In 2014, I relocated from Nigeria. From 2014 to date, I have been involved in several activities to enable me to practice medicine in the US. Some of those activities include but are not limited to passing the USMLEs, working as a small group facilitator for Kaplan Test Preparation, doing observer ship, and other volunteer activities. During this time, I have continued to become better acquainted with how medicine is practiced in the USA and the culture of the USA. One of the significant benefits of migrating to the US from Africa is that I have adequately understood how migration impacts an individual's emotional, psychological, and mental well-being. I say this because, as an immigrant, I faced many challenges, including culture shock, language barrier, mode of interaction, and the general culture of this society. I was able to adapt positively to these negative stressors. However, I have talked to many immigrants, both in the medical and non-medical professions, who succumbed to the pressures of a fast-paced society like the US to the extent of causing a mental breakdown. Therefore, I have cultivated a particular interest in psychiatry because I would like to delve deeper into understanding how stressors can negatively affect human health. This is one of the reasons I have chosen to give my professional life to Psychiatry, helping in this most critical – and foundational – aspect of health and successful living. I hope to be selected for a residency position on the front lines of urban psychiatry in America, helping the underserved successfully handle their mental health issues such as substance abuse, depression, and anxiety, PTSD, particularly for veterans and those at risk of suicide. This is one of the things I love about Psychiatry; With the enormous diversity of cases, everyone must fight his own battle against unique stressors. I have learned from volunteering in homeless shelters that substance abuse is especially prominent in poor communities. While I look forward to treating patients of all patients, regardless of racial, sexual, and economic backgrounds, I feel especially called to help underprivileged people. Working for various healthcare institutions over the years, both in the US and Nigeria, has improved my ability to communicate with patients and other professionals alike and better understand the challenges my patients face. My most recent experience is an observer ship at Griffin Memorial Hospital, mostly in-patient with a few outpatients and forensic telemetry. I also completed a sub-internship in Internal Medicine at XXXX Hospital and was trained and gained experience providing consultations in the in-patient psychiatric unit. My first exposure to psychiatry was a clerkship in the area while still a medical student in Nigeria. In addition to my intellectual passion for Psychiatry and how it provides me with such an opportunity to exercise my compassion, my family circumstances are also a factor in my decision to pursue this area of medicine. My father passed away right before I entered medical school, and my mother passed in my second year of a 6-year medical program. Now thirty-two, I spend part of my free time baking cakes in honor of my mother, who was a baker. This way, I always have cakes on hand for the weekend when volunteering at the Houston food bank and homeless shelters. Psychiatry Residency Personal Statement Editing

Born, raised, and educated in our native Iran, realizing my dream of practicing medicine in America has not been easy and has required great sacrifice. For the first year of my residency position in Pathology at XXXX University, my husband, a neurologist in Iran, had to remain in Iran waiting for his visa. We were separated for an entire year. I came to the USA first with our 3-year-old daughter; our family has since been reunited in America. My husband is currently serving as a neurology resident at XXXX University. I hope to be selected for a Fellowship Program in Hematopathology where I can engage with innovative research in my chosen area of particular focus as a pathologist. I look forward to spending several decades searching for the most definitive diagnoses possible for hematologic malignancies. I have learned a great deal about Pathology over the last few years. I have admired the interdisciplinary teams that help provide accurate diagnoses and effective treatment to patients with life-threatening diseases. Inspired by great hematopathologists such as Dr. XXXX, my mentor, I am determined to pursue my fellowship with undivided energy and dedication to fulfill this all-important role of a hematopathologist in the most effective manner possible. My mentors have inspired me in my residency program, helping me become a highly competent pathologist who could not be more dedicated to giving the balance of her professional life to hematopathology, the forefront of research and practice. Completing a hematopathology fellowship will inspire and empower me to become the finest hematopathologist possible. I could not be more attracted to the intellectual stimulation and challenge that Hematopathology represents. Since childhood, I have loved microscopes and earned an award for building an inverted microscope in seventh grade. I came from a small city in Iran named Urmia, and I went to Tabriz for medical school. After graduating, I lived a brief time in Istanbul, Turkey, before moving to the US. I have also spent considerable time in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, Croatia, and Canada. In addition to my native Persian language, I speak, read, and write Turkish on an advanced level. My facility with languages has also enabled me to learn basic Spanish and Arabic. My Spanish is rapidly improving because I prioritize this as the language of many of America’s underserved, who I look forward to helping. After graduating near the top of my class from one of Iran’s finest medical schools, I worked for two years in Iran's Blood Transfusion Organization (BTO). I was promoted to leadership roles in this organization, where I learned much about hematological disorders such as anemia and hemophilia and plasmapheresis treatments. I was recognized as the exemplary physician of the Azerbaijan province for my contribution to public health as head of the BTO for my area. My foremost role model was my father, a distinguished gynecologist. Nothing excited me as much as a child as being with my father as he cared for his patients. The other close family relationship that played a vital role in my development as a medical researcher is my cousin and best friend, who went to the same medical school where we were classmates. However, my cousin was admitted to the hospital for evaluation in our first year of medical school due to recurrent fevers and excessive fatigue. The following day, after initial blood work came back, it was determined that she had leukemia due to a bone marrow aspiration performed and sent to pathology. While we anxiously awaited the result, the pathologist, a close friend of my father, came to the hospital to see us. I remember how vital the pathology report was to her prognosis and chances for survival. The pathologist explained that she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She finally overcame cancer through chemotherapy and returned to medical school. This experience led me to focus on pathology as my primary career interest. I am most pleased to have acquired extensive research experience at UCXX and with the NIH, publishing several articles in several areas of medicine, including, and closely related to Pathology (with fifty-three citations by Google Scholar). I enjoy looking at diseases through tiny windows and combining that information with clinical symptoms to make a diagnosis. Accurately interpreting pathology slides requires a solid knowledge of many areas of medicine, and I could not be more drawn to this challenge. Personal Statement Example, Fellowship Hematopathology Thank you for considering my application to your distinguished Fellowship Program in Hematopathology .

