I was born and raised in Morelia, Mexico and came to the United States just in time to finish high school here. I am now attending Fullerton Community College and working towards my BA. I hope very much to transfer to UC__ because of the great reputation of your university and the distinguished excellence of your Spanish Literature Department. I am especially interested in doing research in the areas of Spanish as a spoken language by adult learners, the testing of interaction skills in Spanish and the problems of assessing and validating assessment scales for adult learners in paired oral interaction. My long-term goal is to attend graduate school after completing your program and to become a professor, either in a college or at the university level. Another fundamental academic interest that I hope to pursue for many years to come is to travel around the Spanish-speaking world in search of vestiges of dialects of Old Spanish still in use and to learn how this has transpired and why. I am highly self-motivated, a very quick learner. The greatest contribution that I might be able to make to the academic community would be to help to preserve and better appreciate the language of heritage, contributing to a better understanding of the changes that Spanish has undergone over the generations. Having been raised myself in Mexico, I think that my understanding of all things Mexican and my deep, critical appreciation for Mexican culture and society are among my greatest strengths as a candidate to your program. I especially love literature in my native language. Even while still in Mexico, Spanish was always my favorite subject. My mother was always a great inspiration to me because she always read books to me as a child, every day after school, and this helped me to since I was a child my mother always read me books  every day after school, and this helped me to better understand lectures and class material for my Spanish Literature classes. Don Quixote de la Mancha, La Vida de Frida Kahlo, La casa de Mango Street, Erase un hombre, erase una mujer, are among my favorites and I especially appreciate the work of Sandra Cisneros, particularly Caramelo. My first teacher of Spanish at my high school, Ms. Lopez was very enthusiastic and friendly if we had questions, she was always available to answer them. Now that I am an adult, I look back at my first Spanish teacher as a role model, and I want very much to become a Spanish teacher like her. Being accepted into your program will provide me with an opportunity to make my dream come true. I want to give my all to my studies and I hope to have the opportunity to excel in this area that I so appreciate. I look forward to a lengthy career helping students learn about the most important components of Spanish language and literature. Ms. Lopez had a tremendous influence over my career choice since she always encouraged me to help other students with their assignments as I often completed mine before the other students. She also taught me how, when reading a story, to let my imagination run wild and to envision all the events and circumstances in my mind, in fact, living through the novel or short story in my imagination. I long to teach students the richness and tradition of the art of the Spanish language. After completing your program, I hope very much to go to graduate school and earn the master's degree in Spanish literature. This is because the Spanish language is rooted in my soul, so I want to help other people to appreciate our language. I grew up within the language and my mother continues to remind me to this day that when I say “mama,” I always say it in Spanish. I will always be proud that my first language is Spanish, and I look forward to spending my life participating in and contributing to America’s rich multicultural academic environments. Teaching my children Spanish someday will also be something that I hope to profit from on a professional level. I believe that this will help me as well to better understand some of the deeper meanings of our culture and traditions. I feel that my Mexican heritage has made me a patient and respectful young woman, and that these are valuable qualities to have and that they will help me to become an excellent teacher. I am pleased that America is rapidly becoming a bilingual country, English/Spanish. It is critically important for our future that we fully acknowledge the other face of America (the Latino culture). I look forward to teaching Spanish to people from all corners of the globe, just as with English, it is also an international language. It is important for American children and the children of immigrants to America to learn Spanish and to develop an appreciation for Spanish literature because it is America’s second language and culture. I have dreamed about becoming a teacher since I was a little girl. The skills that I have acquired so far have helped me to learn a lot of the fundamentals of language and I ask to be admitted to your program so that I might continue to make progress towards my long-term goal of becoming a Spanish teacher. BA Latina Spanish Literature Personal Purpose & Sample

I am a highly dedicated business professional with an undergraduate degree in business complemented by my MBA. Now, with 22 years of 'real world' experience that includes 10 years as an Adjunct Professor, helping to develop business contracting fairs, serving as keynote speaker at community business events, etc. I feel that 43 years old is the optimal time for me to contribute to a doctoral program so that I will continue to make progress towards an eventual tenured position. While I have enormous respect for the research record of accomplishment of your entire faculty, I am especially enthused about the possibility of studying under Drs. XXXX, because of my keen interest in employee satisfaction; XXXX because of her work in sustainable supply chain management systems; and XXXX with his specialization in management development training programs as well as employee attitude measurement, two of the areas in which I feel most inspired to engage. Most of all, I seek to distinguish myself because of my fervent devotion to sustainable development on both local and global levels. From manufacturing processes through renewable products, I take a critical look at everything from the perspective of our need for clean energy. As a doctoral student, I especially look forward to investigating how new businesses are created in emerging industries, entrepreneurship activities and management techniques of small emerging businesses, particularly those with immigrant or transnational founders. Another specific area of interest that I hope to develop further is the measurement of the effects of spousal/family conflict on job satisfaction of police/corrections officers. I seek a thoroughgoing, lifelong engagement with best methods and practices to improve