Journey to Sociology: Music, Social Change, and Academic Pursuits

Introduction

I am an adaptable and self-driven student with a committed approach to training and academic goals. As an astute music engineer professional, who has worked on various community musical projects, I can be resourceful in a variety of demanding situations. I possess a reliable and dedicated attitude towards responsibility and am willing to take unprecedented initiative where conditions are unpredictable.

Background and Early Experiences

After my graduation in 2001, I joined a sound reinforcement company, Dream Audio Works Studio, owned by the church head technician. I participated alongside other technical crew members in setting up a Public Address (PA) system for live events, concerts, and shows for orphanages, the disabled, and fundraising for charity. Growing up, helping people has always been my privilege and part of my life. My mom had a stroke, later diagnosed with diabetes, and taking care of her, I studied her social problems and interacted with her socially, solving them through music and art, which healed her drastically. This experience truly inspired me to change lives.

Educational Journey and Professional Development

As a confident and results-oriented person, I pride myself on the ability to bring all challenging projects I am involved in to completion. I possess a proven ability to deliver coursework and any tasks given to tight deadlines in a demanding environment. In 2012, I traveled to South Africa for a diploma program to study Sound Engineering at SAE Institute, Cape Town. Despite the xenophobia saga in South Africa at that time, I still completed my program. I can communicate and make presentations to persons of all levels, from fellow mates and tutors to work colleagues, using effective methods to convey my ideas and conclusions. An effective logical and methodical thinker, I am able to see the wider picture as well as the details of the projects I work on.

Skills and Achievements

I get through difficult periods by focusing on solutions rather than problems. I am a great team player, flexible, with excellent troubleshooting skills, quick to hypothesize and remedy defects, and self-motivated enough to work on my own initiative. Always ready to work in a challenging environment, I have acquired much useful professional knowledge and had an internship in a multicultural society like Cape Town Television. Our instructors often shared with us their own practical foreign experiences, which influenced me considerably and reinforced my determination to study abroad again.

Interest in Sociology

I believe myself to be trustworthy and diligent with work, as well as a capable team worker who requires minimal supervision. Sociology as a discipline is unique in its breadth of inquiry and is not entirely new to me. Out of curiosity and a quest for knowledge, I added another book to my shelf called “What Use is Sociology?” written by Zygmunt Bauman (Bauman, 2014). Sociology is relevant to issues of contemporary life, and I want to study it because I have always been interested in social questions of ethnicity, nation, social change, and its fusion with music production. These are issues that affect virtually everyone in society, and for me, this subject will help me understand it better, while also providing an opportunity to relate my music and personal experiences to academic study.

Community Involvement and Aspirations

After my diploma in music, I participated in NGO and voluntary services as a sound engineer in a church program in South Africa. One of their biggest projects aimed to change the lives of less privileged people, reintegrating the homeless into the community, visiting orphanages, aiding the disabled, and campaigning against apartheid. The subject area investigates social life and the way it shapes people's behavior, beliefs, and identity. I feel strongly that by studying the social world, we gain a better understanding of ourselves and our own social situations.

Academic Goals and Future Plans

At SAE, I loved the fact that we explored new areas of learning, which is vital in a field like sociology, where everything is always changing. I was taught by vibrant academics in a young, modern department, and investigated the ways in which music and social life are organized. All of this helped me develop both personally and in my understanding of the subject. I learned about the complexity and diversity of social situations and gained knowledge and understanding of research methods, analysis, and statistical techniques that are needed to make reasonable and conclusive arguments.

Conclusion and Application to University

I have applied to the University of New Brunswick because I was greatly impressed by your ambitious plans for development across a range of activities and for building an outstanding reputation for academic innovation and achievement. I have a friend in your institution studying Sociology who also told me how comprehensive and engaging your teaching methodology is. Your program will give students a thorough grounding in sociology, the founding discipline of the Bachelor of Arts. Based on research about your institution online and word of mouth, I was impressed by its friendly and informal learning environment, and also by the variety of learning methodologies employed, which emphasized the development of practical skills in observation, interpretation, and information processing, all abilities valued by employers. Given the chance as a student at your university, I assure you that I will do my best to contribute to your esteemed institution and the course itself, by being actively involved in research, publication, and any related activities. After completing this program, I hope to return to my native country to combine my personal interest with the education and practical knowledge gained from your program to help advance the field of sociology in my country.

References

Bauman, Z. (2014). What Use is Sociology? Polity Press.