In my third year of an Internal Medicine residency, I spend ‘all’ of my elective rotations in Endocrinology, my chosen area of specialization. As a young doctor with an elevated level of energy matched only by my motivation to perform as an outstanding clinical practitioner and researcher, Endocrinology is the center of my world. I read myself to sleep every night, reading widely in my chosen area of medicine, and I am driven to stay entirely abreast of this field to balance my professional life. I look forward to long hours, giving my all to your Fellowship Program in Endocrinology . My diligence has been rewarded with responsibility in my current position since I have recently been elected as one of the Chief Residents in my program, providing me with a solid foundation for cultivating my leadership and administrative skills. Especially since I began my residency program and gained increasing experience, I have come to appreciate better the critical, vital importance of Endocrinology, which is intimately related to a whole host of pathologies. My passion for the fight against diabetes inspired me in this area. Along with diabetes, obesity is my main specific career interest. I am exceptionally well-read concerning the global pandemic of obesity and its devastating outcomes. In addition to diabetes, obesity is linked to numerous disorders such as MI or stroke. I look forward to waging war on obesity throughout my professional life and on multiple levels, from prevention geared toward young people and older patients struggling to manage their disease. Born and raised in Serbia, I have also spent considerable time in Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Tunisia, UAE, Austria, France, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Macedonia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Montenegro. These days, I am very much enjoying New York. I thrive on diversity and especially enjoy meeting other professionals and patients from the former Yugoslavia, speaking, as do I, Serbian, Croatian, or Bosnian, my mother tongues. With my sights focused on the underserved of New York, many if not most of whom speak more Spanish than English, I have also been learning Spanish intensively, since my arrival. I continue to make rapid progress in Spanish, although I read it and understand it better than I can speak it. From living in different cities in various countries, I have gained tremendous experience in adapting to new environments, tackling new challenges, and interacting with people from all levels of society. Most animated and enthusiastic, I look forward to my future in Endocrinology with a profound sense of endowment, fulfillment, and a keenly felt obligation to provide exceptional patient care. I see patient education as an incredibly crucial ingredient to successful outcomes. It gives patients greater control over their lives but lessens their fear and anxiety. My long-term objectives include sub-specializing in diabetes management and focusing on obesity and its relationship to thyroid disease. My dream job would be in a clinical position allowing me to collaborate closely with researchers with similar interests. I am thankful that I have the full support of my family to make the practice of medicine my top priority since I see solid family support as essential for constant professional improvement as a medical practitioner. I enjoy how Endocrinology plays an intricate role in the function of multiple organ systems. I I love the creativity and critical thinking required for our complex field and how it provides us with a comprehensive understanding of human nature. I especially enjoy patient contact, discussions of lifestyle choices, and making decisions for the long rather than the short term. I date my passion for the miracle of medicine to the age of ten, the day when one of my classmates who lived in our apartment building fell from the third floor, landing with a thud in our front yard. This was the most significant single event of my childhood from my perspective, and I fixated on this child’s good fortune to have survived the incident. Later, when he returned to school, I made it a point to learn all I could concerning his long and arduous recovery and how it resulted from excellent and extensive medical care. This way, I became determined to dedicate myself to saving lives one day. To this day, I am convinced that confronting this medical emergency so early on has contributed to my extremely natural and calm demeanor around patients and my casual, cool, and collected response to the crisis. . Another factor that has helped me succeed in medicine was spending much of my time playing competitive volleyball as a child. This is especially true in teamwork and the natural rhythm between team members required to become top-notch. We did our best for an extended period, playing as one and catering to the individual strengths of each member. Thus, I also learned to pay attention to detail and be precise in everything. Now, entirely devoted to Internal Medicine, I seek to become an expert clinician who takes a clear history, performs a thorough exam, and uses evidence-based medicine to diagnose and treat my patients properly. Thank you for considering my application to your distinguished Fellowship Program in Endocrinology. Endocrinology Fellowship Personal Statement, Diabetes

I hope to earn the JD Degree at the XXXX School of Law at XXXX University because of my deep admiration for your curriculum's comprehensive and creative nature. A Mexican American man who has lived in Chicago his entire life, I believe that I would perform best as a law student on my home turf - with the support of my family and social networks. Thus, I am also attracted to your location. I have visited Mexico a half dozen times and read a lot about our country of origin, especially in the context of social justice issues and concerns. I am horrified by the violence, instability, and lack of respect for human rights plaguing the border between the two countries. I look forward to participating in discussions of these issues as a citizen and as a legal professional concerned with social justice issues and the many vulnerable members of our society that immigrate primarily across our southern border with my land of origin. My interest in social justice issues led me to complete my internship with the Justice Corps as an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I fit well with the BA Program in Criminology, Law, and Justice. I was motivated to study in this area by my central desire to help people, particularly those who are victims of injustice, either individually or as members of a social or ethnic class that has historically been victimized and exploited. I minored in Psychology as an undergraduate because I thought advanced study in this area is helpful for members of the legal profession to understand and respond to social justice issues more fully. I am proud of my heritage as a Mexican man and most pleased that I am fully fluent in Spanish, learning it early on from my family. I even took two courses to improve my writing skills in Spanish at UIC. Spanish speakers, recent immigrants, and young people of color from minority groups are central to why I hope to earn the JD in Law to help young people from at-risk homes understand their challenges and make wise decisions, especially concerning the justice system. I hope to do this as a volunteer and earn a living as an attorney. Chicago has a large Latino community. There is a large Mexican American population that I feel called to serve, particularly as both a volunteer and a