Assignment #1: Reflections, Week 2: Submission 1: Formal Letter (Descriptive Reflection)
Dear
Professor Brad Blackstone,
I am writing this as
a self-introduction. My name is Zheng Xunjia, and I am currently a year 1 mechanical
engineering student. A brief history of my educational background: I graduated
from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2019 with a diploma in automation and mechatronics systems, specializing in aerospace systems.
Back
then, I was given the opportunity to intern at the assembly department of Molex
Singapore. My appointment as an assistant robotics development engineer allowed
me to play a key role in the assembly process. I assisted in the conceptual design,
development, and validation of proof of concepts through testbeds and
simulation of robotic applications. The time spent there further motivated me
to explore my interest in engineering, leading me to pursue this degree.
One
of my strengths in communication is being an effective listener. I believe that
being able to absorb information effectively is critical to communicating. This
skill enables me to converse with others on a deeper level and gain more insight
into their opinions and ideologies. Many of my peers who have worked with me in
the past have complimented my ability to follow their train of thought.
One
of my biggest weaknesses is public speaking. Due to my weak command of the
English language, giving speeches would always make me feel uneasy. During my
internship at Molex, I had to conduct a technical project presentation.
Although I was nervous, I was able to convey my main ideas across.
By the end of this module, I aim to be a more confident public speaker and improve my technical writing abilities. One of the key features that define me is my ability to grasp opportunities. My ability to absorb and process information has allowed me to enter the financial market at the right times. For instance, I managed to buy Tesla Inc. (TSLA) shares at its dip and sold it during the highs several times in the year 2021.
Yours sincerely,
Zheng Xunjia
(328 words)
Peers who I have commented on:
Hi Xun Jia, your letter is well constructed and flow. It's easy to read, have more confidence in your English language. When you are nervous when presenting, you just need to practice with a few friends first then present in a large group. As you said you're an effective listener, hope you can be a listening ear to those who need help.
ReplyDeleteDear Matthew,
DeleteThank you for taking your time to comment and for the advice you gave. Much appreciated!
Best regards,
Xunjia
Dear Xunjia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. I enjoyed reading about your experiences during your time at Molex Singapore, which I see has been an enriching attachment for you. Your letter is also well thought out and paragraphed nicely.
However, I would like to point out that there is a redundancy in your letter in you repeating the phrase 'in engineering'. I feel that the two sentences can be combined together to emphasize the journey you decided to embark on. Other than that, your letter is well written and gives a great insight into your mindset and capabilities.
I hope that by the end of the module, you are able to overcome your weakness in public speaking. One tip that I find helpful is to remember to plan beforehand what you would like to say and remember to pause and think in situations where you have to. Short pauses between sentences are able to assist you in emphasizing important points that you might want to make. I wish you all the best and I look forward to our lessons together over the next few weeks.
Best regards,
Rahman
Dear Lutfur Rahman,
DeleteThank you for taking your time to comment and give me feedback. I have taken your advice into consideration. Much appreciated!
Best regards,
Xunjia
Hi Xunjia,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I appreciate the conciseness when detailing your previous qualifications.
It was especially interesting to know how much previous work experience you had and how those work experiences cemented your passion for engineering. Your strength is essential as often times we find ourselves getting bombarded with information that it becomes difficult to absorb all of it in and we lose the essence of that information. In a way you are also giving respect to the speaker so keep it up.
I too have struggles when it comes to public speaking. However, it is great to know that you were able work around your weakness and still manage to deliver the message across in the Molex presentation.
I hope we can both work on our weaknesses together and improve as effective communicators over the coming weeks.
Regards,
Karim
Dear Karim,
DeleteThank you for taking your time to comment and give me feedback. Maybe we can practice public speaking together in the future!
Best regards,
Xunjia
Dear XunJia,
ReplyDeleteYour letter was very interesting letter especially the part about your experience as an assistant engineer.
I learned that you made full use of your internship to put into practise what absorbed in school.
The essay was well structured and allowed me to visibility see the contents of each paragraph.
However, I would like to point out a redundancy in paragraph 2 the phrase “in engineering” repeated twice in the same paragraph. It would be good if you could combine both sentences together. An example can be “ The time I spent there further motivated me to explore and pursue my interest in the field of engineering”.
Overall, I hope you can take advantage of your weakness. It takes a while to be able to present and sell your content without stress, and you often have butterflies in your stomach. But once you get past that, I think public speaking is really fun because you can analyse your audience's facial expressions and get their attention.
I wish you all the best and look forward to our classes together in the coming weeks.
Best Regards,
Venantius
Dear Venantius,
DeleteThank you for taking your time to comment and give me feedback. I have taken your advice into consideration. Much appreciated!
Best regards,
Xunjia
Dear Xunjia,
ReplyDeleteYour letter was very insightful and in depth as you supported your views with experiences. It was paragraphed well and there were minimal grammatical errors. It is great that you had the opportunity to work in a recognised company and gain many experiences throughout your time there.
To ease yourself in public speaking, a way that can benefit you is by reading aloud to an audience. With time and progress, it will smoothen your way in the difficulty of public speaking as you are accustomed to projecting your voice to an audience.
I hope we can continue to work together to improve on our strength and weakness and gain meaning information and skills over the next few weeks.
Best regards,
Umar
Dear Umar Faruq,
DeleteThank you for your tips on public speaking. Hopefully, both of us can overcome our weaknesses over the next few weeks!
Best regards,
Xunjia
Dear Xunjia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this clear, succinct and highly informative letter. You do a fine job covering the scope of the assignment brief as you detail your educational background and experience in poly and at Molex, connecting your interests and study choice with your development of both communication and engineering skills. It's enriching for us readers to learn about your internship and the growth that you've had as a result of that experience.
What I would like to know more about is the suggestion you make in the very last paragraph. You mention that your 'ability to absorb and process information has allowed me to enter the financial market at the right times,' but I'd like to see one more sentence of explanation.
This letter is also quite fluent, and I appreciate the overall flow of ideas.
I look forward to getting to know more from you this term.
Best wishes,
Brad
Dear Professor Brad Blackstone,
DeleteThank you for taking your time to comment and for the advice you gave. I will make the necessary amendments. Much appreciated!
Best regards,
Xunjia