[Street Address]
Vancouver, BC, V3X 1X9
Email: shakti.ramkumar@gmail.com
September 19, 2018
ENGL 301 99A
University of British Columbia
2329 West Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Dear ENGL 301 classmates,
My name is Shakti, and I am currently a fifth year student in Geography in the Environment & Sustainability concentration. I am applying to be considered for a professional writing team, and I believe I can make valuable contributions as a team member.
In my degree and in my extracurricular activities, my focus is on sustainability and climate action — particularly in the areas of energy, food systems, and climate justice. My academic journey at UBC has been an interesting one, as I started in Electrical Engineering for two and a half years, and then transferred to the Arts faculty to pursue Geography. While I was in Engineering, I received training on concise and clear technical writing. Communication is immensely important in the engineering field, especially as projects and plans scale up. All parts of a team must rely on each other and trust that each component of work is carried out carefully and thoughtfully, to ensure the integrity of the final product. In Geography, I was able to broaden my writing experience by composing both research and persuasive essays, and by experimenting with many creative ways to communicate ideas and information – for example, through story and narrative.
Outside of university, I currently work with Student Energy, a global charity that aims to empower the next generation of energy leaders. Writing and communication are important skills in the non-profit world, from forming meaningful connections with young people across the world, to communicating the organization’s story to potential partners and the public. In my role as a Project Coordinator, I’ve had the opportunity to improve my writing skills through a variety of tasks, from composing memos to drafting project reports to writing professional emails.
I was also formerly the co-Director of Common Energy, the largest student-led sustainability organization at UBC. My experience with Common Energy was an invaluable one, as I learned how to both step up and take a step back when part of a team, which I believe will be important for our ENGL 301 teams as well. Part of my learning philosophy is that these additional skills such as listening and supporting team members is as important to the quality of work as the amount of time put in. My strength as a writer is largely my ability to be precise, and thorough in my editing process. My weakness that I would like to improve throughout this course is writing more concisely without losing the necessary meaning and nuance.
I believe my experiences with detail-oriented writing, and working in diverse teams both on and offline, that I can be an asset to a professional writing team. Please contact me at shakti.ramkumar@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Shakti Ramkumar