professional dedicated to public service. I want to focus on helping at-risk Hispanic teens, providing as many as possible with a second chance as an attorney working for a law firm that passionately and effectively fights to protect minorities from wrongful/unjust convictions. I look forward to working alongside organizations that promote proactive solutions for troubled teens. In this way, I hope to contribute to the fight against systematic criminal justice disparities. I want to help Latino youth at risk of entering the justice system because of foolish indiscretions, lousy company, and unwise decisions. I want to work to provide a way out, a second chance, for young people and their families. Ten years from now, I see myself living happily with my family in Chicago, working for a distinguished law firm that puts more emphasis on principle than profit, giving my all, providing a broad range of legal services but focused on winning cases for teens who are wrongly accused and are facing the complete ruin of their lives. In addition to criminal justice, I am especially interested in immigration law, due to being Mexican American. Much of my family is undocumented, and I’ve seen the hardships they face up close due to not having legal documentation to work in the U.S. I have witnessed first-hand the uphill battle facing undocumented immigrants. Undocumented teens, for example, are left with no option but to end their education after high school since they are ineligible for financial aid. There are many good reasons why young people in this disadvantaged category need exceptional support from the community. As a lawyer, I want to support more investment in childcare and support for our young people instead of jail care for life at taxpayer expense. I look forward to many decades to come struggling every day to help provide Latino young people with a fighting chance at justice and survival through solidarity. Thank you for considering my application to the JD Program at the XXXX School of Law. JD Law Personal Statement Editing Service, Enhancement

I hope to be accepted to the PharmD program at XXXX University. Your program is my first choice among PharmD programs. A 37-year-old former officer in the US Army, I served for 15 years, including eight years as a Medical Service Officer. I have served in various locations here and abroad, including combat zones. I am also the mother of two and the wife of a serving Army officer. My work entailed liaison with many medical specialists, and I acquired significant exposure to their various functions, responsibilities, challenges, and achievements. Those specialists included many pharmacists, and I decided to seek admission to the profession once my military service ended. My decision arises from a desire to make a difference rather than merely make a living. I possess the unique characteristics required of an excellent pharmacist. I am bilingual in English and Spanish. I strive to be a ‘well-rounded’ person, and in my spare time, I enjoy trail running, yoga, reading biographies, and spending time with my family. I am very widely traveled, both socially and professionally, and crave exposure to new cultures. I have happily studied, worked, and socialized with people from many ethnic and social backgrounds, and excel with a significant degree of autonomy. I understand that pharmacy requires exceptional ‘people skills’ because it entails liaising with patients, medical professionals, and specialists. I know the pharmacist is often a patient’s ‘first port of call’. This confers heavy responsibilities in identifying appropriate action and providing advice. I am an empathetic person with exceptional ‘listening’ skills who gets along well with others. I particularly relish the prospect of joining a profession that benefits from rapid and continuous development in new and increasingly effective therapies. Because of my background, I am particularly interested in research related to the treatment of PTSD and hope that an opportunity to assist in such analysis may be available. My choice of XXXX arises primarily from its proximity to my home and to those who will assist me in caring for my children while I study. I feel fortunate to be close to an institution with impressive faculty, a record of achievement, facilities, and research opportunities. As a naturalized citizen and veteran, I am attracted by the diverse student body and its support for the military community. As I prepare to apply for the PharmD program in Pharmacy, I am grateful to have had significant exposure to the specialty already. My academic and professional career up to this point has prepared me for the rigors of the program. I also possess unique characteristics that are called for and the theoretical potential to excel. I am eager to begin this journey and further pursue my passion for Pharmacy with this coveted degree . I am eagerly seeking to enroll in the PharmD program in Pharmacy. I have always been intrigued by the scientific, technological, and ethical sophistication that is involved in the pharmaceutical profession. I view this degree as the key to learning, working, and serving in a multidisciplinary environment of healthcare. I am confident that I can make the most out of this opportunity and contribute positively to this world-changing field. Thank you for considering my application. PharmD Personal Purpose Statement Editing Service

I could not be more content and animated by my career choice as a data scientist. I see increasing mastery of Statistics as foundational to my capacity to perform a the forefront of my field. XXXX University is an outstanding university ranked the best college in North Carolina, with excellent professors who put effort into their teaching classes. Thus, I hope to earn a Master’s in Statistics at XXXX University. I am the best fit for your program, given my desire for a solid foundation in Statistics to propel me forward as a Data Scientist at the service of the field of Finance. XXXX University is a preeminent research enterprise. I want to research the future of global finance. My hard work was rewarded by a scholarship from the National Science Foundation (2012-2014) and the Koski-Finnerty Math/Sci. Scholarship (Spring 2014). I also earned a scholarship from the University of Maryland University College, helping me finish my undergraduate studies in 2017. As a Data Scientist, I will fully immerse myself in analytic modeling, scripting, and programming, developing, and implementing large data sets in various states of organization, cleanliness, and structure. I am currently mastering Python, R, SQL, Machine Learning, and Tableau. The only thing that excites me as much as unlocking the potential of Statistics for Data Science is spending time with my seven-year-old son, the center of my emotional world. Thus, the flexibility of earning my master's online is most attractive. Born and raised in mainland China and making a new home in America since 2008, I have significant professional experience that complements my academic achievements, especially concerning my current position with the local Transit Employees Federal Credit Union, where I have mastered the art of using Excel and pivot table for analyzing customer bank accounts for purposes of resolving disputes and posting my findings to the general ledger. I plan to continue working full-time as a graduate student, paying for my tuition as I go and supporting myself and my son. Thus, in addition to the sheer excellence of your program at North Carolina State, I appreciate the fact that I will be able to comfortably manage the monthly payment