My decision to seek to specialize in I.O. Psychology has been made lightly or quickly. It arises from the fact that a close relative suffers a serious illness that is triggered by work-related stress. His situation prompted me to some informal study of the subject and the more I read, the more interested I became in this specialism. I was surprised to learn that work related stress is so widely felt in the working population and affects many individuals, their families, colleagues, and employers. It has always been my hope to make a beneficial difference in the lives of others and to society in general, which is why I chose to study psychology. It seems to me that, as we spend so much of our time at work, IO Psychology is a field in which I can make that positive difference in people’s lives that I have always wished to make, as well as aiding employers to meet their goals in terms of reduced absenteeism, productivity and reduced personnel turnover. My ambition is to acquire the skills and knowledge to enable me to work effectively in this field in a large organization and, once I have sufficient practical experience, to undertake research and to teach the specialty. We live in a time of significant and continuing change arising from technological developments and changes in types of organizational structures. I know that change is often a major cause of stress arising from confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety and so I see that the role of the I.O. Psychologists will become increasingly important in the world of work. It also seems clear to me that my own key to success is I.O. Psychology is to seek to constantly monitor levels of satisfaction and to identify and implement effective preventative policies and practices, rather than reacting to problems once they have begun to affect the health of employees and the success and effectiveness of the organization employing them. I would be especially interested in assisting with research in the comparison of the effectiveness of various preventative practices and policies. As the reader will note from my C.V., I am an experienced and enthusiastic researcher. I possess the curiosity and determination together with the ‘soft’ but vital interpretative and intuitive skills called for in effective research and it is an area of work that I enjoy. I am aware that success in this field requires a certain skill set and the possession of certain personal characteristics in a practitioner. I enjoyed teaching and I learned that to succeed it is important to be approachable, amiable, and confident so that students do not hesitate to bring their difficulties to your attention, and I am sure that my students felt able to do so with me. I can see that this experience is directly applicable to this field of study and practice. I have happily studied, worked, and socialized with people from many social and ethnic backgrounds. I am Chinese and enjoy sharing knowledge about my own culture and am fascinated by the contrasts between cultures and seek to learn as much as possible about others. I speak Mandarin and English fluently and speak Japanese and Spanish at a basic level. I am aware, from personal experience and observation, that there are significant cultural implications in many areas of psychology, certainly including I.O. Psychology. For instance, there is in some societies a cultural aversion to confrontation and so dissatisfaction is expressed in silence rather than positive complaint and sensitivity to the many such differences is of foremost importance in an effective researcher and practitioner. I have enjoyed a successful academic career to date, I have significant research and teaching experience and am fascinated by the possibilities in the field of I.O. Psychology and the potential for me to ‘make a real difference’ by acquiring expert knowledge and skills in the field. I can assure the reader of enthusiastic, fully committed, and diligent participation in the program to which I am sure I can bring useful insights. I regard your program as being a particularly ‘good fit’ for my purposes because of the emphasis on the areas of study and research that interest me, the prestigious reputation of the faculty and the success of graduates of the program. Thank you for considering my application. MA I/O Psychology Personal Statement Workplace Stress

It is said that a life without purpose is a life without meaning. It is my experience that meaning is found in life through the most unlikely moments. Sometimes, a cross that is picked up along the way, through circumstance or choice, represents an opportunity to discover the deeper meaning to a life of purpose. Born and raised in Agra, India, when I came to the United States at the age of nine, I knew that my purpose lies in helping others with their journey through life. Oprah Winfrey once said, “turn your wounds into wisdom”, with the understanding that “where there is no struggle, there is no strength”. My long-term goals of becoming a social worker rest on the inner strength I discovered through my own journey, overcoming situations and circumstances in my life that were oftentimes beyond my control. I seek to advance the cause of women, especially those in minority communities, who bear an ever-increasing burden from the diverse socio-cultural hurdles they face in families and society. Having graduated with a degree in 2020 from the University of Cincinnati, it is the right time for me on both a personal and professional level to advance my studies to the master's level, as the next step towards a career in social work. Selecting the Master of Social Work program at the University of Cincinnati as my optimum choice is a simple decision for me. With its stated mission of addressing the diverse problems