PERSONAL HISTORY STATEMENT

University of Melbourne

Subject : Application for the Master of Engineering Management, and the Master of Architectural
Engineering

Dear Sir or Madam,

I have the honor to request from you the application study for two masters of your university.
1. Master of Engineering Management
2. Master of Architectural Engineering.

Since I was a child, I have always had a passion for science, the conception of things in the world
around us. This curiosity was fueled by a family of engineers who were persevering and
passionate about their projects. Due to a certain mimicry, I sought throughout my academic
career to develop my scientific skills of reflection and judgment. After obtaining a scientific high
school certificate, I chose to prepare myself for 2-year undergraduate courses to prepare nation-
wide competitive exams of the French engineering schools. These two years have been the most
formative of my career due to the monumental amount of knowledge to be acquired, not to
mention the speed to develop the ability to think, solve and optimise a subject.

I had the honor to join the finest building school in France, ESTP. After exploring many fields, I
discovered a real passion for architecture and heritage renovation. My summer internship in a
marble and luxury stone solutions company as a project manager allowed me to be fully
immersed into the universe that attracted my eyes, and I was able to find during this 2-month
period that little spark that makes us wake up in the morning to work on soul-vibrating projects.
The Master of Architecture offered by your university is thus a major asset to enrich and improve
my skills in the building field.

Moreover, after two years at ESTP, I have been able to get involved in many projects such as
being part of several associations, managing the school's associative life, organizing student
events, or representing African culture. I was chosen for important positions such as the
presidency and the treasury of these legal entities, and I was able to discover how to manage
decision making, and efficiency of a +30 people team, but also to ensure an effective operations
running.

As in my internship I realized that, in addition to my passion for engineering, I have developed a

real taste for management and supervision. Being a curious person but above all motivated and
determined during a project, I naturally developed character traits such as meticulousness,
leadership, and versatility. To be able to do a master oriented on management, it seems to be an
evidence to consolidate these competences.

Furthermore, throughout my training, I have given my best to combine studies with my extra-
curricular passions, which I believe has particularly helped me in my versatility. First of all, music
has been and still is what defines me as an individual. I have been involved in this world since I
was very young, and started playing piano at the age of 10, then many other instruments such as
drums, guitar and now the violin. I discovered from my first lessons a gift, the perfect ear, that
18 rue pasteur 78380 Bougival - France +33(0)622334656 claire.charbois@estp.fr
allows me to reproduce almost any sound I can hear. Combined with my deep love for film music,
I learned to be organized, persistent and to never give up.

Even during my two years of competition preparation, and even after the shut down of my piano
that caused me to lose all my songwriting and arranging records for over 5 years, I never stopped
making music, and I reinvented myself whenever I had to. Each challenge requires adapting,
understanding, deciphering and putting one's skills into action, and I try to devote every day of
my life to the application of this life philosophy.

So, I sincerely believe that being able to do one of these masters on the other side of the world
will be one of the biggest challenges of my life so far, and I would like to achieve it. I chose
Australia first and foremost because it is the country where I would like to settle down in the
future. My ambition is to settle in an English speaking country. Being driven by the desire to
travel, to discover the world through my work, the experience of living elsewhere than in my
native country is an opportunity I must seize. I have never had much opportunity to discover new
countries, but on the other hand, having moved several times, I will be able to integrate well in a
brand new life.

I truly hope that my application will spark your interest and that you will give me the chance to
figure among your students.

Best regards,

Claire CHARBOIS

18 rue pasteur 78380 Bougival - France +33(0)622334656 claire.charbois@estp.fr