plan that you graciously make available to graduate students. I plan to proceed by taking one course each semester and two courses each summer. I was an auditor in China. After finishing my undergraduate studies in Accounting and Business Management at the University of Maryland University College, I profited from Python Bootcamp: going from zero to hero in Python 3. I have also mastered Tableau 10 A-Z, SQL for Tableau, and Tableau Desktop, earning certification as a Tableau Associate. I am well-versed in Machine Learning and hold several certifications in Microsoft Office. I see Data Science as the hottest career of the 21st century. In today’s high-tech world, everyone has pressing questions that must be answered by "big data." From businesses to non-profit organizations to government institutions, an infinite amount of information can be sorted, interpreted, and applied for various purposes. I love working with data, so I decided to advance my career in Data Science rather than Accountancy. I want to improve my analytical and problem-solving skills by completing my Master’s in Statistics Program at XXXX University. My great passion for learning all that I can about Statistics will help me excel as a graduate student and later as a Data Science professional. I also volunteer at my son’s elementary school, helping with everything needed. Thank you for considering my application to study for a master's degree in Statistics . Statistics Masters Personal Purpose Statement, Modeling

Part Native American and part Mexican, I am a bilingual young woman who thrives most of all on communication, which I see as central to happiness and building solid, functional, and fair civic institutions. Born and raised in Texas, I now live in Houston, working full time as I seek lifetime educational opportunities and career advancement. I earned my B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Texas A&M Kingsville, graduating Cum Laude in 2014. I am currently working as a licensed SLPA in a home health setting. My goal is to become a licensed, Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist. I have been working as a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant for the past four years and could not feel more strongly that this is my calling. My sense of social purpose and community solidarity drives me to want to continue focusing my efforts on low-income families in the Houston, Texas, area as a licensed Bilingual SLP. I want to do this for the little ones, primarily Spanish speakers, who desperately need my help. I particularly look forward to setting goals for each child I work with, tailored to their specific circumstances, helping parents learn how to successfully participate in and reinforce their children’s early language stimulation and learning. I have been fortunate to work alongside several outstanding SLPs, and what I have learned will help me hit the ground running in your program and excel. Several years down the road, I hope to be a licensed SLP, and I would love to further prepare myself for teaching at the college level in Speech-Language Pathology. While my grades as an undergraduate were far from outstanding, I feel strongly that the rates of ‘B’ that I received do not accurately reflect my potential to perform as a graduate student since I have grown and matured enormously over the last four years and have become much more dedicated to my career, inspired every day as an SLPA. There is a shortage of fully bilingual SLPs in Texas, and the need is excellent throughout the USA. I feel called to respond in Houston. While I’ve lived in the USA all my life, we visited Mexico regularly when I was a child. We spent extended periods there, helping me become fully bicultural and bilingual. This allows me to gain the trust and respect of children and their families, cultivating a sense of solidarity with those who have more recently arrived from the south of the gain trust and respect o children and their families, developing a sense of solidarity with those who have borders. I see compassion as my greatest strength, and I am convinced that this quality is essential to our profession. Most recently, I have worked incredibly diligently with my supervisors on writing goals, learning how to score assessments, and translating speech assessments utilized for evaluations. My compassion has also led me to volunteer at a local animal shelter in Houston. I find boundless joy in helping stray animals. I love traveling and learning about history in the various parts of the world I have visited. I also love to paint and run, in addition to reading. Thank you for considering my application to your distinguished SLP Master's Degree Program . SLP Master's, Speech Therapy Personal Purpose Sample

My central professional goal is to work with homeless and disadvantaged gay youth. According to the 2017 article Coming Out and Leaving Home: A Policy and Research Agenda for LGBT Homeless Students in the journal Educational Researcher , “each year, it is estimated between 320,000 and 400,000 LGBT youth encounter homelessness. They are at increased risk of victimization and abuse and face stigmatization for being homeless and a sexual or gender minority.” Many public programs overlook this especially vulnerable population. I look forward to contributing to public policies protecting and addressing this victimized segment of young people. I am drawn to the broad-ranging and comprehensive nature of the Public Administration Program at XXXX University. I am applying to the Graduate Certificate Program where I would have the flexibility to transfer credits towards an MPA degree as an option, learning to engage simultaneously in the pursuit of efficient operation, democratic accountability, and problem-solving effectiveness.” (Handbook of Public Administration, Henry). I seek a better understanding of the complex challenges faced by both federal and local leaders in the protection of public health and safety; After earning my certificate in Public Administration and developing a research base for my target demographic, I will then choose between the MPH, another certificate in LGBTQ Studies or further study in a Gender Studies program. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City - a significant flashpoint in our nation. As a happily married gay man, I understand the inequality in our society. I am pleased to see the progress made in America, most notably with the full recognition of marriage between same-sex couples in 2015. I am heartened by America’s embrace of presidential candidate ‘Mayor Pete,’ for example, as a young gay man, a husband, a prospective father, and a public administrator. I also seek to research developments from the perspective of LGBTQ studies and the moral framework of human rights for all. This focus will provide me with insights from which I can think creatively about the intersection of Public Administration on the one hand, and the changing patterns of gender and sexual orientation on the other, in terms of public policy and representation. As a marketing and management professional, I have a successful record of accomplishment of managing numerous event marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 clients, including AOL, Verizon, Nintendo, and Kellogg’s. For over a decade, I was responsible for introducing new products into the marketplace. At the same time, I have always been a volunteer and activist, especially in the areas of Me Too, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQ rights. At age 40, after having had the opportunity to participate in AmeriCorps, I could not be more ready to