found in communities through the training of professional social workers who are also equipped as leaders, it is the ideal place for me to be equipped with the academic knowledge and practical skills to excel in my field. What appealed to me about your program was the academic excellence of Faculty, the determination and drive of the students and the focus on social responsibility. It is my firm belief that over the course of the program I would be provided with the preparation I need to develop my potential to the fullest. I am especially interested in research in families and children. Passionate about issues of social justice that impact the lives of the most vulnerable in our communities; the poor, the ill, children and the elderly, I realize that any form of sustainable change would require credible voices that speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Someday, I would like to be involved in diversity training of social workers to help women and children from different socio-cultural backgrounds in a manner that respects their language, culture, and traditions. It is my intention to continue with my studies to the doctoral level of study after which I would be truly effective as an activist of women’s and children’s rights especially in situations of abuse, armed with the academic knowledge and practical experience that my training would have offered me. Fluent in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, I can relate to a cross-section of the population that struggle with access to existing programs and resources within communities because of language and cultural barriers. With the theoretical background I would receive through the program, I would be able to assist women, children, and families in these communities to understand where and when help is available by building relationships of trust through a professional social work practice. As a humanitarian I feel great compassion for those who suffer needlessly when there is help available, due to either ignorance or fear; as a woman in a socio-cultural context, I understand the reality of how difficult it is for women to speak out in situations in which their welfare is compromised. Offering support in a small way can make the greatest difference to the lives of those who don’t have much or see a way out. The motivation I have for helping others is the driving force in my life. I would also like to improve the world my son grows up in; inspiring him to cultivate a sense of responsibility for others and a passion for social justice. The greatest contribution I can make with my life is to help women and children who are not born to privilege or who live with the disadvantage of poverty, abuse, or illness. The empathy I feel for others is real. In the land of my birth, some women are still burnt alive because of the lack of a dowry, water is a luxury in some areas and in others; women and children have little recourse to justice or welfare where there is abuse or alcoholism. Having experienced firsthand the challenge of a failed arranged marriage even though I was living in the United States, I recognize how fortunate I was to have been allowed to pursue my life choices whilst elsewhere in the world women in a comparable situation as me would have had fewer or no choices. My experiences left me with the understanding that empowering women through literacy programs that assist them improve their living standards, is the greatest way to achieve the development of their self-esteem. To break the cycle of abuse, women must know where their strength lies, be supported in their refusal to be apportioned the blame for being abused and encouraged in raising their voices in situations where silence and fear dominate. Abuse occurs irrespective of cultural, traditional, or religious beliefs. Speaking the truth from a professional platform while being armed with community resources to assist families and children through the entire process, lends authenticity to the empathy expressed by social workers who work in this field. Having traveled within the United States and abroad and lived in two quite different countries and cultures, I have come to see the universality of human suffering. What keeps me rooted and what will anchor my son, is the gratitude I feel for having been given the chance to overcome the difficulties I faced. Living in a society in which we have become accustomed to accessibility and availability of resources can mask the reality of the many who do not have the basics with which to sustain quality of life. Their lives serve as a constant reminder to me of the “shoes I could have been walking in”. This only strengthens my resolve to study further, work hard and give back to others in my community, especially the most vulnerable. I am always reminded of the fact that “I have been there” – it is almost ironic that I am writing a personal statement of purpose for admission to the same program in the same school as I did exactly six years ago when my life took a detour due to circumstances, somewhat beyond my control. Single then, strong and in high spirits, I was ready to go out and save all the ‘unfortunate’ women and children living in the vicious cycle of substance abuse and violence because of a lack of knowledge, by empowering them. My plan then was to enable these women to become mentally, financially, and emotionally competent enough to gain the confidence to resume their desire to be educated and work and live healthy and happy lives with their children. That was six years ago: it feels like I have lived a lifetime in between these two applications. My desire and passion to help women, children and families has not abated, but rather my commitment has increased. What has changed is that I now understand what it would take