People undertake varied endeavors for diverse reasons and goals. Some people are genuinely committed towards public service: uplifting the welfare of others through social responsibility. Students who pursue business degree programs might have been misconstrued as ultimately aiming for personal and professional growth through financial enrichment. I affirm this is an unjustly unsubstantiated premise since there are still a lot of young people in today’s generation who want to make this world, with all the people in it, a better place to live in. I affirm that my previous experiences and background, for instance, would definitely add value to my classmates’ experiences as I pursue the Master of Management program in this prestigious academic institution.
I interned as an Industrial Engineer in Cameroon (Central Africa) with two (2) of the leading companies in the exportation of cocoa and coffee industry. I recognized, early on, that successful exportation depends on efficient sourcing of agricultural products which are harvested in abundance. As such, I think of the local farmers and the kind of support provided by the local agencies to ensure that products like cocoa and coffee are planted and harvested with governmental support. Likewise, I also interned in China as logistics intern at Beyond International Group, an international moving organization with services which include door-to-door services, pet relocations, storage service, local and domestic moving, records management, insurance, as well as office and factory relocations, among others. The wealth of information learned from these working experiences as an intern would be shared to classmates with the goal of improving their knowledge on new areas that are unknown and help develop a shared vision for uplifting the welfare of people in need.
Concurrently, I volunteered in my local community during my undergraduate years. I believe in helping the most needy members of the community through sharing my knowledge and skills in educational programs, distribution of goods to members afflicted during natural disasters, assisting in food programs for the homeless and the elderly, as well as fund raising for civic and social programs that address the health and social needs of the citizens.
I am inspired and influenced by the words of Benjamin Franklin who emphasized that the inclination and ability to serve mankind should be the great aim and end of all learning. Franklin’s belief that we should use our knowledge to improve our communities is something I advocate to share. I intend to leverage the knowledge and savoir-faire garnered from the Masters in Management program in the form of helping private and public developmental organizations, like the African Union and the World Bank, in their efforts to combat and curb the ills that plague less developed countries. I yearn to gather, interpret, and report on various types of socio-civic data to help developmental organizations make good decisions which will result in the improvement of people’s living conditions, especially those in third world countries.
In retrospect, my previous experiences and academic background would serve as the impetus for sharing what I have learned from various endeavors. Sharing these information would also assist in soliciting insights, comments, and suggestions from classmates. I am optimistic that the learning process would be symbiotic and mutually beneficial to all, especially to other people who are not given the opportunity to pursue higher education.