embark on a professional lifetime of service in administration. As an Ambassador of Mentoring with AmeriCorps, I created a new mentoring program and coordinated two career mentor programs for at-risk high school students. This was my first experience working closely with youth. Before my service year, I rarely interacted with children. My inner circle of family and friends was dumbfounded when they learned I committed to a year of full-time volunteer service working with at-risk youth, exceptionally high schoolers! The year turned out to be one of the most significant experiences. I became impassioned to serve youth in some capacity. I recently worked as a Volunteer Coordinator at Volunteers for Community Impact. I supported the Foster Grandparent Program, a federal national service program that partners low-income senior citizen volunteers with students with special needs. I am incredibly proud of mobilizing over one hundred volunteers in Orange County Public Schools, County Head Start classrooms, and other local youth-serving organizations. For Woodrow Wilson: "It is the object of administrative study to discover what government can properly and successfully do, and, secondly, how it can do these proper things with the utmost possible efficiency and at the least possible cost either of money or energy.” I want to contribute to the success of our government and public research policy that respects and lends a hand to those most vulnerable among us, those who have most frequently failed to have their human rights respected. I am committed to learning about public administration and the public administrator's role towards this end. I appreciate your consideration of my application to your distinguished Certificate in Public Administration Program . Certificate Program Statement in Public Administration

Question 1, Teaching: It was an enormous honor for me, in my first year of medical school, to work in the advance and implementation of IDEA initiatives, helping to conduct seminars and host lectures about diabetes and hypertension. Since I could not be more devoted to the struggle to mitigate the effects of these diseases, which are widespread in our society, I applaud efforts such as these that go a long way towards helping those who suffer from these diseases to better control them through lifestyle changes. My team and I prepared lectures about primary care and prevention. The best part of this experience was to appreciate better the extensive positive good that we were able to bring about as physicians, especially over the long term. As an undergraduate student, I felt in a hurry with my classmates, most of us bound for medical school, anxious to get there. Many of my friends act like life will begin with a diploma and being selected for a residency position. My experience with IDEA, however, inspired me to savor each moment and place medical education itself as the top priority, enjoying teaching and learning. Despite the rigors of medical school co-occurring, I put an extremely high value on teaching preventive medicine to those in greatest need of that awareness. I went the extra mile to make the necessary time available. I could not be more dedicated to lifelong education in medicine, especially preventive medicine, and I look forward to teaching and learning to balance my professional life in medicine, which I see as my central human purpose. Health Care Delivery: I worked as a medical scribe before beginning medical school. This experience also helped me blossom as a professional, a future physician, and a human being. As a scribe, I worked in an ER that served a geriatric population. My position entailed entering and leaving the patient’s room with the physician and transcribing the verbal interaction. I enjoyed greeting and saying goodbye to the patient, sometimes patting their hand. I am especially pleased to have had this early dose of patient contact and learned a great deal about the healthcare delivery systems we have in place and the norm, serving as a basis for future reflection on my chosen profession. Often, I got the impression that the patient felt lonely, confused, or in some way unattended. I gradually began getting them water, a blanket, etc. and talked to them when an opportunity arose; laughing and simply listening can be most helpful. I never failed or even slowed in my writing, writing top-quality notes as a scribe, but I became more than just a scribe; I was also one person helping another. No physician I worked alongside ever complained about my doing extra things for patients; on the contrary, several of them went out of their way to commend my efforts. By the time I had to leave my position as a medical scribe to begin medical school, I had fallen in love with geriatric patients, particularly to such an extent that I hope to specialize in gerontology as a medical practitioner after completing medical school. I like to think that I had a small part in many of these patients healing quicker and smiling more often. It became evident that I had a gift and, most of all, an intense desire to care for the elderly. Rural Volunteer: Another highlight of my medical education thus far was participating in a medical mission to Jamaica. Here, I came to appreciate the many facets of healing as a person or concerned individual, someone other than a physician who also wants very much to help. The populations we served in Jamaica were among the most desperately poor people I have known, or even read about, with no access or support in terms of medical care. Most talked about the hardships they had to endure to get to where we were, in our makeshift clinic with the most limited resources. They looked at me, and the other medical students supporting me labored to help fill me with the keenest joy and most profound sense of destiny. I vowed then to make medical missions to the Developing World a central facet of my medical volunteerism for many decades, the task as if we were also doctors. We did what we could, things like checking glucose levels. The journey and the people we labored to help filled me with the keenest joy and most profound sense of destiny, as I vowed to make medical missions to the Developing World a central facet of my medical volunteerism for many decades to come. Some of these people had walked for hours, lost money, lost jobs, and moved mountains to be there and receive some health care assistance. One experience I could never forget on this trip was seeing a woman die from a heart attack in front of my eyes. This trip further inspired me to a career that never fails to honor the importance of missionary medicine and the personal, human touch of a medical practitioner. Question 2, Disadvantaged Background: I was born in Cuba into a close-knit family of four, my mom earned US$30 a month as a physician, and my dad drove a taxi for tourists. When my older brother was eleven, and I was seven years old, we escaped to Miami to build a new life for ourselves in freedom, where my brother and I excelled in school. However, space does have a price, and life has always struggled to make ends meet for my family, especially early on. Things became a little easier once my brother finished school and became employed. He quickly found himself working three jobs, always with a smile on his face. If it weren't for him, I would have never had my first laptop for college. The diligence and frugality of all four of us enabled me to concentrate on my education. My medical education is a triumph for my entire family, not only me and my big brother but also my parents, who have worked, pinched, and scraped so that I could become