Zihad Patwary
Undergraduate Student, Computer Science Department
City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
Dear Ms. Davidow,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to introduce myself to you and to give you an idea of my background and interests. This is my first year at City College and I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can about Writing for Engineering.
I grew up in Bangladesh up until the age of 5. It was a rural village in the region of Noakhali. My family and I moved from Bangladesh to the US in 2009. I then enrolled in kindergarten. At first, it was difficult to adjust due to the language barrier. I had no friends and could not communicate well enough to make friends. Especially since the culture was dissimilar, my mannerisms were also foreign. Bangla was the only language that I knew.
Despite these challenges, I persevered and eventually learned to communicate effectively in English. I only started making friends in the 1st grade. I enjoyed playing softball, kickball, and soccer with my friends. I was able to gain the likeness of my fellow students with my skills. I had something to be proud of.
I excelled in math and science because I was always fascinated by how things worked. In Bangladesh, I would break down the structure of a small motor and reassemble it to make a mini fan. I’ve always loved to read. Knowledge is something that I have always pursued. In America, this opportunity only expanded my curiosity.
In terms of achievements, I am proud of my academic progress and the efforts I have put into my education. All the steps and arduous obstacles I have overcome in my ability to understand. The 5-year-old me would not have expected that computer science is what I will pursue.
I decided to pursue a major in computer science because I wanted to have creative skills and apply them to make an impact in the technological world. I am still exploring my interests within the field, but my main areas of focus are software development and game development. I believe that computer science will allow me to have a creative outlet for my ideas and bring them to reality.
One experience that was meaningful to me was the time I visited a company that was developing a game. One of the developers wrote a new line of code and the game crashed. They showed me that a single line of code can change the outcome of the game. This eye-opening experience taught me the importance of detail and that improvement will take time; it is done in increments.
The past year during the pandemic, it had been difficult to adjust from in-person learning to online classes. It felt as though I was 5 again. I had little to no communication with friends from school. However, it has also given me a greater sense of appreciation for the people in my life and the things I had taken for granted. My future aspirations are to create something universal, to connect people despite the language barriers and distance.
This semester, I hope to gain a better understanding of the inner work of an engineer and evolve my writing skills to effectively communicate my ideas. My only concern at this moment is that I may struggle with the workload or meet deadlines. However, I am eager to learn and gain the skills needed to improve myself as a writer. I am willing to challenge myself and believe that with hard work and determination, I will succeed.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and getting to know me.
Sincerely,
Zihad Patwary