to break the cycle, why it is so hard to act with self-protection the second you realize that you are in a risky situation, why it becomes harder to leave the longer you stay and why a little support is all that is needed to help anyone take the final leap. Even though my previous application to this master's program was accepted, I was unable to pursue this journey then. Simply put, life intervened: an arranged marriage through a friend consistent with my culture saw me leave my family, friends, an excellent job, and dreams for North Carolina as the wife of a man I barely knew. Although it just took a few weeks for the regret to set in, the cultural traditions held by my family would not allow me to leave a situation where my spouse’s alcohol use and abuse negatively impacted my quality of life, setting up years of a cycle that saw my feeling of helplessness grow. The birth of my son almost sealed my fate to becoming a statistic in a life so far removed from everything I had ever wanted or known; it took me six years to gather up the strength to leave. Even though I am still not divorced, I could breathe again, live again just by leaving the situation. The past six years, more than anything, has ignited the passion I feel to advance the cause of minority women in society. Completing my Masters and Doctoral degree in Social Work would give a boost to the vision I have to see every woman caught in the cycle of abuse being given the chance to become independent, successful, and happy. As a professional therapist, prepared with the core knowledge and methodology of counseling, equipped with the skills to relate to children and families with a wide range of needs and armed with a resource list of accessible and available social welfare organizations, private and public, I would be committed to offering the support needed specific to every situation. Providing training to organizations that rely on community volunteers will allow the services to be available to diverse cultures and religions. I want to be part of that simple solution. My strongest asset as a social worker is my broadened worldview, bilingualism and socio-cultural background which allow me the sensitivity to relate to women, children, and families at the point of their need with empathy and compassion. I do belief that “knowledge is key” and am committed to providing women, children, and families with the information they need to leave situations of abuse in a safe and secure manner to better their lives. I am grateful to those who contributed to my growth as a person into the confident person I now am; the family and friends who through exposing me to different cultures gave me the opportunity to see the possibilities life offered and those who stood with me with courage in facing the most difficult challenge I have had to deal with. It is this broadened worldview that infused me with hope in difficult circumstances and forged a path that saw me eventually break free. I am passionate about offering this chance to other women, children, and families by consistently being a support, counseling and mediating and problem-solving together with them. I am determined that my son will grow up in a better world in which all women, children and families have the chance to live free of abuse. As a professional social worker, I would be living out my dream of helping others. If I have learnt anything in the past few years, it is that you take one step at a time. The next step in this career path is to complete the master's level of study in Social Work. I believe I am an ideal candidate for this Program as I have the empathy and compassion to be an ethical, efficient professional social worker, am hardworking, committed and dedicated to contribute and add value to the program itself, especially working with like-minded individuals who will qualify with me as colleagues and I am passionate about researching further the subject of assisting women and children’s with social welfare needs, especially those from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. MSW Master of Social Work Statement of Purpose

I am a Haitian woman with a New England upbringing. I have diverse interests in the arts, culture, and society, but science has always been my passion, especially chemistry, as I have always had an eye towards medicine and curing diseases. I have been fascinated by medicine ever since I was a little girl, and this is why I have dedicated myself to its study. As a result, I have been professionally attracted to the field of Pharmacy for many years. I want to go back to school and study for an advanced degree while I am still young, 27, and full of energy for learning. I am at the perfect point in my career where I will be most able to take full advantage of a professional education. I hold a B.S in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with a minor in French. Since graduating from college in 2004, I have worked at a doctor's office and in a GI tumor biology lab at XXXX hospital. I have very much enjoyed helping with research in cancer biology, focusing on the preventive side of the disease. I think that this experience will serve me well in graduate school pursuing a career in pharmacy. I see pharmacy as my vocation and the greatest contribution that I might be able to make to my society. In the area of medicine, I am especially engaged with the subject of Oncology. In the area of Pharmacy, I am most intrigued by the sub-area of Nuclear Pharmacy. I want very much to work as part of an organization that is dedicated to building and maintaining a safe, successful, nuclear medicine department or practice that requires a wide variety of services and highly professional employees all working as a team to assure that the right dose is delivered to the right place, at the right time. I look forward to rigorous exposure, in nuclear pharmacy, to safety and regulatory-compliant packaging, for example, and instrumentation and waste disposal. I want very much to contribute to successful radiation management, helping with safety audits, for example, IT solutions, and development support. PharmD Personal Purpose Statement Nuclear Pharmacy