a doctor. Question 3, Why this Scholarship: Starting with nothing upon our arrival, as new immigrants in a foreign land, we struggled for years to eat and keep a roof over our heads. This is why I am applying for the XXXX scholarship. I no longer receive any help from my older brother since he now has a family of my own, and my mother cannot work as before. The financial challenges faced by my family increased significantly throughout my first two years of medical school due to a severe illness incapacitating my maternal uncle, leaving him in a wheelchair and under the care of my mother. My uncle has no other family, only us, and we care for him wholeheartedly. He must be showered, fed, and constantly supervised. My mother can’t afford my uncle's home nurse, so she has cared for him since his insurance refused to help pay for his care for more than two years. It has not been easy for my parents to assume that responsibility on an already minimal income. However, we pride ourselves on persevering through tough times and coming together more than ever. My father works 12 hours a day at age 58 and comes home exhausted each day. My being awarded this much-needed scholarship would represent an enormous ray of sunshine in dark economic times of great struggle for us. It will be most difficult for us to make it as a family while I am in medical school without assistance. Thank you sincerely for considering my application to the XXXX Scholarship for Medical School . Medical School Scholarship Supplementary Question

The Master’s Degree Program in Communication Disorders at XXXX University is my first choice for graduate school for several reasons, especially the sheer excellence of your program and its location. Since graduating from the University of Texas A&M at Kingsville in December of 2011 with a bachelor's in communication disorders and a minor in Psychology, I have been working professionally in Speech Pathology as an SLPA, serving at a Pediatric Rehab center. I could not be happier with my chosen vocation, mainly because of my cousin Isa, with whom I have spent more than a decade helping overcome communication challenges, meeting with remarkable success, and confirming my calling. Shortly after completing my bachelor's degree, I decided to continue my education and went on to earn a master's degree in special education. After completing my teaching exams and observation hours, however, I realized that it was Speech-Language Pathology where my heart is and that this is the field in which I am most attracted to serving, helping children master the most critical aspect of their lives: communication. Thus, I began working as an SLPA providing therapy services to children with various communication challenges, growing and broadening my understanding of Communication Disorders. My cousin Isa, now seventeen, has had over twenty surgeries, including pharyngeal flap surgery to correct Velopharyngeal Insufficiency. She has lived an extraordinary life against all odds, and I have followed with great interest and enthusiasm the way that she has been helped along the way by a well-trained Speech Pathologist. It was not easy for my little cousin and her family, traveling across the country to find someone who could help with her complex syndrome, called 22.11Q deletion. As I helped take care of my little cousin, I got to experience much of the ordeal up close. Finally, we found a speech pathologist in New York, Dr. XXXX, who helped coordinate the treatment for Isa, making a critical difference. This speech pathologist organized a treatment plan that spanned doctors from several parts of the country, and she was also instrumental in training Isa’s current SLP. I was able to interact with Dr. XXXX and watch her in action. More importantly, I am most thankful for the opportunity to observe up close and over time the huge improvement that an exceptionally well-trained Speech Pathologist can make in a child's life and that of her family. As a result of my collective experiences so far, of which Isa and the professionals who have cared for her are a prominent part, I could not be more pleased with my calling in life or dedicated to giving my all in professional life to h people, especially children like Isa, to communicate so as to lead happy and fulfilling lives. I see every task through until its successful completion and am always focused on the job. I look forward to giving all to my studies as a graduate student in your master's program at XXXX. Since childhood, hard work and diligence have been ingrained in my heart; my experience working as an SLPA and seeing my young cousin thrive these past 17 years has strengthened me and prepared me to succeed in your graduate program. Hungry to grow professionally by learning from your distinguished faculty and fellow graduate students, I hope to take full advantage of your program's enormous leadership and vision at XXXX. It would be a massive honor for me to be accepted to and complete your program, becoming part of an extraordinarily successful community of like-minded individuals giving all to SLP. I want to make the same kind of positive impact as the Speech Pathologist who helped Isa, influencing and motivating others to excel in the advancement of Speech Pathology. My vision is clear, and I could not be more highly motivated to serve as a light of hope, putting a sparkle in the eyes of those I help. I thank you for considering my application to SLP at XXXX. Master's in Communication Disorders Personal Purpose

A Jamaican woman born and raised in New York City, I hold a BSW Degree and now hope to be selected to earn the MSW Degree at XXXX University. I am most concerned with racial disparities in maternal/child mortality and how they are again rising in some parts of the USA. Despite a century of steady improvements in the science behind maternal care, pregnancy-related deaths are again on the rise in NYC, especially concerning minorities but most dramatically in the case of Black women who suffer severe maternal morbidity (SMM)—life-threatening complications during delivery—in vastly disproportionate numbers. While the national conversation on maternal health has focused on maternal mortality, it has not sufficiently explored the root causes or the full range of consequences. This is especially true concerning how maternal morbidity tends to occur along racial lines in NYC (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2016). I am a Black woman from the Caribbean, yet not a Latina. I faced many challenges growing up due to these factors, which have helped make me strong and curious, with a sense of social justice and a keen desire to serve my community, especially vulnerable women who are also pregnant. Untold numbers of Black mothers struggle to receive proper prenatal and postnatal care in NYC. Disparities along racial or ethnic lines are especially glaring between Black and white women who are not Latina. Black, non-Latina women have the highest SMM rates in NYC, three times that of the white non-Latina. There are many reasons for this: pre-conception health status, the prevalence of obesity and other comorbidities, and lower access levels. Thus, I will have my work cut out if accepted to your Advanced Standing MSW Program and allowed to tackle such a complex issue under your expert guidance. The problems go well beyond the educational level since Black mothers with college degrees still have higher maternal mortality rates than white women who dropped out of high school. Neither is it primarily a question of diet, physical condition, or body size. Black women with an average weight index