Eleanor Roosevelt once said “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of

their dreams.” & I deeply & strongly believe in his saying. In the entire process of my
growing up, I have been influenced by the accomplishments of many people; some great
and famous and others not so famous. I always dreamed of doing what most of my
cousins did; study well, get a scholarship and go abroad for higher studies. That was a
little kid’s innocent wish. But as the years passed by, my dream turned more and more
into an ambition… into an aspiration, something that I wanted to achieve. As it is rightly
said “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and
then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”

I still remember the evening we got our first computer. I was all of 7 then. My excitement
& joy knew no bounds that day. All I wanted to do was open up the computer & see what
was inside it. Back then parents were amused at what I wanted to do & obviously didn’t
let me do it. But as the years went by they eventually gave up & let me satisfy my
inquisitiveness. Over the years I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve opened up the
computer and removed each and every part and to learn all about it. Engineering
therefore was an obvious option for me. Electronics and hardware interested me so much
that I opted for it even during my junior college days. My teachers were extremely kind
to clear every doubt and answer every question that I asked. That’s when I learned and
mastered all the basics.

My parents therefore weren’t surprised that I opted for the major “Electronics &
Communication” in my undergraduate course. Academics have always been my strong-
hold. My inquisitive nature and a strong desire to ingrain the fundamental principles as
well as techniques of any subject of study have enabled me to achieve an excellent
academic record. I have always adopted a rigorous approach in order to attain an in-depth
understanding of the subject at hand. This has given me a broad conceptual basis,
which, I believe, is essential for a research career. More importantly, it has inculcated
in me the methodology of scientific inquiry as reflected in my rigorous and analytic
approach to problem solving. My grades in the basic courses reflect my quest for
fundamentals. During my undergraduate course in the Department of Electronics &
Communication, I have consistently scored above 70% (First Class with Distinction),
which is a matter of great pride for me, as very few students have achieved this feat. This
makes me several cuts above the commonplace.

My main objective during my undergraduate studies was to get an overview of various

fields in Electronics and identify a field of interest in which I could pursue my research
career. I came across the subject ‘Signals and Systems’ during the course of my Fourth
Semester. It instantly became one of my favorites. I was extremely surprised with the fact
that Math had so many applications in modern day electronics. Math had always been my
favorite subject since school days and I loved the fact that so many things could be done
with basic signals using different mathematical functions. I immediately knew that I’d
love to learn more about this subject.

I then came across Digital Signal Processing during the course of my Fifth Semester. It
gave me an in depth knowledge about digital signals and the systems used to process
them. During that time I learned and mastered the multipurpose software Matlab which is
also one of the basic software’s used for DSP. I was totally in awe of the simplicity of the
software and the ease in which an amateur can learn it. I have even attended many
seminars & workshops related to the same. My profound interest of the subject turned me
into an expert at programming Matlab in no time. I still remember my DSP lab exams so
vividly. The examiner had come from another College and wasn’t aware about the
syllabus covered in our College. Among a batch of 30 students, I was the only one who
satisfactorily answered all her questions. So impressed was she by my performance, that
she personally came to me and asked me how I knew so much in depth about DSP while
the others didn’t. On knowing about my deep interest of the subject, she strongly
encouraged me to take up something related to Signal Processing after my graduation too.
She even suggested that I check out Image Processing and said I’d love that field too.
That still serves as one of my biggest inspirations to take up Sensing & Signals at the
Master’s level.

As she had rightly guided me, Digital Signal Processing systems have a major role to
play in bio-medical imaging, image processing, robotics etc. The major advancements in
the field of medicine have so much to owe to DSP. DSP also provides a major platform
for research and it is the one field that can never have a downfall. I am presently studying
the subjects Image processing and DSP algorithms and my interest in the subject has only
increased. I also believe that I will be able to give in my 100% if I get a chance to do my
Masters in this field because that is where my interest lies.

Personally, I enjoy teaching and although I have no formal experience, my naturally

strong communication skills help me considerably. I envisage myself as a teacher and
researcher – either in industry or in a University. At present, I definitely see myself as a
teacher to undergraduates. In fact, that’s something I would enjoy immensely & that’s the
reason why I have even helped many of my juniors with their studies here at my college.
I also enjoy participating in all kinds of quizzes and essay writing competitions and have
won many prizes for the same. I also participate actively in speech competitions and love
interacting with different audiences and meeting new people. Learning new things is
what excites me the most & I take everyday as a new challenge, a new awakening to
reach my goals.

University of Florida could be the nucleus to accomplish my goals, as ample

opportunities exist for students like me to become involved in active research programs,
both experimental and theoretical. It is equipped with the technology, expertise, and
resources in the methods I hope to explore it since it is of utmost importance that I find
myself in such an environment. Most importantly, University of Florida places an
emphasis on student research, a top priority for me since my ultimate goal is to earn a
Doctorate degree. I would be more than happy to be given the opportunity to pursue my
graduate study at University of Florida & I am looking forward to the same. I am
confident that in return for this I can make a perennial contribution to your institution.

Viola Gomes