management education across cultural and political borders, particularly in the context of multinational organizations. I have long made pro bono work an integral and central function of my professional identity. I have helped many small companies to get their disadvantaged business certification, for example. In the future, I hope to sponsor local and regional initiatives to encourage and foster research into the use and growth of innovative technologies and their introduction into the marketplace. I would also like to initiate and sponsor local outreach programs to better introduce new startups to the community. After completing the DBA Degree at XXXX, I hope to find a tenure-track teaching and research position at a regional Division II university. It is my sincere hope to be able to continue to inspire the next generation of students to think about business not only in global dimensions but also in terms of sustainability. I wish to dedicate the bulk of my time over the long term to research, writing for newspapers, magazines, and on-line, in the areas of energy sustainability, job satisfaction, employee-employer relationships, and economic issues relating to what is now commonly referred to as the "Secondary Labor Market" (entry level employees in retail for example). As a DBA, I feel strongly that it will be my duty as well as calling to lend my support to those millions of Americans who work extremely hard for little pay and NO benefits whatsoever. I have especially enjoyed serving as a regular speaker for XXXX County Nevada, when they would host seminars for small businesses looking to get into the arena of government contracting. My area of specialization was federal procurement regulations, and how those rules apply to small businesses. In addition to my pro bono work with new startups in my community, I have also performed countless hours of community service working with Habitat for Humanity, the XXXX Shelter (for women and children in Las Vegas), and the First Baptist Church in XXXX, TX (rebuilding after Hurricane Dolly, 2008). As an international businessperson, I have faced special challenges while working abroad in Africa and Latin America as well as Afghanistan & Pakistan—the language barrier can be most difficult and requires the cultivation of vast patience. My Spanish is too basic for me to get by without a translator in Mexico. Doing business in South Africa, Botswana, and Lesotho was a relief, therefore, since most people speak English. Cultural differences also figure prominently among my challenges; dealing with supply chain issues during Ramadan in Pakistan comes to mind, when the supply stops for a full month. I am deeply troubled by the way in which the developing countries in which I have done business lack the technology structure to produce finished goods. The desire is often there, and sometimes the skill set is present, but the machinery is not available. Throughout the Global North we take it for granted that a machine will be maintained properly and fixed or re-calibrated when needed. But this is simply not the case in many of the countries where I have worked, certainly not in Lesotho, Botswana, or Afghanistan, countries with little to no transportation infrastructure in most areas. I have learned that there are no easy solutions to economic issues in the Developing World. Education, however, is a good first step in the right direction. While it will require at least several generations, the more educated the people of developing countries become, the less dependent they will be on outside sources. While I constantly join in the celebration of diverse cultures and beliefs, I also enjoy focusing on those aspects of our characters, wants, and desires that we all share as human beings. Thank you for considering my application to your program. DBA Personal Purpose Statement Samples

I am a Mexican American woman born and raised in Texas and familiar with much of the US Southwest. I hold a bachelor's degree in art education awarded by UXX. I am a native speaker of both English and Spanish. As my youthful identity solidified, I became primarily an artist, which is how I related to my world on moral and psychological levels. I have observed that artists are often eccentric, odd, outsiders, distinct, unusual, or all those things at once. I had qualified at an early age, since, by the age of four, I was convinced that parallel universes existed and that I existed in each one of them, I was also convinced that this knowledge was unique to me. Even at that age, I had already become an avid observer of the world and its beauty. To say that I was fascinated with color, sound, and texture would be an understatement; I often felt myself immersed in them. Yet, I was aware that my ‘take’ on the world was distinct, while I was pressing my ear to the grass to hear it ‘sing’ whilst feeling the texture of the soil. While other children were playing with their toys and would have found the world unbearable without them, for me, the world just seemed to me to be one big ‘toy’ that offered limitless possibilities for enjoyment, exploration, and experimentation. My childhood memories consist of a series of clear, distinct impressions or illuminations about the world that I still carry with me. I have always loved reading and drawing, and my many artistic efforts have brought me boundless joy, even though not all my teachers were favorably impressed since my projects were often seen as very unusual. This lack of artistic appreciation of a small child’s heartfelt efforts was hurtful, indeed heart-breaking but somehow, I was not discouraged.  I drew obsessively but in secret and carefully disposed of each creation lest they suffer mockery or indifference.  To me, each one was like a uniquely beautiful child, and I genuinely felt them to be multi-dimensional, they were not only visually distinct, but each carried a unique taste and smell. To me, they lived. I had no idea that this was art, it was just my secret. Traumatic events in my life, from the age of eight to twelve and my lack of control over them made me withdraw socially. I was moved from home to home and town to town, as are many Latino children of immigrants, living with different people. I regarded myself as a ‘bubble’ or a ghost just floating around and observing the families I shared with them more as an observer than a participant. While the instability of my childhood was traumatizing, it also furnished me with numerous, fascinating opportunities for observation that have fed my art. As time progressed, I slowly and joyfully recognized that I was by no means alone, that my feelings were shared by others and these others were ‘artists’. I had family, we had a role, and we had a purpose! I now love to share what skills and artistic knowledge that I have acquired and so have, for eight years, provided free art lessons. This has brought me enormous satisfaction and my students have often returned year after year. My art is both truthful and secretive. I want to state truths but to do so in the form of fables and riddles.  