still have a higher probability of dying due to pregnancy/childbirth or losing their child than women of any other race. Black women in wealthy neighborhoods have less successful pregnancy outcomes than other races living in poorer areas. I seek a total immersion experience studying emotional and psychological trauma from a social work perspective on both the individual and family levels. I want to delve into the long-term and even multi-generational cost of the loss of a mother – psychologically, economically, in terms of education and well-being across generations - for the community, the surviving children, and the families that they go on to create. How do grief, depression, and a sense of social isolation result from insufficient attention to women’s health, and at what cost, especially when we factor in the increase in the numbers of single-parent households and children placed in foster care (Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2016)? I long for expertise in how and why some families can access adequate food, shelter, and health care while others do not. Women’s health should be prioritized and addressed in every arena, from politics to the school system. Programs that promote the emotional and physical well-being of the mother and baby need to be designed and implemented, building on what has already been accomplished in this area. Medicaid could cover doulas' services which would be of enormous support and assistance since doulas have extensive training in childbirth and can provide critical emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother who is expecting, is experiencing labor, or has recently given birth. The doula aims to help women have a safe, memorable, and empowering birthing experience (http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/having-a-doula/).” Studies have documented improved birth outcomes when a doula was present during the birth. With the support of a doula, women were less likely to have pain-relief medications administered and less likely to have a cesarean delivery. Women also reported having a more positive childbirth experience.” Studies have shown that having a doula as a birth team member decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50%, the length of labor by 25%, and oxytocin by 40%. Doulas often use the power of touch and massage to reduce stress and anxiety during delivery and postpartum, continuing to assist with lactation support and recovery. I hope to live to see the day that all pregnant women in NYC have access to the help of a doula. It was an enormous privilege to complete the BSW program at Medgar Evers College, a distinguished and critically important historically African American university; I became strengthened and empowered as I progressed through this program. The BSW program introduced me to various intellectual perspectives invaluable for the social work investigator on both local and national levels. I can now stand back, look at stereotypes, and analyze them without buying into them. I can see the bigger picture and the depths to which historical humanity sunk in the name of greed, in the construction of systemic oppression against which we shall continue to struggle for many generations. Being as compassionate as possible in all my dealings with my clients is central to my sense of professional integrity. As a volunteer at the service of various underserved populations, especially with WIN (Women in Need) helping in the shelter, I have learned that I have both the heart and the stamina for social work. My finest hours have been spent distributing food to families at the shelter and helping with events such as Christmas and back-to-school giveaways. With the 4H, I mentored underserved children; I currently work at a non-profit agency serving adults with diagnoses of mental health disorders. I do home visits daily, keep notes and draft service plans. Even when one of my clients has a crisis, I still manage to turn in my work on time. My coworkers commend me for always keeping my composure despite what frequently results from my clients' chronic mental health disorders. I constantly advocate for my clients to get them the care and support they need. I even go to pharmacies to lobby on their behalf to fill a prescription. My clients appreciate my dedication to their needs, and they show it, which inspires and empowers me further. My central professional goal is to obtain my clinical license. Further in my career, I hope to open my not-for-profit agency, focusing on implementing not-for-profit give innovative therapeutic approaches to helping children with social and emotional challenges. I want to give voice to those who have never had one and contribute to a progressive impact on our educational and healthcare systems. I want to continue to practice and enhance my ability to make clients feel comfortable and be able to express their thoughts without feeling like they are being judged. I see my most significant potential for contributing to society as helping to change the structure of our school systems in low-income neighborhoods to make them more inclusive and empowering for all children. Every school should have a social worker, so students have someone to advocate for them. I am troubled that Black students in NYC are four times as likely to be suspended than their white counterparts. I dream of helping build an organization that serves children with social and emotional behavioral issues, providing them and their families with therapeutic support and resources. I am also extremely interested in documentary films, which I hope to utilize in the future in the service of social justice and social work. As a graduate student in Social Work with a focus on NYC, I hope to have the opportunity to prepare myself for a lifetime of study and engagement in issues of maternal health and racial disparity with a focus on the way that these issues manifest themselves in my city and the surrounding area. Much of it, of course, has to do with poverty and the fact that ethnic minorities tend statistically to be overrepresented among those mired in poverty. I want to study in-depth how poverty limits healthy lifestyle choices and can make it quite challenging to access healthcare resources – in the context of NYC, broken down by city region. According to NYC Community Health profiles, one in six residents live below the Federal poverty line in East Flatbush. In Brownsville, the situation is still much worse, with three in seven residents living in poverty. The problem is still much worse in Brownsville, the most impoverished neighborhood in Brooklyn and the seventh most impoverished neighborhood in NYC. In East Flatbush, the rate of preterm births, a key driver of infant death, is the highest, with Brownsville coming in second. In Brownsville, almost one in five adults have no health insurance, and one in ten goes without desperately needed medical care. In East Flatbush, one in four adults has no health insurance, and one in seven lives without medical care. My concern focuses on how receiving little to no maintenance during pregnancy results in East Flatbush having the second-highest infant mortality rate in the city. Brownsville ranks fourth in infant mortality, still eight times the speed of the Upper East Side. I look forward to writing a master's thesis exploring maternal mortality among black, non-Latino, women-mothers, and their babies. Following the investigations of Villa R and others, I seek to clarify why African American mothers and babies in the United States are dying at more than double the national rate of white mothers and their babies (Villa Rose, 2018). I seek to do this to help clarify ways that might help us to address this issue as a society successfully. Thank you for considering my application. Advanced Standing MSW Personal Purpose Statement