I have been involved for some time in raising funds for a charitable organization called Globe Med, which has a sister organization in Uganda called ‘Set Her Free’ – a non-profit organization working to provide health, education, and rehabilitative services to young girls in Uganda. I had heard descriptions of the problems suffered by young females in Uganda. Still, the difference between hearing about such issues and witnessing them is, I discovered, a vastly different thing. My experiences in Uganda over six short weeks as one of four interns from GWU have left an indelible impression on me and a determination to do my part in alleviating at least some of the anguish that I witnessed and to help others to do so. My team’s remit in Uganda was to undertake a needs assessment project in some matter calling for intervention. We called our project ‘The Sanitary Pad Program.’ One of the major problems we found is that the girls are reduced to using animal skin, rags, or leaves as sanitary pads, which are of minimal effectiveness, resulting in embarrassment and discomfort which often leads girls to absent themselves from school for a week each month and so to suffer a consequent loss of education and later opportunity. This problem was compounded by a lack of soap and a change of underwear; girls often possess just one pair of pants, usually ancient. We arranged, in one village, for the regular provision of a supply of re-usable pads, soap, toilet paper, and underwear. Still, the problem is distressingly widespread throughout Uganda and beyond. As part of my engagement with Globe Med, I had the opportunity to explore international collaboration in a public health care context through a sustained partnership with their partner organization in Uganda. It was inspiring to witness Globe Med expand from a tiny initial community to a massive network of one and a half thousand students from forty-six different universities. This has shown me that effective cross-disciplinary collaboration between like-minded individuals can yield tremendous global results. I am currently Globe Med's co-president on campus. In the future, I would like to become Globe Med's Alumni Advisor to be involved in structuring new educational and fundraising platforms for current alumni. My objective in making this application is to acquire advanced skills and knowledge in Community Health to enable me to assist in improving the health education and health of rural families in the ‘third world.’ My ambition is to work with an NGO to advance rural populations' public health and to pass on my passion and knowledge to a new generation of Public Health specialists. I believe that exposure to ‘real, life situations is vital to those studying this specialty to ensure that real people with real problems do not become mere ‘budgetary units’ or statistical data in the minds of those responsible for improving the lives of real people. I intend to seek such ‘real world’ exposure throughout my future studies and career to ensure that I retain my focus on the underlying ‘why’ of my studies and work. I am also aware that the mere desire to ‘do something is hardly sufficient in becoming a handy professional in this field and that highly developed analytical and planning skills, the ability to evaluate, primarily statistical, data and an understanding of cross-disciplinary cooperation to a common end, are all vital. My bachelor's degree studies in Biology have called for well-developed analytical and statistical skills, and I have assisted in research projects as a member of an effective team. I consider myself to have good research skills and look forward to being involved in a research project within the program and am particularly interested in problems in the provision of clean water in rural third-world communities, which is a problem that I have personally witnessed. I am conscious that cultural sensitivity is vital in this field of work and that understanding the culture and attitudes of those one seeks to serve is fundamental to being effective. I am of Indian background and have happily studied, worked, and interacted with people from various cultural and social backgrounds. I happily share knowledge of my own culture and positively seek to acquire knowledge from others. I get along well with others and am blessed with a good sense of humor. In addition to English, I am fluent in Gujarati, Hindi, and Urdu. I am drawn to the program because of the prestigious faculty, a curriculum and research program that fits my needs well, and the promise of the challenging but supportive academic environment in which I thrive. While I cannot claim direct professional experience in the specialty, my voluntary work and the knowledge gained from it, my characteristics, and the relevant skills and knowledge gained from my bachelor's degree studies will enable me to add value to the program. I promise the reader I will participate in the program with great diligence and enthusiasm. Thank you for considering my application. MPH Public Health Purpose Statement NGO Uganda Indian