I look forward to undertaking research in the areas of morals, memories, psyche, parallel realms, and reminiscence through Installation Art, incorporating imagery, objects, sound, light, temperature, texture, smells, echoes, and emotions. I am interested in words and in juxtaposing words in unexpected but meaningful contexts through poetry. I also look forward to using psychology and philosophy in my art. I am also interested in the ‘energy’ attached to old objects, particularly heirlooms that have had shared ownership over generations. I am convinced, as many cultures hold, that such objects do carry something of the energy of their successive owners with them and this concept is one that I would like to study, explore, and develop further, especially concerning Latino communities. Thank you for considering my application. MFA Masters Fine Arts, Mexican American

A Black man born and raised in America's deep south; I am keenly aware of the value of advanced education in overcoming the stagnation which engulfs so many of my people. I try and straddle the moral fence of helping others only as far as this does not limit my own ability to grow, lead, and prosper myself. Helping others at the same time is not so easy yet I always try. I have focused on Pharmacy, in part, because it makes life longer and more comfortable. It is my sincere hope to make social contributions as a pharmacist, especially with respect to the Black community. I troubled by the fact that I sometimes see more Black pharmacists on television commercials than I often do in the real world, and I look forward to being a role model for Black people in my community, especially boys and young men. My academic and professional interests have also been heavily influenced by my master's degree, the MPPA in Public Policy and Administration. It is my fondest hope to have an active role in the future at the level of policy creation and implementation, struggling towards a more adequate distribution of life saving medications to those who need them the most. Among my greatest passions in life are old people, especially those who suffer from debilitating diseases; and I have developed a special interest in medical and pharmaceutical progress in battling Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease. I have met a considerable number of people who suffer from these diseases and these relationships have fortified my interests. My long-term goals for my professional future include helping to expose young African American students to the rich human possibilities of becoming a pharmacist. I have been a store manager for Walgreens for several years and have become involved with pharmacy, constantly working with both patients and pharmacists. As a result, I have made the decision to follow my passion to graduate school where I can learn much more in a more intense and rigorous fashion. In my community, I have frequently attended career fairs in the inner city helping to expose young people to the possibilities that exist if one is determined and puts one's mind to it. I am especially proud of my work with employees when I was the store manager of an inner-city store in Memphis, TN. No less than three of the high school students who worked in my store have gone on to study pharmacy. Another is in college studying a pre-Law academic track. When he originally came to work for me, he had not yet recognized attending college as a viable alternative. To fill my prerequisites, for example, I have attended 3 different colleges, two of which are an hour away--studying at night to manage my store during the day. I plan to continue to be very much involved with inner city youth as I see this as key to our struggle to become a more humane society. And I am proud to do this as a pharmacy professional who promotes the study of math and science as fundamental to success in our high-tech society. I believe that exposure to knowledge is power and there are so many of our youth who live in areas where they only see one truth but if we shine a light on what young people could become, they have a much greater chance of walking into that light. PharmD Personal Statement African American Pharmacist

For more than 17 years I have been employed as a Library Associate by the XXXX County Library. A bilingual Mexican American woman, I coordinate membership programs and referral services as well as translating for Spanish-speaking patrons. I also assist with workshops and information booths. While I have enjoyed my work immensely, I am making a career change to social work and hope to earn the MSW Degree at XXXX University. My second job, as a part-time case worker with the XXXX Resource Center and Refugee Safe Haven in Los Angeles, CA (2007-2011), set me on track to becoming a professional social worker. I fell in love with crisis intervention and other services, including advocacy, outreach, and referral for designated caseloads, as well as emergencies. I also attended and participated in staff meetings and agency training and consulted and cooperated with community organizations. My volunteer work with XXXX, at KPFK Pacifica Radio since 2003 has brought me remarkably close to the Latino community in LA and proven to be a great learning experience with respect to my community. Finally, I spent two years serving as a recruiting specialist for XXXX Intercultural Exchange Programs, USA; this was the organization that sent me to Africa in 2005 to organize an education program in Ghana (2004-2005). My parents came to the United States from Mexico in the late seventies, and I was born and raised in LA. My decision to apply to graduate school in social work is in many ways a result of my trip to Africa as an undergraduate student participating in an exchange program. After returning from Africa, I went to work with another organization geared towards immigrants from Africa. I am a Mexican woman who enjoys working with Black people very much. I suppose I like to think of myself as a rainbow social worker celebrating the great diversity of people that we have in America, especially LA. In 2005 I went to Ghana, West Africa for a full six months as a participant in the AFS Intercultural Exchange Programs, meeting my husband there. A Latina with a husband from Africa helps me to contribute to diversity in a variety of ways. In Ghana, I was assigned to work with the Hackman Foundation in Effuses, in the eastern part of the country.  