Ahmed Alazzawi

11/06/2015

RHET 1311-22

Comp 1

Stephen Burns

Scholarship Essay Revised

Prompt: What life experiences have shaped who you are

today? What challenges have you overcome in achieving
your education, and what skills do you expect to gain from
studying at UALR engineering school?

Program/ Organization: EIT Scholarship

Before I learned about the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, I had

made up my mind to study system engineering, because for as long as I
could remember, I have wanted to be an electrical engineering and pursue a
career in systems engineering. I had come to believe that this path that Im
taking is best towards fulfilling my sensible goals of a future livelihood. And
its thanks to the opportunity that the EIT scholarship is offering that I get a
chance to fulfill my dreams.
Before I came to the United States three years ago, I was living in Unite
Arab Emirates. I only knew a few English words. I kept fighting for success
even after moving to a completely different environment. Three years later,
my English vocabulary is amazingly larger and I have adapted well to my
surroundings. At the same time, I havent forget my Arabian culture nor my
native language. My attachment with my native Arabian culture is still as
deep as ever. I visit my relatives in UAE every now and then. Nevertheless,
three years in America has made a large impact on me. The shows I watch,
the songs I listen to, the games I play, and the way I speak are all a reflection
of that. In a nutshell, I am a blend of both the Middle East and the West.
I occasionally wonder whether speaking Arabic at home is enough to
maintain my connection with my native culture. Often, when I look at my
parents reading Arabic literature or poetry, I get the feeling that I am only in

touch with half of what I am. But at the same time, I cannot keep thinking
about the culture I left behind, because merely studying my own culture and
its language is not enough to be successful here in America. I want to be
able to apply my knowledge as well. To me, pursuing a career in electrical
engineering is a sensible solution to my future prosperity. My uncle is an
electrical engineer in UAE and I have watched him work on countless
occasions. Through him, I have discovered my own interests in the
engineering field. Thus, I found the way electrical engineers work in the
Middle East to be very exciting. Therefore when I came to Arkansas I already
had UALR as my university of choice, I was planning to study Systems
Engineering, if I successfully acquire the EIT scholarship.
My planned area of focus is expanding my knowledge in electrical and
industrial engineering. But I had my qualm about this major in particular,
because I wanted a school with strong focus on the system engineering as
well as electrical engineering, but that is something only few schools can
offer. Thus, I find UALR to be a perfect school for me. Because it gives a
strong electrical engineering curriculum, and at the same time allows pursue
of systems engineering, and both of these fields in UALR are offered as one
major called electrical systems. And that is exactly what I am interested in.
At the Department of Systems Engineering at UALR, I will be able
pursue the things I like and passionate about. This department education
and research are intermixed, I can continue to follow the path that towards
scientific excellence. UALR is the best choice to continue nurture my love for

electrical and industrial engineering. I believe that with electrical engineering

at UALR University, I will have an edge in the engineering world by virtue of
UALR. In addition to education and knowledge, I am drawn to UALR for other
reasons. I plan to work with the diverse group of people that UALR profoundly
contain. And I as a foreigner would love to share my mindset with this
diverse community and serve as bridge between the Middle East and the
West. UALR respects the value of diversity. I feel that my background as a
Middle Eastern will provide an ingenious perspective in the universitys
search for knowledge and success, while helping it to develop a basis for
future success. And that, truly, is the greatest success I can imagine.
To reach this point I had to work very hard to keep up with other
students I had to work very hard in high school, I participated in a lot of
organizations and clubs like the Robotics club, NHS, Beta club. And I have
also completed more than hundred hours of volunteering for a private
organization that works with computers and the market. With my experience
and diversity I know that I can contribute to UALR as it continues to provide a
scholarly environment that inspires intellectual curiosity. I am very excited
about my future and feel that with the opportunity your scholarship will
provide, I will have a clear path before me. I expect to gain skills and
experiences from the UALR Engineering School that will drive my short and
long-term goals. And I hope to develop an intellectual and diverse learning
experience and have the chance to interact with different groups of people
and that will allow me to learn from their exclusive insights and endeavors.

To reach my goals, I realize that I must pursue a four year college

education and for that Ill need as much help as possible. I already have the
moral support of my family and friends, but that is not quite enough to make
my dream come true. I hope that the college of engineering at UALR can help
me reach this dream by awarding me your scholarship. My studies at UALR
should theoretically guarantee me for any graduate engineering school. And,
with that in mind I will be able to realize my dreams. Perhaps, I will be able to
serve as a bridge between the Middle East and the West.