Elliott

Choi

1548 Richmond Street, London, Ontario

September 30th 2016

Dear Selection Committee,

As a rising high school senior, there was no doubt that my career path would involve the amalgamation
of both science and business; and my first year experience as a prospective dual degree B.EngSci/HBA
student at Western has done nothing other than further secure this idea in my mind. As I begin my
second year in the software engineering specialization, I am continuously challenged by my classmates,
the entrepreneurial spirit of the campus, and by mentors in both engineering and Ivey to be a better
thinker and doer.

Not only am I a prospective dual degree student, but I am currently undergoing the national team
selection trials to become a member of the under-24 Canadian team for Dragon Boat. Due to lack of
dragon boat specific training facilities in London, Ontario, I commute a total of five hours each week to
the Afterburn Fitness Center in Toronto, Ontario. As a student athlete, costs can mount in a variety of
factors such as competition fees, training facilities, selection camps, and travelingwith the
International Dragonboat World Championships being held in Kunming, China, my expenses are
mounting, but the experience to represent our country and Western would be too amazing to pass up.
My experience at the 2015 World Championships was already a life-changing experience and I have no
doubt Worlds 2017 will be more phenomenal.

Aside from athletics, I am also an active member of the Western Investment Club, University of Western
Debate Society, and a student researcher for the Western Democracy lab. As the sole engineering
student in the debate society and the Democracy lab, I found I was able to lend an engineers
perspective to problems that arose; using iterative developmental processes, I approached solutions
with a much broader mindset, and led to unique proposals such as my research on Air-BNBs economic
impact on the North American Shared economy legislation.

The Tim, Jane, and Brian Kwan award would prove to be invaluable as the costs of being a dual degree
student and athlete continue to mount. I believe with this award, I will be able to focus on impacting on
a holistic basis as I currently do so. I firmly believe that engineering is to precious a discipline to keep
contained within its own domain; the engineers approach to problem solving is an invaluable thought
process that brings new perspectives to whichever industry it touches. As I continue down the dual
degree path, I am more than excited to continue to contribute in the classroom, as a researcher, as an
athlete, and as a leader.



Regards,
Elliott Choi