This organization allowed me to design and carry out my own project based on what I saw as the greatest needs of the community and the area in which I might make my best contribution to improving their lives. I chose to start an after-school program for children at the local public library. I recruited teachers and local artists to teach arts and crafts and reading to younger children, as well as poetry writing, sports, and dance. I also worked with a co-op that empowers women financially by teaching them how to make jewelry and tie dye clothes and purses, all with local and affordable material. I faced and overcame major obstacles in Ghana, where children, especially in rural areas like Effuses, are expected to work both before and after school. They wake up incredibly early to fetch water in buckets each morning and then go out and sell food in the streets. They may also take care of their siblings, feed them, dress them, clean the house, cook, or wash clothes, etc. I had to beg parents to allow their children to participate in my program and I was not always successful. We managed to put together a wonderful after school program nevertheless, which was a vast learning experience for everyone involved. In the summer of 2007, I was given the opportunity to work as a Caseworker part-time on the weekends for Refugee Safe Haven, a shelter for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking who have African roots, until it was forced to close due to lack of funds in July of 2011. Here, I learned about some of the deeper intricacies of social work and, increasingly, I found immense joy in my work for 4 years at the shelter because I Ias making a difference, supporting the arduous work of the staff as well as the clients. My responsibilities as a Caseworker included advocating for services and collaborating with other public resources to get the best results possible for each family. I loved playing liaison with government agencies particularly in cases of domestic violence, and especially immigration when assisting with human trafficking clients applying for a visa or residency. These four years at Refugee Safe Haven were a time of great self-empowerment for me as well as my clients. I provided emotional support daily and during stressful life changing situations to the women and children that I worked with. I learned how to communicate with clients about sensitive issues in an appropriate manner, understanding and being prepared for their reactions. I became more aware of my own principles, especially in showing respect for all humans and their values, beliefs, cultures, goals, needs and preferences. While working with Nuestra Voz at KPFK Pacifica Radio, a weekly, one hour, all Spanish roundtable of Latino and Latin American issues, we covered topics such as immigration, environment, health, human rights among many others: I was exposed to broad diversity of first-hand, heartfelt issues. While becoming intensely motivated, persistent, and resilient in our quest for social justice, I also became more acutely aware of the importance of objectivity and flexibility, always ready for last-minute changes. Most of all, this position helped me to become highly organized and to work constantly to perfect my ability to perform as part of team; and energize the team for success. My principal limitation is the difficulty that I find in detaching myself from my clients when my workday is over. I try not to think about them, but they invariably come flooding back in during my free time. I am making some progress in this regard, forcing myself to get more involved in other things to refresh myself for the next day as a social work professional. I’ve always called myself a “lucky girl from the hood” and I don’t mean this to be funny or be taken lightly. I have always been surrounded by strong women who have guided me and helped me take the right path, nourishing in me a grain of love for humankind and a keen desire to fight for a better world. My mother survived an abusive relationship with my father with two young children, on her own, always supportive and loving. My rock and biggest hero, she taught me empathy. My aunt, who cooked for me and my sister and helped us do our homework taught me the art of sharing and giving. My friend Maria from the AFS Intercultural Exchange Program opened an important door for opportunity. Had it not been for her inspiring presentation about the exchange program to Africa, I might have become a teenage mother. My host mother from Mexico, taught me etiquette and to adapt to new environments in loving and caring ways. My mentor from high school pushed me to apply for college and not to settle into being a secretary but to study hard now to become professional. I also count among my great resources having a loving, supportive, non-judgmental husband, and a lovely and inspiring little boy. My immediate goal is to be accepted to the MSW Program at XXXX University. and to become a licensed social worker. Eventually, I look forward to having my own private practice, providing services, guidance and support to families and individuals, especially in shelters, hospitals or school settings. I hope to start my own non-profit at some point. My central focus will always be on women and children because I have been a witness to the horrific levels of abuse to which they are subjected. I was raised in South Central Los Angeles in a neighborhood notorious for gangs, prostitution, and drug crime, my parents separated when I was 9. At one point in my life, we were a total of twelve people sharing a 3-bedroom house and one restroom. Most of my friends in high school had babies at the age of 15 or 16 and/or dropped out. I went to Puebla Mexico and stayed with a host family where I had a mom, a dad, two sisters and a pet dog. I attended high school and became fully bicultural. I also met a lot of wonderful people from other US states coming to live and study in Mexico. Upon my return to the US in 1998, I helped organize and lead a trip for inner city kids from my high school to Europe. While an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology, I took several classes on Latin American Studies. One of the classes was on Cuba, and if you passed the class you were invited to travel with an educational visa to the Island. I traveled to La Havana in 2003 and attended classes on politics, art, culture and economy. Before traveling to Cuba, I served as president of XXXX Cuban American Studies student body and helped organize medicine and school supplies to take with us to donate to Cuba. In 2005 my mother and her fiancé bough land and built a house a rural area in Ensenada, Mexico. Since then, I’ve organized a dozen caravan trips with college and close friends to take donations to the “Ejidos “surrounding my mom’s community. We’ve taken clothes, blankets, and school supplies on numerous occasions. I relish the diversity found even within LA’s Spanish-speaking community. My friends from Nuestra Voz come from all diverse levels of society and countries of origin, Mexico, Cuba, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Spain, etc. From 2013 and 2014, I volunteered at the House of Uhuru in South Central Los Angeles which strives to enhance the well-being of communities impacted by chemical dependency by providing comprehensive culturally sensitive prevention and education with a continuum of quality care for positive social change. Through an organization called Crossing the Digital Divide, I taught basic computer classes twice a week for 3 months, then participated in the end of class “graduation” ceremony. In 2013, a girlfriend and I backpacked through Spain for 10 days and I was able to return to Europe in 2014 with my husband, getting to know London and Edinburg, Scotland as well as returning to Spain, Sevilla, Granada, Cordova, and Malaga. My mother and sister have offered to take care of my son as much as needed when I return to school so that I can devote myself fully to my studies. My husband has offered to take full responsibility for the family so I can quit my job at the library. Thank you for considering my application to XXXX. MSW Sample Statement of Purpose for Social Work

