I seek a career in communication because I see it as the most vital part of life. For me, little else is as important as helping people communicate with those who are challenged in this area, those who need help, to live whole and happy lives. As I have matured and learned about career options, SLP strikes me as the noblest and most rewarding career I could choose. Thus, I hope to be selected for the program at XXXX University, my first choice for earning the Master´s Degree in SLP, for several reasons, most of all the sheer excellence of your program and its location.
I am highly motivated and thrive on helping others overcome obstacles to their long-term development, health, and happiness. Nowhere among the helping professions do I see a chance to make such a profound and sustainable difference in the lives of individuals that face communication challenges. I hope to make my maximum contribution as a human being and as a member of my community. Micheal Korda once said, “To succeed, we must first believe that we can.” I could not have greater confidence in my ability to excel as a graduate student in SLP because of the great passion for the miracles I have seen performed live-saving improvements in communication that enable young people to make the most of their lives.
My journey has been characterized by increasing seriousness about and dedication to my studies, which I have come to see increasingly as the central vehicle to success: stay in school, excel at my studies, and then earn a degree at the university,
Being raised in a household where education played a significant role, it was not difficult to distinguish what you wanted to pursue and what you must pursue. Discovering the field of Speech and Language Pathology has allowed me to realize that this is the field that will provide me with the greatest happiness through the fulfillment of service.
As a young woman, primarily African American, I am sensitive that one is often looked down upon in the African American community if one speaks concisely and with accurate, advanced, well-educated diction. I delight that many people do not know that I am African American when they talk to me on the phone rather than in person. I attended a College Preparatory High School where I spent incredibly formative years surrounded by people I usually would not be spending time with since my school was in a white, affluent neighborhood far from my home.
While I did not take a school bus, my successful education reminded me of all the children before me, who were bused into white neighborhoods to go to better schools. There is much to be said for standing up to this challenge. As a result of not attending the public school in my neighborhood, I am more articulate, better integrated into mainstream society, and better poised for success in the world and life. I want to help others achieve this boost, this assistance, preparing them to have a chance for happiness and security, even upward mobility. My education has helped me to become the best version of myself.
By the time I completed my undergraduate studies in Public Health, my sights were set on Speech and Language Pathology. Hence, I immediately went about completing the prerequisites for the program. At the same time, I continued to work with developmentally challenged children, because of which I became curious about and dedicated to the study of many issues related to how children are diagnosed with disabilities in the first place – in addition to many of the treatment modalities and controversies that accompany them. I am especially enamored with how SLP professionals often work closely with an audiologist since many of the children I have met during my training have been impaired and some incapable of walking, speaking, hearing, or swallowing. My time as a Sub Paraprofessional with disabled children has inspired me to grow. I love feeding individuals incapable of doing so themselves and changing diapers. The sense of service, cultivating the necessary patience and discipline.
I’ve always felt the need to push myself to be the best I could, academically or in an extracurricular activity, and nothing less was ever expected of me. Looking up to my parents has made me want to give my all to the helping professions. On numerous occasions, I was told that given my personality and gravitation toward children, I should pursue a career in teaching. As an SLP professional, I look forward to many decades of teaching and learning alongside my students and clients.
Thank you for considering my application to XXXX University.
SLP Master's Personal Purpose Statement