International Development Personal Statement Example

Pondering upon what I should present as the main reason for studying International Relations led me to a very simple conclusion. It is the only natural and logical sequel to what I have been doing for the last four years; finding new ways in global development is my passion and I want to contribute my part to the future of the world politics.

I have been a UNICEF volunteer since 2005. It has given me an insight into how such an organisation works, what the key points in launching a successful humanitarian campaign are and much more. I am also a member of the UNICEF's comitee for Youth Participation. In 2007 we organized a youth camp and this year we are having a Youth Forum.

What we are aiming for, is to raise awereness among young people so that they can speak out and convince officials to listen. I have participated in several events, such as auctions, workshops and concerts and gained the confidence to give the initiative for some other projects, smaller of course, but also very important.

At my high school, I organized two fundraising events, one dedicated to Darfur and another one, to raise money for reconstructing a school in Rwanda.

Rwanda was something that came very suddenly. It all started in 2005, when a few of my classmates and I got an idea of creating a short cartoon. We hoped to use the cartoon as a promotional material for the UNICEF's project on building school centres in Burkina Faso. Coincidently, next year Development Youth Prize came out with a focus on Africa.

The initiator of this competition was the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Luis Michel. We applied and came in first among Slovenian competitors.

This brought about a great year of travelling and amazing experiences. The prize were three destinations, that gave us the idea of what EU is doing in the developing world. First it was Brussels where we spent a few days, getting to know each other and learning how the European institutions work.

Six months later 25 participants from all EU member states went to Rwanda. I must say that I feel extremely privileged to have experienced something so intense as were those five days in Rwanda. It made me realize that the world is not so big after all, that huge injustices are happening all the time and that wrong decisions in the world of politics can have dire consequences for many generations that follow.

We did a reflexion on all of this next year at the European Development Days in Lisbon, where we took part in some discussions and open forums. It was thrilling to attend such an event and it left me hungry for more.
The next opportunity came this summer, when The Municipality of Ljubljana chose me to represent it at the annual youth meeting of The Union of Capitals of the European Union in Tallinn.

This year's topic was An ideal youth and child friendly capital of Europe. The most important lesson that I got from this meeting was how to work in a team of 13 people with 13 different backgrounds and perspectives representing 13 capitals. It is extremely important to have a good network and cooperation is crucial.

Answering to a question where I see myself in the years that follow is easy. I want to work in the area of economic development advisement focusing on the Third World incorporating local communities with economists and politicians.

Connecting and sharing ideas with people from all corners of the world inspires me and motivates me to seek further education abroad. If there is one thing I know about myself is that my strenght lies in facing challenges, because bigger they are, more I am determined to succeed.

That is why I am looking forward to study at Your university with such a prominent and quality programme. Adding international atmosphere and having many possibilities to expand knowledge and gain experiences in many extracurricular activities, is, I believe, the best way to excel in the field of my interest.