I am a young Indian man, still only 23 years old, who was born in Saudi Arabia and raised mostly in the USA. I have visited India several times and I have also very much enjoyed spending time in Turkey, the UAE, Bahrain, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Canada, England, and Egypt. Since I have known ever since I was a child that I wanted to build my profession in the field of health care, I made a point to learn as much as I could about health care in each of the countries that I visited while growing up. In addition to fluently reading, speaking, and writing Hindi, I also speak Gujarati fluently and I have an excellent beginners grasp on both Arabic and Spanish. A recent high school graduate in 2008, I found a pair of mentors who helped me to develop remarkably over the course of these last 5 years as an experienced and highly capable health care management professional; first, the late Dr. XXXX and her daughter, Dr. XXXX, who is also a physician and part of our practice. I am most pleased that I spent the first two years at Dr. XXXX’s office scheduling appointments and posting payments to accounts receivables along with reconciling with insurance companies, I was also slowly but surely learning a great deal about most if not all aspects of running an extraordinarily successful multi-physician clinic. Since 2010, I have been serving as the practice manager. When I began with Dr. XXXX she was alone in her practice; and we now have a total of four doctors including her daughter and more than 3,000 patients. While my days are very full as I have numerous duties, some of my favorite routine activities are managing hospital procedure authorizations, as well as communicating with patients concerning the importance of long-term health management of chronic disease. I led the Transitioning of the entire office into electronic medical records (EMR) which I feel is extremely important as having all patient records in the future will require having everything electronic. I majored in accounting, graduating in 2012, and I feel strongly that my undergraduate studies have helped to prepare me to excel in your competitive program at XXXX because they have empowered me to greatly appreciate accuracy and focus as well as the way in which record keeping, in general, is the foundation of the successful health care enterprise in today’s world. I see giving my all to health care as something both natural and noble. My professional aspirations are clearly a result of my culture as an Indian American, since Indian people are well known for the high regard in which they hold health care workers, not just doctors, but everyone who makes an important contribution to health care. Coming from a very hard-working family, yet one of modest resources, it never occurred to me that I would study full time without holding down a job. In fact, since high school I was planning to work full time while I completed my college education. I am such a hard worker that during my summer vacations from college in 2009 and 2010, I worked a second job as a Pharmacy Associate so that I might have greater opportunity to put what I was learning in school to effective use in the management of customer records. I hope to develop a lifetime focus on the design and management of multi-specialty physician groups that serve as one-stop centers for all if not most of the medical needs that a patient has.  I feel that my current experience managing a multi-physician practice will enable me to excel in your program because of my great passion for the subject matter. I thank you for considering my application to your distinguished program. Statement of Purpose MS Healthcare Management

I am applying to the XXXX School of Public Health primarily because of the centrality of its mission to improve health care in the Developing World, especially in Africa. I hope to be accepted into your program because of the potential that I have for helping some of the world’s most vulnerable infants and children to survive in critically hostile environments. I also appreciate how this struggle in my home country, Nigeria, is a global struggle, full of implications for other frontiers of the battle against AIDS, Malaria, Polio and even diarrhea. I seek lifetime immersion in the study of how and why African mothers and babies often die as a direct result of the birthing process. My earliest levels of awareness of the medical profession resulted from assisting my physically challenged cousin during my childhood. When I learned that his suffering resulted from our failure to vaccinate against this disease, something lit up in my brain, and I began to find more excellent direction and purpose in my studies. By the time we lost my aunt and her baby during childbirth, my destiny had become sealed in my mind as I became determined that someday I would make my mark in health care as a physician and surgeon with a special dedication to obstetrics and gynecology. Last year I finished medical school, and this year I co-founded an NGO (Health Forte Nigeria Initiative) providing essential health services in some rural regions of southwest Nigeria. We are funded by the private sector, a solidarity that is of critical importance for ongoing public health development. I have also worked in PEP-FAR clinics, and I have participated in so many failed PMTCT initiatives that this has become a very personal cause for me as well. I am an optimist, and it is my generation that will transform Nigeria into a land where everyone will have access to affordable health care and free emergency care. I keenly look forward to helping to eradicate malaria and other vaccine-preventable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. My optimism and my passion for innovative research and development in public health initiatives for the Developing World were enhanced by my visit to the UK, where I had the privilege of completing a course on Health Economics last October 2010. As a physician and surgeon, I have acquired special training in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and it is in this area that I