STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

In hindsight there are several compelling reasons which have motivated me to seek admission to this coveted
MS in Computer Science program being offered by Arizona State University. Topping this list is the
opportunity to expand the scope of my existing knowledge of technology by gaining a deeper understanding of
niche domains like Data Science and Machine Learning, which have the potential to redefine the future of
mankind. Having done my UG in Computer Science I have realized the immense potential offered by CS in
almost every field imaginable from agriculture to astronomy and healthcare to aeronautics. Joining this course
will enable me to optimize my knowledge and skills in this fast-developing domain and equip me to leverage
the plethora of exciting career opportunities which have made CS a preferred option for budding tech
professionals.

That being said I am equally confident that I have what it takes to join and complete this challenging graduate
program with distinction. I have successfully pursued an exhaustive Bachelor’s in Computer Science and
Engineering program from the respected Institute of Technology, Nirma University, with a credible CGPA
of 8.26/10, complemented by almost one year of industry experience in software engineering. My robust UG
curriculum combined with its project-based approach has empowered me with a sound foundation in several
core subjects like - Data Structure and Algorithms, Object Oriented Programming, Operating Systems,
Computer Networks, Database Management Systems, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Big Data Analytics
and Natural Language Processing – which piqued my interest the most. Alongside it also helped me develop a
demonstrated proficiency in several programming languages (C, Java, SQL, HTML, Python and MATLAB),
frameworks and tools (Tensorflow, Scikit-Learn, Django, Numpy, Pandas, OpenCV, Git, Android and Cisco
Packet Tracer) as well.

Outside the classroom I was an active participant across several challenging, student-driven project which
helped me expand my practical horizons. A case in point here is my 6th semester Speech Emotion Recognition
– Deep Learning Application using Python project. It focused on developing an application which could
predict the emotion contained in an audio file with the help of transfer learning. We extracted features from pre-
trained wav2vec 2.0 models by combing the output of different transformer blocks and then we applied
Convolution Neural Network on them. We then also applied a Convolution Neural Network to the MFCC
feature to classify the different emotions and compared the result with the above method. We also evaluated our
proposed approaches on four standard emotion databases namely RAVDESS, TESS, SAVEE and CREMA-D.
We opted to build and train Deep Learning models using a Tensorflow and Pytorch framework and leveraged
Flask to build a basic UI.

Another challenging project which also merits a mention here was my 7th semester Uber Microservices –
Microservice-based project with API Gateway. It consisted of five different micro-services (booking service,
payment service, trip management service, user management service and driver state service) to book a cab with
separate databases, all communicate through REST API. We used different frameworks like FastAPI, Django,
and Flask, and made an API Gateway between clients and servers. This rich practical exposure also helped me
hone my research, team work, leadership, time management, communications and presentation skills which will
be a huge asset in the course of this advanced MS program.

My success also gave me the impetus to optimize a rewarding internship opportunity as a Software Engineer
Intern with the Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore from Jan-July 2022. I am presently working here with
its 5G team as a fulltime software engineer. As an intern I was tasked with building a demo for AI Model
Streaming. I also developed a PC-to-PC demo in Python for the .h5 model format. My internship and
subsequent fulltime employment here has enabled me an opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge to
work on several real world challenges and gain valuable industry experience. As a fulltime engineer I took the
AI Model Streaming work further and successfully built a PoC from Android-to-Android devices in Java. Prior
to joining, I had only trained the model using high-level API and used the high-level API of Keras and PyTorch
for storing and loading the model. But after being assigned to this project, I got the opportunity to work on the
trained model file for the very first time. This intense experience has also empowered me with crucial insights
into the complex Deep Learning frameworks.

My passion for knowledge has also driven me to seize the initiative to complete several additional online
courses namely -- Machine Learning by Andrew NG (Coursera) and Convolution Neural Networks in
TensorFlow (DeepLearning.AI & Coursera) – which have helped me enhance my technical knowledge and
update my skill sets. In addition to this I have also gained by participating in several industrial visits during my
UG program to reputed organization like Crest Data Systems, a leading IT firm which provides analytics,
security and business ops solutions. It gave me an opportunity to understand the real time execution of real-
world projects and develop a wider perspective.

Despite my hectic academic schedule, I also made the time to work with a leading NGO Dot to Drawing, for
two months during my summer vacation. It helps students learn dance, drawing, singing and yoga free of cost
apart from conducting sessions on self-defense, spirituality, motivation, social issues and education among other
topics. In addition to this, I also enjoyed taking part in the IBM Hack Challenge 2020 with a friend during our
second-year summer vacation. The topic we selected was Wind Power Prediction wherein we were required to
predict the energy output of wind turbines based on weather conditions as part of a two-month challenge. We
developed a full-stack web app using Django and made a comprehensive presentation before a panel of IBM
experts. We were declared the Runners-Up in the competition and were also featured extensively on the
university website and several social media platforms which was a huge morale booster for me.

In hindsight I owe a lot of my consistent success to my hard work, focus, time management, discipline and
dedication to my long-term goals. I am now seeking to replicate this success by joining this MS program which
holds the key to unlocking my potential and realizing my career aspirations. Having done my due diligence I am
confident that this globally renowned course and your acclaimed institution are well equipped to cater to my
exacting academic requirements and will provide me with world class knowledge of CS complemented by an
enviable portfolio of cutting-edge technical skills to realize my professional aspirations. Alongside I am also
looking forward to further my passion for research in niche domains like ML, Deep Learning and Edge
Computing, guided by your renowned faculty and peers.

Post graduation I hope to find a relevant career opportunity as a highly skilled computer engineer with a reputed
tech-driven company to apply my knowledge and skills to help make this world a better place to live in by
working on software projects like Google Maps, YouTube and Microsoft Office which are used on a daily basis
by millions around the globe. In the long term I aspire to build an open-source framework to enable computer
engineers build better software. Apart from that, I want to leverage my R&D for a startup that works for a noble
cause and build an innovative project which will have a global impact in bettering the lives of people. In the
interim, I seek your valued support in my quest for advanced knowledge and sincerely hope that you will
approve my request to join this renowned CS program to push my limits and give wings to my dreams.

Thank you.