I am seeking mid-life career advancement from the for-profit, business sector of our society to the human services sector of our society, where profit takes a back seat to community wellbeing. I am a 40-year-old African American businessperson with over 15 years in account management, customer service and sales. Most recently, I have made enormous strides in my capacity to manage information systems for the senior management of XXXX, where I have been for the last 4.5 years. I am the first to arrive in the morning so that everything is online and in order when management arrives. It is primarily because of my solid progress in information systems on the job that I have enormous confidence in my ability to excel in your program. I have been shackled, voluntarily, for many years, raising two beautiful boys. Now, they no longer need their mom like they used to, and I must learn to live again for myself. As a result, I am full of renewed energy and passion to surge forward in my career. ____ College is my first choice for graduate study for a variety of reasons, chief of which is my profound admiration for the way that your curriculum promotes creative and critical thinking concerning the fiscal management of health care institutions. I am extremely excited about the health information administration profession because it will allow me to assist healthcare providers with translating diagnoses into highly accurate, coded forms, helping us to achieve the best quality patient care possible. When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, followed by months of treatment, our entire family suffered from errors that were made in medical billing. This experience was so overwhelmingly frustrating for me and came at an especially bad; since then, I have found solace in my plans to become part of the health care industry and to make my mark in life in the area of health information administration, having as share in the development and implementation of increasingly accurate systems of medical coding. Some of my proudest achievements to date are some incredibly wise health care decisions that I made for my children.  I feel that maternally focused individuals like me make excellent health care workers and fit well in this environment because of our intense motivation for caring for the wellbeing of others, in the public sphere, just as we do with our own families. By completing the HIA Program at XXXX College, I will be eligible to take the RHIA exam and obtain the CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) certificate so that I will be a successful behind-the-scenes healthcare professional. My long-term goal is to one day serve as the HIM Director of a major hospital. I wish I had joined the health care industry a long time ago; still, I will always be thankful for the time that I had a home with my boys when they were small. Now, however, my boys are rapidly becoming men and I am at a point in my career where I want to give something back to my society. I am certain that I will give your program my all because health care is where my heart is. I thank you for considering my application to your program. Mid-Career Change to Health Information Administration My Personal Journey

I decided as a child that I wanted to ‘make a difference’ rather than merely ‘make a living’ and had vague intentions of working in some health-related field, especially since I was fascinated by science. However, for several reasons, this goal was postponed, and I began my working life in retail, followed by a period as a medical secretary and then a brief period working in banking. At that point, having become a mother, I carefully considered my career situation, my skills and interests and decided to pursue my original goal of following a career in healthcare and to acquire a relevant degree. After some research, I chose to pursue a bachelor's degree in medical technology in which I earned the BS in 2012. This was an excellent decision and one that I shall never regret. I thoroughly enjoyed my studies and subsequent work in the field. However, I have reached a point at which I wish to make a greater impact in the field of healthcare. During my work to date, I have become increasingly aware of the remarkably close relationship between excellent administration and the excellence of care provided to patients. It is now my objective to advance the quality of healthcare by acquiring the skills and knowledge required to provide the excellent administration that underpins it. My current work requires excellent planning skills, meticulous record keeping and close cooperation with other healthcare professionals all of which provide a good basis for understanding the ‘bigger picture’. My ultimate objective is to hold a senior executive role in health administration. I would see my role primarily as providing a platform to enable and encourage healthcare providers of all specialties and grades to perform their roles at optimum effectiveness for patient benefit. I see the removal of any administrative obstacles as being a basic matter and one that should be subject to constant monitoring and action as appropriate. I would seek to minimize the administrative demands on clinicians while simultaneously enabling them to have easy access to relevant, accurate, reliable, and up to date patient, statistical and other relevant information. I am originally from the Dominican Republic and am aware that poor healthcare administration in that country and others is a crucial factor in the poor standard of available care. Lax management encourages the corrupt practices that abound, and I would hope that I might have the opportunity to provide training for healthcare administrators to improve attitudes, procedures, and systems to improve the situation. I have happily worked, studied, and socialized with people from many cultures and social backgrounds. I get on easily with others and