especially look forward to making significant contributions. I have extensive experience within Nigerian hospitals and the provision of health care services, both public and private. As a Medical Officer and General Medical Practitioner, I take pride in serving as an integral team member responsible for developing health care provision. I was incredibly honored to be invited to serve as a member of the panel responsible for developing the 2011 Health Care Bill recently submitted to the Nigerian National Assembly. I have established numerous working relationships at every level of the Nigerian healthcare sectors. I have developed a special interest in the development of collaborative liaisons between health care institutions and the business community, working to secure funding and support for critical health care projects under development by NGOs, including large hospitals. Emphasizing the importance of preventive medicine stands at the center of my intellectual and professional world. XXXX’s School of Public Health is my first choice for graduate school because it is the flagship program that is the optimal location for me to be able to most fully develop my capacity as a researcher, forever laboring to decipher the complex human, ethical, and politico-economic factors that undergird the challenges of public health care in today’s Africa. MPH Personal Purpose Statement Public Health Africa

As a bi-lingual Latina social worker, I would like to work with immigrant families from Latin America, especially children that are being abused. I see the abused children of illegal immigrants to be an especially vulnerable sector of our society, since their parents, as a result of their migratory status, are generally quite reticent to seek help, at the same time that they are under enormous pressure in their struggle to support themselves and their children, especially since they often are required by their families to support the family back home as well, in Mexico, Central America, etc. Since I am myself an immigrant from Honduras, where I was raised, I speak their language, understand their problems. I can relate to them; thus, I will be in an excellent position to help them. The role of prevention is of especially critical importance to the field of Social Work. At risk families in America, irrespective of their migratory status, should receive assistance in caring for their children who are often American citizens while their parents are not. Part of my optimism stems from the fact that there is a growing awareness on the part of publicly elected officials and professional public servants, that helping migrant Latino families is not only the humane thing to do, but also the economically responsible thing to do. Migrant Latino families are especially vulnerable to disease, crime, poverty, domestic violence, homicide, suicide, school dropout, drug, and alcohol abuse, etc. Providing adequate support to these families is in America’s long-term economic interest, since it will facilitate at least the children of these families to become productive members of society, rather than a burden to society. Our dollars are much better spent on prevention, providing children with adequate support and resources so that they do not wind up in jail, and in this way become a long-term economic burden to society. I am most enthused by the fact that many social work professionals agree with me. And I am very much a team player. I look forward to collaborating with other social work professionals as well as professionals in a variety of fields, such as health care workers and criminal justice officials, so that we can bring to bear our society’s resource in a coordinated fashion to prevent the disintegration of families, child abuse, drug abuse, etc. I keenly look forward to developing programs that provide support and education to those families that are at elevated risk of disintegration, violence, child neglect, etc. Unfortunately, with respect to families in the immigrant Latino community, it is important to note that many, even most families with children have no responsible male parent. Immigrant Latino men, generally speaking, have not distinguished themselves as particularly responsible husbands and fathers. Thus, I want to develop a special focus on the children, many of whom have no father in any meaningful sense, at least one that takes full responsibility for his children. 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 to families and children, especially in hospital and school settings. I want to provide counsel and support to individuals as well as families and help them to improve their lives. I have worked as a volunteer counselor for a family services and guidance center where I assisted primarily severely emotionally disturbed children and their families to improve their lives. I have also worked as a volunteer Spanish translator for XXXX Community Center. I am now completely bicultural as well as bilingual. I enjoyed helping people, making a positive difference in their lives. And I particularly enjoy working with people from many diverse backgrounds. Even among immigrant Latinos, there is enormous cultural diversity which is something that relish. It is the learning experience itself that I most prize. The greatest contribution that I might be able to make to society would be to contribute to the enhancement of the wellbeing of the members of my community, especially those who are most vulnerable and at risk. My own appreciation of diversity has been very much enhanced by my travels. I have visited many countries for vacations and have also studied in both Melbourne, Australia, 2010, and Birmingham, England 2011. In both countries, I studied Morita therapy. In my own country of origin, Honduras, I was a schoolteacher