The staff who had been helping me through the post-operative process suggested that I should apply as I had been speaking to them about my future plans and aspirations during consultations. My current course is a first line degree, but if I want to pursue a career in planning I need to undertake a post graduate qualification accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). I would use the Graeme Clark Scholarship to do the MSc International Planning at University College London (UCL) in September 2009. This one year full-time course will also give me the opportunity to study in America for 3 months in the third term.

As a young girl I was always described by my teachers as a conscientious geographer and this is reflected in my academic results. I have always been interested in places and people. I also have travelled extensively, from this experience I learnt a lot about how different communities and cultures live and organise themselves. Planning has been of interest to me I enjoy working with people, being involved in decisions which impact on people’s lives and contributing issues of more global concern such as sustainability. I am also a keen city girl and am very enthusiastic about developments which revitalise cities.

After having completed my A-levels I took a Gap year to travel in order to explore some parts of the world. I travelled Brazil, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Hong Kong over six months which culminated in a six month teaching placement in Borneo, Malaysia, Teaching English as a foreign language in a school in rural Malay. My adventures are captured in the postcards on my website, www.offexploring.com/itchyfeet. I feel that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity broadened my horizons considerably and motivated me to pursue my interest in different space, design and the social organisation of communities.

This experience also pushed my personal boundaries as a profoundly deaf person. It provided me the chance to prove myself in unfamiliar surroundings. I dealt with uncertain and difficult situations, learnt how to negotiate and get on with people of different backgrounds/cultures. I learnt how to create and seize opportunities. For the first time since leaving a school for the deaf I was required to communicate effectively in all sorts of settings. I am a highly motivated self achiever, and these experiences provided me the opportunity to feel confident about my ability to communicate effectively with hearing people and learn International Sign language.

When I returned to England I became conscious of how some of my deaf friends operated in work environments and began to do my own research in relation to the options a Cochlear Implant might offer me. I felt that it would enhance my listening skills considerably and be useful in meetings/consultation tasks. As a hearing aid user all my life I felt I would be limited, so I decided to take on another life changing experience. At the age of 21, I had a cochlear implant on 1st April 2008. I am pleased to say that it has improved the quality of my life to a great extent.

Since starting my degree course I have taken every opportunity in University breaks to secure work placements in order to appreciate the range of work opportunities a career in planning is likely to offer. These have crystallized my conviction that planning is definitely the career choice for me. My current work placement is in Central London with a planning consultancy firm, GL Hearn for two months. I am working in a busy office environment, attending meetings, communicating with colleagues and clients. I realise all of this would have been much more difficult if not, be possible if I did not have an implant. It has not only opened doors for me, it has breathed new life into me as I no longer feel so tired from the levels of concentration required.

My interest in planning comes from the fact that it is both practical and diverse. Urban planning is diverse because it deals with a full breadth of issues in society. It’s practical because the decisions made translate into things that get built. I feel that being an urban planner will give me the opportunity to use my skills and commitment to represent and uphold public interest, affect public decision-making, and encourage social, environmental, and land-use change for a better physical environment for our children.

I am very ambitious and not only want to become a planner, but also make a difference in the planning professional field. As a deaf person you use your visual sight more than your hearing. I think I can use my skills to visually enhance the built environment and be creative in terms of developing sustainable spaces. As planners have become increasingly important today, I want to become a role model and encourage other deaf people like myself to consider careers in this and allied fields.

Watch Cochlear's documentary of Amanprit, here.