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

I am an adaptable and self-drive 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.

After my graduation in 2001, I joined a sound reinforcement company Dream Audio Works Studio owned by the church head of technician. I participated alongside with other technical crew in setting up a (PA)Public Address system for the live event, concert, shows for the orphanage, disable and fundraising for charity. While I was growing up helping people as always been my privilege and part of my life because my mom had a stroke, later diagnosed with diabetes, taking care of her and the way I studied her social problem and interacting socially with her solved it through music and art, which healed her drastically. That, indeed really inspired me to change a life. As a confident, and results-oriented person, I pride myself on the ability to bring all challenging projects i am involved in into completion. I possess a proven ability to deliver coursework and any tasks given to tight deadlines, in a berserk environment. In 2012, I traveled to South Africa for a diploma program to study Sound engineering at SAE Institute, Cape-town. Amidst the xenophobia saga in South Africa at that time, I still completed my program.

I can communicate and make a presentation to persons of all levels, from fellow mates and tutors, right through to work colleagues by using effective methods to get across my ideas and conclusions. An effective logical and methodical thinker, I am able to see the wider picture as well as the detail of the projects I work on. I get through difficult periods by focusing on solutions rather than problems. I am a great team player, who is flexible, has excellent troubleshooting skills, is quick to hypothesis and remedy defects, and is self-motivated enough to be able 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. I believe myself to be trustworthy and diligent with work, as well as a capable team worker and requires minimal supervision. Look, Sociology as a discipline is unique in its breadth of inquiry and it’s not absolutely new to me. Out of curiosity and quest for knowledge, I added one more book to my shelf called “What use is Sociology?” written by Zygmunt Bauman. Sociology is relevant to issues of contemporary life. 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 to understand it better, and also provide an opportunity to relate my music, personal experience to academic study. After my Diploma in music, I participated in an NGO and voluntary Services as a sound engineer in a church program in South Africa which one of their biggest projects and their aim is to change lives of fewer privilege people, reintegrating the homeless in the community, visiting the orphanage, disabled and campaigned 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.

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 have helped me to develop both myself and my understanding of the subject. I learned about the complexity and diversity of social situations and gained a knowledge and understanding of research methods, analysis and statistical techniques that are needed to making reasonable and conclusive arguments.

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 fun your methodology of teaching is. Your programme will give students a thorough grounding in sociology, and the founding discipline of the Bachelor of Art. On a research to 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 which are valued by employers. Given the chance as a student at your university, I can 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 completion of 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.