until I left for the USA in 1997. At some point, I would like to earn my PHD in Social Work with a special focus on Mental Health. At some point I would very much like to also assist Honduras to develop programs that would be successful and curbing the horrendous problems associate with violence, gang activity, and drug abuse, all of which are rampant throughout Central America. As a Hispanic immigrant woman, I have faced many challenges. When I started attending XXXX University, I did not speak English very well, so I had to overcome many languages as well as cultural barriers or hurdles. I thrive on challenges, however, because they help me to become a stronger person and to gain confidence in my abilities to help others. I am a firm believer in the importance of life-long learning and constant personal and professional growth. My own personal values and worldview are highly compatible with the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. This is primarily the case because I want to devote “particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty,” as specified by the code. Furthermore, I am also very much concerned with social justice. In fact, I see social justice as of foundational importance to mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Caring for children in a home with few economic resources is all but impossible without community support. And I feel strongly that all children in America, regardless of how and when they arrived, deserve our support and guidance; in fact, I see this as their right. Helping immigrant families and their children, therefore, is not something that I see as a matter of charity. Rather, it is what justice requires in a humane society. Our own dignity depends on how we treat the most vulnerable among us. I want to devote my life to serving as an advocate for the most vulnerable amongst us. As specified by the code: “Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients.” My greatest strength is that I am a very caring, compassionate, and dedicated person. My greatest weakness is the tendency that I must worry so much about my clients and their problems that I sometimes neglect to adequately attend to my own personal and family issues. I want to thank you for considering my application. MSW, Bilingual Latina Personal Purpose Statement

After graduating from the University of Science and Technology in my native Sudan in 2003, with a bachelor's degree in computer science, I moved to the USA in 2004. I am now a citizen, married, and I have been settled in Virginia since 2006. Still only thirty-one, I am at my optimal point to pursue graduate studies and I have the full emotional and economic support of my husband and the rest of my family. My long-term goals include working with organizations concerned with nutrition in Africa and to help them to develop educational materials in public health and clinical nutrition that are culturally appropriate and appealing. Arabic is my first language and English my second. First, I attended XXXX Community College (NOVA), taking Computer Science as well as ESL classes. Soon, however, I became much more interested in facing what has been the greatest challenge by far of our married life: infertility issues. I am pleased to report that we won our battle; our daughter is now 17 months old. Most importantly, I feel confident that we owe this triumph primarily to our diet. Over the course of the several years prior to my pregnancy, I increasingly became obsessed with our failure, I threw myself into an intensive learning experience in fertility that I want very much to now make my professional direction for the future; because it is here that my greatest passion lies. Most of all, it is nutrition that has grabbed my professional attention and engagement, and I want to continue to pursue mysteries, revelations, and novel success stories as a professional working, researching, writing, and practicing at the intersection of nutrition and fertility. I am a very diligent and organized student, independent, and highly motivated. This is why I feel highly confident that I have the key ingredients that are needed to excel in your online program. I want very much to devote my life to educating and advising people about the importance of good eating habits, how nutrition and diet influence their ability to concentrate, their growth, resistance to illnesses etc. My professional goal is to enjoy a long and productive career as a professional nutritionist. I enjoy nothing more than the struggle to increase public awareness concerning the way that most of our suffering from diseases is linked to food, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, infertility, and much more. This is why I would feel honored to serve my community by advising the public about food and creating suitable dietary information for diverse groups of people, based on numerous factors, income level, geographical location, ethnicity, language, etc. I will always want to think of myself as a scientist and I keenly look forward to a full immersion in research as a student in your program. The best decision that I ever made was to return to XXXX and take a class in human nutrition. I did this primarily because I began to firmly suspect that here lay the root cause of our infertility. I have always enjoyed school. But it was not until I was studying nutrition at XXXX that I realized my true calling. My efforts were rewarded by an ‘A’. Our life changed for the better, my husband began to control his sugar naturally under the care of a nutritionist and acupuncturist. I lost 12 lb. in three months. By the fourth month I was pregnant. I look forward to contributing to the diversity of your program as an Arab woman from Africa and as someone with first-hand experience of the Middle East, having lived in Qatar for 4 months and visiting Dubai. Thank you for your consideration of my application to your distinguished program. MS Clinical Nutrition Personal Purpose Statement

