Statement of Purpose

I was born in 1992 in Korea. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been very interested in making things. When I was in elementary school, I participated in various science-related competitions such as making model airplanes and making electronic devices and won several awards. These experiences have greatly influenced my dream as a developer. Through several years, international society strongly insist the importance of coding. Coding is the basis of a control system, where rules or principles can be established to automatically perform targeted actions. The destination for these coding and control systems is the Artificial Intelligence(AI). As interest in automated society grows, self-learning capabilities through AI’s feedback are rising as the solution for automated society. Especially, the confrontation between Lee Sedol and AlphaGo in 2016 showed the potential of AI. The self-growing system with numerous data and repeated feedback was a very attractive technology for me, who was interested in robots. To study these high-potential technologies and contribute to society, I chose an Electronic & Computer Engineering department that researched the control system.

During my four-year college degree, I studied many parts of electronics. Unfortunately, my focus was on hardware and electrical circuits, and the paradigm of electronics at that time was shifting from hardware to software. Learning different areas to adapt to the new paradigm has been a very challenging and difficult experience. But I was also very interested in robotics, so I tried to learn about software as soon as possible. I couldn’t say I had a successful result in my college grades. However, as a result, I am confident that I have combined hardware knowledge (circuits) with software knowledge (coding). It is confident that I can act as a talent to organically connect different software departments and hardware departments in companies in related fields in the future. By going to GMU graduate school, I will further strengthen my software-related knowledge and, if possible, strengthen my hardware knowledge to try to get closer to my goal of talent.

As mentioned earlier, I want to be not only an engineer with knowledge of software and hardware, but also an entrepreneur and developer with overseas business. For this goal, I learned Japanese, Chinese and other foreign languages besides English. Before I enrolled in the GMU graduate pathway program, I had been in a machine product trading company for nine months. The company is Sangchon International, a small- and mid-size business which mainly sells machine parts to abroad. Nine months of work there gave me a vision as an international person of talent. Business-related conversations with foreign buyers directly affected my future direction. For example, when I went business trip to south-east Asia, I was able to identify the technological advances and market trends in those countries, and what customers in each country wanted. These experiences have brought great inspiration for what an international entrepreneur or developer should know. In addition, the company’s internal affairs have made it imperative to have an automation system that originates from the control system. Sangchon International mostly uses machines for manufacturing, but there was still a lot of work that people needed to do. I realized that this was a waste of work efficiency and company profits. Consequently, I have come to realize the need for an efficient, low-cost automated process control system that is applicable to even small businesses to address this.

The reason why I chose to go to graduate school was to achieve my academic achievements. But most of all, I judged George Mason University to be an ideal place for my future. First of all, it was judged that my close proximity to Washington D.C., the center of international exchanges and representative of English-speaking countries, would broaden my horizons on foreign exchanges and business. I also had a chance to meet a variety of international students through a preliminary master’s degree at George Mason University, and as I shared deep exchanges, I felt that George Mason University’s program for international students was suitable for me. Also, the curriculum for international engineering students is very diverse, and the variety of subjects taught makes it attractive to have an environment where students can choose the field they want better. I think selective learning in detailed subjects can give students a more solid course. Through learning and experience at George Mason University, I want to grow up as an entrepreneur and developer who enters the international community. Finally, I would like to take over my family’s trade-related business and grow it as a trading company targeting global companies.