am regarded as a calm person who takes challenges in her stride and seeks to help colleagues whenever possible. I am enthusiastic about my work and like to encourage others to give their best and to recognize and seek to fulfill their career potential. Recently a situation arose in which an unusually heavy workload coincided with the arrival of a new Laboratory Chief who wanted to introduce various changes that involved our supervisors in having to concentrate on administrative work instead of aiding us in our day-to-day work. Most team members resented the imposition of momentous change during a period of heavy workflow, and some decided to work more slowly than usual to exaggerate the effects and so force management to recruit extra staff, redirect the supervisors to ‘bench work’ or to postpone administrative changes. I have always focused on the fact that the work that we do relates to anxious patients and their relatives but it was clear that some of my colleagues were failing to make this connection and I sought, in a gentle but determined manner, to remind them that we could not permit our problems to impact detrimentally on the lives of patients and that we should do all that we could to provide quality output as quickly as possible while handling the changes as well as we could. I cannot claim that I was alone in these efforts, but I did take a leading, if informal, role in resolving a potentially serious situation which was finally resolved. MHA Health Administration Personal Statement Example

I am a 30-year-old man born in India and raised there and in Bahrain. I am currently a resident of Los Angeles. I have traveled very widely; this was partly because of the nature of my father’s work and through a personal desire to experience diverse cultures. In addition to the countries mentioned above, I have also visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Mexico. I have worked in India, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. As a result, I have acquired an exceptional understanding of, and enjoyment in, diverse cultures and consequently can relate well to others whatever their background. I am fluent in English, Hindi, Arabic and Spanish. I am also able to speak several other Indian languages. I completed medical school in India at 22 and developed an early interest in HIV. I secured first place in seminars on the topic of the biochemistry of HIV out of a class of one hundred. I am especially interested in undertaking research in this area. During the 2004 tsunami, I was privileged to be selected to be part of the rescue team that assisted those living on the islands of Andaman and Nicobar. The experience of dealing with people who have lost all left an impression upon me and has engendered within me a determination to assist those living in marginal economic circumstances throughout the world. I believe that completing an MPH program will assist me in doing so. I currently work as a Care Director and have acquired experience in the provision of management services and in staff management. I believe that I have performed at an excellent level in the posts that I have held to date. I work as a biotechnical investigator in stem cell research, and I have acquired extensive and up to date knowledge of the subject. My work as the Executive Director of the Sri Lanka TIO, has given me an understanding of the requirements for the successful design and implementation of complex medical projects and the need to take careful account of international guidelines. I am regarded as energetic, diligent, innovative, open-minded, and academically curious with exceptional problem-solving skills. I work well in a co-operative team environment and have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities in my current management role. It is my goal to make a substantial contribution to the world by increasing the appreciation of the causes, and the means of avoiding, those diseases that are still relatively common in the third world, to investigate how different parts of the world are affected by nutritional deficiencies and the means of reducing or eradicating their incidence. I also have an ardent desire to undertake further research into HIV. I hope one day to head a large non-profit agency devoted to fostering and enhancing good health in the Global South. I am aware that the school and this program are highly prestigious and that the faculty members are renowned for their contribution to research in public health. I know that consequently there will be very many highly qualified applicants. However, I also believe that I can ‘bring things to the table’ that will be relevant in ways that many cannot. The care of disaster victims is not something that will not be widely shared by other applicants. My international medical experience is also something that is relevant and will not be widely shared by other applicants along with the direct experience in research and management gained to date. All these experiences provide, I believe, unusual but truly relevant experiences that I will be able to usefully share. I believe that joining the master’s program that your School offers in Public Health would be the optimum way for me to be enabled to employ my personal qualities and to apply and extend the knowledge and experience I have acquired to date. I believe that I shall also be enabled to contribute to the academic community by undertaking successful and significant research and to further the wellbeing of many, especially in developing countries. Thank you for considering my application. MPH Public Health Personal Purpose Statement Indian

I am applying for entry to the undergraduate program in Financial Actuarial Mathematics. My reason for doing so is that I love mathematics and am interested in the way that businesses operate and reach decisions. My family owns a business in which I have worked and so I understand that every business decision brings risk, and that the decision maker can be helped in reaching the right decisions by quantifying the risks they face. My work experience has been gained in my family’s business. I worked for about a year as a trainee in the Sales and Marketing department. I learned the basics of business operations, planning, budgeting, pricing, accounting, storage procedures, how different departments communicate and cooperate to meet the company’s needs and how a business lets the market know about its services and products. I also attended ‘brain-storming’ and group presentations which were especially useful and interesting in numerous ways. This experience has given me an exceptionally good grounding in all the different operations of a small business. I volunteered as a tutor to help school students studying business and computer science and have also helped undergraduate students at Santa Monica College in the subject of Corporate Financial & Management Accounting because I have excelled in this subject myself. I look for chances to teach, first because I enjoy passing on my skills and knowledge and seeing people develop but also because it is good management training. An effective teacher needs to plan, have excellent communication skills, be confident but friendly, and help students to achieve their potential. These skills will be useful to me in any future job where I am mentoring or managing and teaching gives a chance to develop them. I also learn from students who sometimes ask interesting questions that I need to research and so I add to my own knowledge. I have also worked as a volunteer caring for pandas in China. The pandas taught me some important lessons, how to be patient and that sometimes it is important just to relax, sit quietly and happily and look at the world (and chew some bamboo!).  