STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

I grew up in pakistan in a setting that wasn't much urbanized. All through my childhood I
had the good fortune to live, study and play in a place so blessed with natural beauty, fresh
air and good water. I believe that this is what gives me an underlying desire to connect with
and appreciate nature where ever I go. As a kid, I was very much interested in watching
programs that related to environment protection and often I used to wonder where all these
destructions happen, since in my skewed views, my immediate neighborhoods didn't seem
to have any considerable negative effects. I strongly believed that industry is the only factor
that harms environment and as years progressed I understood that it is not the industries or
the automobiles but rather our ideas for growth, with no apparent concern for environment
or future generations that is the real threat. My state, Kerala is called the "God's own
country" by the visitors from all over the world due to its beautiful monsoons and enthralling
landscape and since this region wasn't immediately affected like those in the programs I
saw, the environmentalist in me stayed dormant.

When it was time for undergraduate studies, I opted for Bachelors in Geology with majors in
environmental Engineering. The decision was the result of my fascination towards
environment, an innate feeling of a need to improve things, processes and the prospects of
helping people with the newly acquired knowledge. Later, upon completion, I was offered a
Job at a deewan cement factory in pakistan. I worked in pre-fabrication planning to final
box-up supervision of various decks and offshore bridges. The climate was hard and the job
required long hours of work with cross functional teams. I must say that this experience was
a test of my adaptability and persistence, and I am happy that I came out successful in all
projects I was assigned to. I then worked in private civil projects, assisting estimation and
execution teams. Easy availability of civil floor plans and elevations made me think about
alternate designs that might've saved construction cost and energy. I had been offered a job
in the Chinese company in pakistan and I had projects in eastern as well as western
provinces and my job demanded cross country travel. These trips through the second
largest subtropical desert were the real eye opener. The bus journeys through lifeless
deserts made me ponder, that if we as a society progress following unsustainable ways in
the ecologically green regions, we might as well have a future when we will be forced to
follow sustainable ways in the desert. We need development, and I wish I could contribute
towards a much more sustainable way to grow, develop future proof business models and
processes with responsibility to the environment and this is what prompts me to study more
in this regard.

I am also much interested in agriculture, and the rising food costs, the consequent raise in
cost of living and the impact agriculture makes in the economic and social spheres of life
makes me feel that there is a huge room for improvement in the field of agriculture in urban
settings. After sometimes I met a delegate from the University of Saskatchewan in a
delegate visit organized by Santa Monica, an overseas education consulting firm, and it is
from there that I came to know about this program. As I skim through the fact sheet for
Master of Sustainable Environment Management, in University of Saskatchewan, I find
ENVS 802.3 - Human Dimensions of Environmental Change, ENVS 898.3 - Biodiversity
Conservation and Sustainability and ENVS 898.3 - Environmental Economics and Policy
Making, particularly interesting among others because I believe that these tools are very
powerful in deriving plans to remediate our policies, processes and create plans that
provokes thought for the future generation planners. This is the prime mover behind my
decision to apply for my Masters Program at University of Saskatchewan. After gaining
valuable insights and experience from my program, Masters in Sustainable Environmental
Management, I would like to begin my career as an environmental consultant for an
independent consulting firm or a local, state, or federal government agency, providing ideas
that are environmentally sustainable. To my knowledge, I find The University of
Saskatchewan as one among the top 10 Universities in Canada and is home to one of
North America's most successful research parks and science facilities. The reputation and
quality of education, affordable tuition and global recognition of degrees are what
strengthens my decision to apply for the course in University of Saskatchewan.

I understand that by 2040 two in three people are expected to live in urban environments
and this rate of urbanization gives us a wealth of new opportunities and huge challenges in
sustaining our cities. My country consists of Lahore karachi and fata, which according to
Forbes list of biggest cities (in terms of population projected to 2025) comes second, third
and eighth in the world. I believe that by then I will be able to play an important role, with my
knowledge and experience gained, to plan sustainable models for progress and that, is my
long term goal. Further academic training in Sustainable Environmental Management would
enable me to realize my potential and I hence look at your esteemed University to provide
with an opportunity to pursue my graduate studies.