As a little girl and adolescent, I daydreamed of someday graduating from school and earning an advanced degree. Constantly learning all that I could about healthcare and access to healthcare, by the time I began my undergraduate studies, I embraced the goal of becoming a leader in my community, putting my education to work for the public interest.
Thus, after careful research and preparation, I now write on behalf of my application to study for the EDD Degree in Organizational Change and Leadership at the University of XXXX. Earning the doctoral degree in your program will equip me for a career of excellence as a healthcare executive, especially in the use of principles and practices to supervise, empower and support a team, deploy, and utilize organizational resources for positive transformational results, and use qualitative and quantitative data to prioritize goals while focusing on the vision. The OCL program at UXX will encourage me to drive innovation through technology while increasing health equity and promoting healthcare integration with primary and behavioral healthcare. I will become a catalyst for change while reflecting on myself as a leader, taking the initiative, and overcoming challenges. Earning the EDD would help me secure a position as a senior program manager, boost my networking abilities, prepare me for oversight of program operations, develop strategies, and steer quality projects towards increasing health equity through integrated healthcare. Your program will inspire and enable the whole exercise of my analytic mindset approach, guiding me to explore the most important models and frameworks that are most useful for understanding the healthcare industry and identifying challenges.
I also look forward to staying connected as part of your alumni network. I am especially drawn to the mission of UXXs XXXX School of Education, dedicated to inspiring future leaders and policymakers in redesigning healthcare systems through integration. My education at UXX will encourage me to contribute to transformational change in healthcare that will achieve greater levels of health equity. At the center of my world is combining primary health care with behavioral healthcare – addressing disparities through integrating these two systems and increasing health equity for physical and mental health wellness. Like Jackson & Huston, I see health equity as a priority concern that calls for research, practice, and policy analysis across disciplines (Jackson & Huston, 2016).
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Nigerian parents, we returned to Nigeria at the age of two; growing up in an underdeveloped country and returning to America for my education and to develop my career - has driven me to succeed. My educational and employment experience has been centered on addressing the needs of the healthcare industry, especially concerning diverse populations. My undergraduate degree in Behavioral Science allowed me to explore the science behind human actions while analyzing human behavior and mental health. I was privileged to work with individuals diagnosed with mental conditions during this period. My role as a Behavior Health Case Manger was to assess a patient’s mental health and resources and help them develop long-term coping skills that would enable them to manage their conditions successfully. My passion for behavioral healthcare drove me to pursue a master's degree in health psychology focused on how biological, social, and psychological factors influence overall wellness. While using cultural context to structure policies and improve healthcare systems through leadership, I have been determined to serve as an advocate for individuals diagnosed with mental health conditions through practice and research.
I come from a family of educators. My late father was a Nigerian Professor of Business Administration, my mother a retired Nigerian Professor in Mathematics, and my siblings also teach Mathematics. My family and my culture play a role in shaping my decision to pursue a doctoral degree from a prestigious university.
I am not proud of my GPA, as I know I could have performed better under different circumstances. Having multiple level entry jobs at the time to make ends meet, losing my grandparents six months apart, and losing my father, accompanied by other setbacks, was challenging. However, I refused to allow my past to define my future aspirations and learned to be resilient and determined to continue my education without giving up; grateful for having excellent role models in my life.
I passionately believe that with a distinguished faculty and a dynamic peer group, I will be able to advance my career in transformational leadership while promoting positive change and increasing health equity in the healthcare industry by earning the EDD in OCL.
I look forward to working with Professor XXXX and other illustrious educators to drive systemic change through leadership excellence while identifying challenges, exploring various theories and perspectives, learning to overcome limitations, and taking advantage of opportunities.
I appreciate your consideration.
EDD Organizational Change and Leadership