, people can still have the capability to pursue their dreams.
