34-43 30^thStreet

Astoria, NY 11106

February 4, 2019

Professor Thomas Collins 

160 Convent Avenue

New York, NY 10031

Attention: Professor Thomas Collins

Subject: Letter of Introduction

Dear Professor Collins:

My name is Rasha Hussain and I am a sophomore at the City College of New York. I recently transferred from Hunter College and this is my first semester at CCNY. At Hunter, I majored in biology and hoped to study medicine, however after a year and a half, I came to the realization that I related and connected more to engineering than I ever did medicine. Such insight did not come simply or suddenly, but instead was a process that I believe I endured for a good portion of my life. 

Throughout my life, I never aimed to practice medicine or ever become a doctor. My parents were very disappointed with my decision and always attempted to change my mind, however, I never saw medicine in my future. In my junior year of high school, I volunteered at Elmhurst Hospital. There, I worked in the geriatrics department and met several elderly patients who each had a story about their life that they inspired me with. One woman, in particular, managed to not just inspire me, but change my entire perspective of the world. She had the most fascinating experiences which made me realize just how grateful and fortunate I should be. She was raised in a conservative family who never understood her desire to practice medicine or adopt a real career. She eventually had to move from her hometown to New York in order to follow her passion, however, she was married, and she found the circumstances to be troubling her husband, thus leading to her divorce. She had a sad life, one filled with heartbreak, however, she was so happy. She told me of the contentment that filled her when she was finally able to practice medicine without worrying about any judgment or disapproval. When she told me of her cancer, she awakened a certain passion in me. I felt certain that all I wanted to do was practice medicine. I wanted to cure her, so she could help others and find happiness again. This experience motivated me to go into medicine and the sciences, and so I decided to go to Hunter College for my undergraduate career. Eventually, I realized I wanted more with my life.

Studying at Hunter College was a thrilling experience, I made several friends who were on the Pre-Medicine track and each had a definite future for themselves. They were all certain that they would major in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, etc. and do the MCAT within a year of graduating. They knew whether they wanted to be surgeons, pediatricians, physician’s assistants, etc. and yet, I did not. I went to several career fairs, spoke to several career coordinators, and googled several careers hoping that maybe one would interest me enough to make me want to follow it, and yet, I never found it. All I knew was that I wanted to help people, I wanted to find the cure to cancer, I wanted to build a machine that would help someone to walk again, but I did not find it in myself to perform someone’s surgery or help a child out of a fever. It was then that I came across a certain friend who was studying biomedical engineering. She informed me that her career entailed that of engineering, and yet also practicing medicine. Biomedical engineering fascinated me. Such engineers are who build machinery such as imaging applications, wheelchairs, vaccines, etc. They incorporate science, math, engineering, and medicine so that doctors and patients could find their lives more accessible and easier. Immediately, I decided that I was certain that I had to transfer out of Hunter College. I simply could not continue to study in a subject I did not find passion in. My parents were fairly supportive in my decision to transfer to City College and study Biomedical Engineering seeing as it was still in the medical field. I began taking Engineering courses such as Calculus II, Calculus III, Physics based on Calculus I, and Physics based on Calculus II within the last two semesters, and eventually, my transfer was finalized for this semester. I still have several courses to take in order to be on track, however, I finally feel comfortable and content in the career choice I am taking.

When I see my future position in the world of engineering, I see myself working in hospitals attempting to overcome challenges such as direct vaccines that could penetrate the blood-brain barrier. This is an issue that first inspired me when my grandfather told me of his cancer. He had a cancer where his treatment entailed of getting the drugs to his brain, however, due to the brain barrier or astrocytes, this could not be possible and instead, he had to undergo chemotherapy which is a long and a fairly slow process. I hope to be able to find the protein junctions that would truly allow the brain to become permeable so that such advanced treatment would be possible. Another issue that I would like to solve is finding technology that would allow children that are paralyzed to be able to move again. Due to the fact that the bodies of children are growing, and their bones are not as sturdy as those of adults, technology such as replacement arms, legs, or even wheelchairs are sometimes not a solution. I hope to be able to build equipment that would be accessible and understandable to children, while also being helpful. This is especially an issue in countries undergoing war and civil unrest. In such countries, there are countless children as young as three years old who have lost their arms, legs, and need accessibility equipment that would allow them to live and grow as normal children. I really hope to be able to provide that for them. The last issue that I would want to be involved in is finding a permanent cure for varicose veins. Varicose veins are large, deformed veins that usually occur in the leg and result in severe pain, discomfort, and blood clots. Growing up, my mother had varicose veins and would be hospitalized every few months due to the pain. There are currently temporary solutions to close the vein such as sclerotherapy, endoscopic vein surgery, or vein stripping and ligation. These are all different processes that would allow the vein to be closed, however, they are costly and usually take several treatments for change to occur. Furthermore, it is said that varicose veins usually just take place in nearby veins, and thus they are not permanent solutions. My mother could not afford these surgeries and instead had to make several lifestyle choices such as putting less strain on her legs, eating healthier, and undergoing practices such as acupuncture several times. I hope to be able to use my expertise in biomedical engineering to form an apparatus that would allow varicose veins to be completely cut off and not reappear, however that is an issue that would take years and a vast amount of knowledge. Regardless, I hope to be able to overcome all these issues.

I hope to excel in the biomedical engineering field, and perhaps go on to do more. Another field that has gained my interest is neurology, however, I would like to focus on engineering first, and decide if neurology is a field I would find passion in after I graduate. I hope this letter has allowed you to somewhat understand more of me as an engineering student. 

Best wishes,

Rasha Hussain