Caring for the pandas made me interested in the environment and I have acted as a Sustainable Workshop Leader at college encouraging students to be aware of the environment and how to care for it. I am a member of AGS at college and have been involved in various projects to help people less fortunate in life. This has given me great satisfaction along with many new friends and an understanding of effective organization in working for others. When I lived in Beijing, I learned to play the guqin which is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. I joined many others who had the same interest, who were from many unusual places and of different ages. The sound of this instrument, when played skillfully and with emotion, is truly magical and transports the hearer into a different world. Learning to play any instrument needs patience, discipline and dedication but brings great senses of achievement and satisfaction as it did for me, and this has done me great good personally. But the guqin is more than just a musical instrument, it is a key to classical Chinese culture and beauty, its sound reflects the aesthetics of the Chinese countryside and the beauty of the ‘Chinese soul’. Our teacher not only taught us how to play but also traditions and stories about the instrument and its finest players. The most famous tune played on the guqin is called ‘Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water’. The most famous player in ancient China was a man called Boya and there is a traditional story about the player and the tune. Boya met a man called Zhongziqi at a river side and extemporized two pieces of music, the hearer understood the story told by the music and said that the two tunes represented first lofty mountains and the second flowing water. Boya was full of joy that his listener had understood the meaning of the music. After a year Boya went in search of his understanding audience but discovered that he had died and so broke his instrument and never played again. Before each lesson, the teacher would play ‘Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water’ to soothe the students and bring a calm atmosphere. The teachers also used to decorate a table and light some incense to create an atmosphere of beauty and calm to match the music. The teachers wanted all our senses to be touched by beauty and not only the music. How the guqin is played reflects the emotions of the player, the same tune can be played merrily or soulfully. Playing helps me to explore my feelings and to learn about myself and to clear and purify my mind. I love all good music, but I find that the guqin, helps me to achieve calm and clarity and gives me the hope of finding my ‘understanding audience’ in life as Boya did. Applying for Financial Actuarial Mathematics Personal Statement Example

As a teacher I see my mission as helping students to find themselves in the future, to empower and inspire them to independent, creative thinking, teaching them to take responsibility for what is happening throughout the world. I am an English teacher, an educator, and a social investigator, a solid and active member of my pedagogical community. I am adept at performing my responsibilities in my everyday work and I have developed my own teaching philosophy, built on the shoulders of those educators that I have most admired. I like to focus on continuous professional development through reflective practices, both in my own attempt to constantly improve as a teacher, as well as with my students. I try to achieve my goals through careful planning, delivering precise instruction and promoting positive student behavior in my classroom. I especially love teaching English, preparing for my lessons, finding new methods, and introducing new technological tools. I have become increasingly creative with greater experience. Educating young people provides me with a profound sense of achievement and purpose in life. Just as I believe in lifelong education, I also believe that we can always improve as citizens of the world. I feel privileged to live in the era of the Internet, which has given us all many novel ways to learn about our world and to interact with it. I am also enormously proud to teach an international language, our only truly global language, English. I feel keenly inspired every day to meet new challenges and to work to implement needed reforms in our educational system. While myself and my more experienced colleagues inevitably face great challenges and even contradictions in our practice, I believe that Kazakhstan will succeed in building an internationally competitive educational space over the course of the next few decades. Patriotic and optimistic, I believe that my country will be one of the leaders in fostering global education in Central Asia. We have made great progress at the construction, refinement and adaptation of pedagogical principles and processes to our unique context in Kazakhstan. I have encountered many practical problems in my teaching experience and although I can often find solutions by consulting relevant works by Western educators, I yearn for more direct professional contact and collaboration with respect to many issues as we continue to advance in education. I am especially attracted to the way in which the XXXX Program provides a fantastic opportunity to develop professionally and to acquire invaluable skills and contacts that will play a crucial role in my ongoing professional advancement, helping me to make my maximum contribution to both secondary and higher education in my country. Empowering Students Through Purposeful Teaching in Kazakhstan

