Formal Introduction to SIE2016

Subject: Formal Introduction

Dear Mr. Blackstone,

My name is Jonathan Gan and I am writing to give an introduction of myself in my background. As a stepping stone into a new academic year in Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), I felt energized and motivated as I looked forward learning new skills. I am currently a year 1 student pursuing bachelor in sustainable infrastructure engineering (building services) at SIT. Personally, I am more of an "adventurer" which I tend to find ways around my passion. I take joy in meeting new people and ideas by reinterpreting these connections and adapting to changes. Aside, I have a great interest in rock-climbing.

Unlike most of my peers, I do not have an engineering background because I graduated from a science diploma. However, I was given an opportunity to work with a German company as an intern on the specialization in bamboo as a substitution for building materials. It was a fulfilling 8 months attachment and I have gained valuable insights. Highlights of my experiences there include researching, designing bamboo proposals for compatibility and collecting data. Initially, I faced a communication barrier with my German colleagues. I recognize the importance of communication in gaining better relationships in the workspace and having strong work ethics. Thus, I took the extra mile to immerse myself in the German culture. Subsequently, over the duration of my internship, my interest for understanding mechanics and engineering of buildings grew which led me enrolling into this course.  And of course, I do look forward in picking up new experiences through the Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP) in the coming years.

Surrounding myself with different cultures of different people, I discovered that my strength in communication lies in being an active listener and actually enjoying the interaction. I love being around with people as it provides me opportunities to expand my social network and building stronger bonds. Another strength of mine is that I have the tendency to observe one’s nonverbal cues. I pay greater attention to the speaker's outward appearance and their tone of speech during a conversation as it will give away their level of interest.

As for my weakness, I face difficulty speaking to a large crowd. Firstly, I need to gain confidence in myself, where I worry about what others think about what I speak and how I portray myself in social settings. I felt that my voice wasn't loud enough to project and the contents became unclear. Therefore, I need to rehearse on my speech beforehand to transmit the correct message to my audience.

Embarking on this journey with you, I am eager to learn to converse better conversations and to pick up good writing skills to be ready for the diverse community in the industry. Given this opportunity, I am glad to set foot on this module to brush up on my communicating skills.

Yours sincerely,

Gan Jin Sheng, Jonathan


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