The Ph.D. program in Nutritional Sciences at the University of XXXX is my first choice among doctoral programs. It's sheer excellence and the fact that it is located where I have become established with my family and a social/professional network. I first earned a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience, where I became immersed in studying the brain-gut connection, especially gastroenterology disorders. I feel that my neuroscience background will help me distinguish myself as a doctoral student in Nutritional Sciences, especially concerning my efforts in research into diseases of the gastroenterology system and nutrition intervention for those disorders. I went on to earn a master's degree in Nutritional Sciences with a concentration in Wellness and Sports Nutrition. The relationship between physical activity and nutrition has helped me cultivate holistic perspectives concerning food. As a Taiwanese woman who came to America for my university education, language was the most immediate challenge I have faced. The first year of my undergraduate studies was English as Second Language courses; I never regretted taking these classes because they allowed me to better prepare for my future work. I have made many friends from different countries. I talked to new friends in school as much as I could even though I knew sometimes I made hilarious mistakes. I spent time with friends and learned about this new culture. I am proud that I became the person who adapted to this new place. I overcame the obstacle and am no longer the girl who answers questions with a shaky voice. Everywhere I have studied in Taiwan, China, and now the USA, I seek to develop and enhance my first-hand understanding of nutrition regulation and dietary customs related to culture, economics, and even politics. As well-traveled as I am read, my parents showed me much of the world growing up. I am most grateful for learning to appreciate multiculturalism and diversity early and for cultivating a global vision and mindset. My international experience has facilitated my linguistic and communication skills and provided me with an understanding of global nutrition issues and policy initiatives. My first nutrition course was an elective that I took in college, and, at the time, I had no idea how it would change my life due to the profound and abiding passion I have for nutrition. Nothing excites me as much as the goal of providing access to nutritional education and resources to those individuals and societies that have the greatest need. Thus, after completing your program, I look forward to working tirelessly for many years at the service of non-profit agencies. I am devoted to alleviating hunger and improving the health of society through greater access to nutrition education and resources. I feel strongly that the most significant contribution that I might be able to make to the community is nutrition education. I hope to contribute to assuring that the public has access to correct information in the case of public health emergencies. In 2015, for example, when an explosion occurred at the New Taipei Water Park, hundreds of people suffered varying degrees of burns, some over 90% of their bodies. Someone spread false information that drinking coconut water helped heal the burns. The data was widely shared on social media, creating false hope, and causing some to neglect helpful treatments in favor of therapy that did no good. I want to work to monitor and ensure that such things do not reoccur. My central professional goal for the future is to constantly expand my expertise in non-invasive and all-natural ways to significantly improve a patient's quality of life, especially those who suffer from chronic gastroenterology disorders/diseases. I also look forward to researching the nutritional factors surrounding Alzheimer’s disease. Two of my grandparents have Alzheimer’s, and I have met with modest success in their nutritional dietary interventions. Since I have been working in XXXX’s lab as a graduate student, I now have experience in human research related to Vitamin D. I have conducted graded exercise testing, assessment of muscle lipids using MRI, measured dietary intake, and physical activities such as aerobic training for participants following the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines. I am highly adept at data analysis and interpretation. I have mastered various software programs, including Nutrition Data System for Research, Redcap, Microsoft Office, and SPSS. Researching Vitamin D arouses my interest in its anti-inflammatory properties that can be helpful for chronic gastroenterology disorders. While pursuing my master's degree, I enjoyed serving as a graduate teaching assistant for the Epidemiology course and the Chemistry lab. Therefore, I hope to teach clinical nutrition while I continue the research. While I am not yet a registered dietitian, I work under the physician's supervision, gaining practical experience administering patients’ diets. Since August 2018, I have worked as a Certified Nutritionist at XXXX Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic with children only one week old. Most of our patients suffer from chronic gastroenterology disorder/disease. I help educate patients and their families, particularly about special diets for patients with irritable bowel syndrome, fructose malabsorption, and Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth. I help. We often prescribe a Specific Carbohydrate Diet for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Anti-inflammatory diets for patients with inflammation in the intestine. I provide alternative food choices based on the patient’s diet restrictions and religious preferences. We also offer nutrition education for patients with food allergies, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, elevated insulin, poor weight gain or abnormal weight gain, nutrition throughout the lifecycle, tube feeding, and nutritional supplements. This experience helps me better to appreciate the complex interrelation between individual and population health . For instance, cultural and social norms influence individuals' lifestyles and eating habits . However, the generalization of population health is unable to define individuals precisely. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet has been researched by XXXX Children’s Hospital, an affiliate of the University of XXXX. This is one of the reasons I am applying to your program. Our physician, Dr. XXXX, is currently researching the low-FODMAP diet and the efficacy of treating fructose malabsorption and Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO) - with a professor at the University of Washington. I will be one of the nutritionists designated to educate participants about the low-FODMAP diet, which will allow me to delve deep into current research on fructose malabsorption and SIBO using a low-FODMAP diet. The opportunity of combining the dietetic program with the Ph.D. program further strengthens my determination to apply to your schedule. Combining the dietetic program with the Ph.D. program further reinforces my decision. Thus , the University of XXXX is the school that best prepares me for a lifetime of research into diet and gastroenterology disorder/disease using a combination of vitamin D and gastroenterology nutrition. PHD Nutritional Science Gastroenterology Statement