I knew from an early age that I wanted to study English: from winning the Writer's Cup at the age of ten to achieving consistently high grades throughout my education. I am fascinated by the fact that the English Language and the work produced from it has no boundaries. Creative writing is limited only by imagination, the English language is ever changing, and something that brings everyone together. Pursuing my studies of English into A Level has made it impossible for me to read a piece of text without analysing it and focusing on specific features and themes. The central topic that I am particularly interested in is creative writing; an aspect of English Language that I was able to develop in my coursework. I gained professional experience at Waterstones Booksellers. My communication skills improved, and I was complimented upon my good manners and helpfulness. I was given the responsibility of writing reviews to be displayed around the store. Independently, I enjoy learning from books such as David Crystal's How Language Works. This covered all aspects of English Language, including Linguistics. It has helped to broaden my knowledge of the subject. Reading, however, is not just limited to college study, but is something which I also enjoy doing in my spare time: from classics such as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice to modern novels. One particular favourite is This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, which explores relationships and the conveying of feeling through song. The theme of language surpassing the lives of humans is emotionally expressed. I attended a lecture on the poet Phillip Larkin presented by the much-admired author Martin Amis and presented a biological article concerning Larkin's life and works. I read Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll to add background knowledge to my study of his play Arcadia. I found both extremely entertaining and was absorbed by the enviable wit and intellect. I was chosen to represent my class at college in an English Language focus group. This gives me a sense of responsibility, reliability, and reinforces my aptitude for being able to work independently. I chose to do five AS levels and continue with four A Levels as I am hard-working enough to cope with this level of work. Studying English Language will help me directly with my future studies, and I feel that my love for the subject has grown enormously in the past year. Creative writing appeals to me as I feel that anything can be explored: when writing, you can become someone else completely; you can live another life through your stories. English Literature has enabled me to explore texts through history; Jane Eyre, for example, has helped me to understand how English has changed over time. Theology and Philosophy have improved my analytical skills, which will help me during my years at university and beyond. Business Studies enables me to capture a glimpse of the real world and put much of what I am learning to beneficial use in my professional initiatives, at Waterstones Booksellers Ltd for example. In my spare time, I enjoy sewing and clothes-making. I love the feeling of having finished a garment, especially if making it has been a challenge or has had setbacks. This activity has improved the creativity of my work and my determination to succeed. Higher education is the perfect opportunity for me to continue my studies at a more in-depth and intellectual level. I believe that through the course of my school and college life I have acquired many positive skills, which will be beneficial to me in later life. Studying the English Language at University level will enhance my skills further and prepare me well for the future. BA English UK Creative Writing Personal Statement Tips

Growing up in Kazakhstan and reading mostly in English, about everything that I could get my hands on, I struggled to understand who I was, who we were, the Kazakhs, through the eyes of the West. Thus, I have labored mightily for many years to understand the East through the eyes and heart of the West. Now, I want very much to fulfill my lifelong dream of studying in the West, so that I can continue to better understand not only who we are, but where we are going, how we are to best continue to integrate ourselves into global society. I am now twenty-one and more curious than ever about the West, a woman with a great zeal for study and discovery; most of all, I want to educate myself, so that I will be able to help my people to prosper. This coming summer 2012, I will be graduating from Kazakh National University with a B.A. in History and Japanese Studies, History. I want very much to begin graduate study at XXXX University because of the comprehensive, multi-disciplinary focus of your program and its appreciation for diversity. I keenly look forward to learning from other graduate students from all over the world. In addition to Kazakh, Russian, and English, I also speak, read, and write Japanese and look forward to developing a long-term interest in Kazkh-Japanese relations. By the time that I was in high school, I realized that I wanted to devote my life to Eastern studies, guided by my profound passion for the study of languages, history, and culture, especially Japanese. After graduating from school at the top of my class and earning a high score on the Unified National Test, I won an educational grant to attend university studies and I threw myself entirely into my studies. By my second year, I had passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), receiving a Level 3. In my third year, I passed the new Level N3 for this examination. I have especially enjoyed taking part in student discussions, debates, and seminars conducted in my department; research is my special delight, authoring reports on historical, political, and socio-economic issues. This year, I participated in the University Spring Student Conference, speaking on the topic of "Techno Nation: Japanese Communication Problems”; I was awarded third place in my category. I also contributed to student seminars on such subjects as "The OSCE in the Focus of Attention" and "Kazakhstan's Chairmanship in the OSCE - the World Trust.” I have compiled a variety of reports for our Japanese guests. In the spring of 2010, I was one of five finalists for the university-wide Superstudent-2010 Award and participated in the Brain Ring intellectual games. In 2010-2011, I was awarded the Presidential Scholarship, being acknowledged as the best student in my department. I am currently doing my thesis research on "The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake: Long Term Effects for the Global Community,” examining how the 2011 earthquake in Japan and the subsequent nuclear tragedy affected global perceptions of Japan. I spend most of my time searching for statistics, articles, forecasts, and the statements of Japanese politicians in English, Russian, and Japanese. My long-term goal is to continue to do research into the vital social and political issues that have the greatest impact on East Asia, especially Kazakhstan and Japan. ____ is my first choice because it prepares the strongest orientalists in the world of education. I thank you for considering my application to your esteemed program. East Asian Studies Kazakhstan Personal Purpose Sample