Fall 2002
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Spencer E. Pace
Electrical Engineering Major
Timbuktu Academy Scholar
Southern University and A&M College
Baton Rouge, LA 70813
Many of my peers are still in doubt with respect to many career issues. I have been blessed with
clarity with respect to my career goals, and thus, I know the exact path I would like to take. I have
exceptional critical thinking skills. Furthermore, I have a natural inclination to investigate unknowns. After
factoring my mathematical abilities into the equation, my ideal career is self-evident. I am destined to
become an engineer.
My entire educational career has been a preparation for what is now only a few years away: my
obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. In the ninth and tenth grades I
participated in the Engineering Magnet Program at Captain Shreve High School. During the summers
between 1994 and 1996 I was a counselor and teacher’s aide for the Miami University
Science/Engineering/Math Program (MU-SEMP). In 1997 I attended the Timbuktu Academy’s Summer
Science Institute (SSI) at Southern University. SSI is an intense SEM academic program with the goal of
encouraging perfection (especially on standardized test) via intense and rigorous practice. The following
summer I returned to Summer Bridge Institute (which is designed to ease the transition from high school
to college). I am currently a member of the Timbuktu Academy’s Undergraduate Research Program.
I have taken courses while over the past few years to prepare for graduate school. For instance, I
declared a minor in mathematics to prepare for the mathematics requirements of graduate level
engineering education. Therefore, I have taken not only engineering courses such as Electromagnetic
Field Theory, Electrical Machinery, Thermodynamics, Control Systems and Communications; but I have
also taken math classes including Calculus III, Linear Algebra, Seminar in Mathematics, and Advanced
Calculus. The aforementioned math classes are all classes that were not required by my curriculum.
Still, I believe that I gained valuable knowledge and understanding of mathematical proofs, which will
surely be needed for graduate study.
My dream had been to work as an engineer in the field of telecommunications. This field has
interested me since I first became aware of the use of satellites for communication. However, now that I
have more knowledge of electrical engineering, my interests are more specific. I am specifically
interested in optimizing network design to increase transmission speed. Furthermore, I would like to
investigate methods to provide increased Internet speeds without requiring expensive equipment. I am
also interested in signal compression and reconstruction before and after transmission, respectively.
However, I admit that I lack exposure to many areas of electrical engineering. I am interested in research
in any area of electrical engineering because it will afford me the opportunity to access another area in
my field. In other words, my options are still open to many possibilities in communications. But no matter
what field I choose, I plan to share my knowledge in the classroom on a college level someday. This, of
course, requires graduate study.
My life is a series of little goals which, when they are put together, will help me realize my ultimate
goal. My ultimate goal is a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. My Bachelor of Science degree is only a
stepping-stone. I have worked diligently thus far in my academic career because I realize that my
undergraduate education is only the foundation for much greater things to come. My goals are high,
because I know that I have been prepared for a graduate level education.