I can make a difference in local and global public health by gaining further knowledge and skills as a graduate student. I could not be more certain that your particularly distinguished MPH Program in General Epidemiology at the University of XXXX School of Public Health is the optimal springboard upon which I might achieve my goals. First, XXXX is world famous for its public health resources. In addition to ranking at the very top, I especially appreciate the rich history of XXXX SPH. I was astonished by the fact that the Department of Epidemiology at the University of XXXX, School of Public Health has been practicing world-class public health education and epidemiological research for more than 70 years, longer than the histories of most medical schools in my country, Japan. which is longer than the history of most of medical schools in Japan. Most public health programs in Japan are no more than 15 years old. I look to the University of XXXX and a role model, therefore, for advancement of our public health system in Japan. Traditionally speaking, public health has only existed as an academic discipline as part of medical school. This has resulted in serious shortages of public health experts: biostatisticians, epidemiologists, and health policymakers while medical doctors with only cursory training in public health are still the only professors to teach the subject in Japan. If given the opportunity to distinguish myself in your innovative program, I am confident that I will be selected to continue to my studies at the PHD level to contribute to the advancement of Public Health as an independent academic discipline in my country. Another reason UX is my first choice is because my foremost mentor is a graduate of your program school, XXXX, now a professor of Preventive Medicine at the university where I went to medical school. He took the time to inspire me to start to begin thinking of epidemiology as my career. I do not think that my low cumulative GPA (2.9) is an accurate measure of my ability to succeed as a graduate student. I was competing in medical school against the top 1 percent. By the end of the first two years, more than 20% of the students dropped out, including one of my closest friends who committed suicide. My grades improved over the course of the last two years, in part, thanks to the inspiration of XXXX in the areas of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology. Under his guidance, the study of medicine became much more than curing patients one at a time. Rather, I was able to envision a world where disease is prevented rather than cured. Suddenly, I became possessed by my studies, like a spiritual crusade, and soon found myself above the 95th percentile in the class, earning an A, exceedingly rare at my medical school. I finished with my sights fully focused on Epidemiology. My GPA over the last two years was 3.45, with straight 'As' in the professional training “Bedside learning”. Kazutoshi Nakamura was my watershed moment in education because I simply fell in love with Epidemiology. Since then, I have stayed connected with him for guidance in my research on mercury poisoning which I have developed throughout the course of several presentations. The fact that both of us focus investigations on the Niigata Prefecture makes our working relationship especially mutually beneficial. He has also advised me to pursue the MPH in the USA. I am pleased that a graduate of UX’s MPH Program is one of those mentors writing a letter of recommendation on my behalf. He has told me all about the UX system, resources, environment, and people. I hope to be accepted to your world-class Master’s in Public Health Program at the University of XXXX so that I might learn from some of the finest instructors in the world. I could not be more certain that your particularly distinguished MPH program at the University of XXXX is the optimal springboard upon which I might achieve my goals. First, your program has an exceptionally low student-to-faculty ratio; and the subsequent attention from and ability to easily interact with the faculty. I also appreciate the flexibility that the Generalist Track offers, in which I can pursue my special interest, mental health, alongside the more general curricula. I love the interdisciplinary nature of your program and keenly look forward to conducting my Capstone and Field Experience in a location with numerous, creative resources and opportunities within my reach. at my disposal. I am impressed with the fact that UX has a wealth of student resources available, such as the International Student and Scholar Services and the Graduate Student Center to guide and assist international students. Japan has the longest life expectancy and the lowest infant mortality in the world, because of its world-renowned health care system. However, as a result, Japan is now one of the most aged countries and has an incredibly low birth rate, putting an extreme financial burden on the young and it looks increasingly likely that our single-payer national health insurance system is going to fail. I look forward to a lifetime of investigation into the public health challenges unique to Japan, especially younger Japanese people, and particularly labor-related issues such as karoshi, death caused by overwork or job-related exhaustion. I seek to explore unsolved mysteries and thereby prepare for the future. I plan to become an epidemiologist who is especially accomplished at the analysis of risk factors that negatively affect our mental health, so that unnecessary deaths – especially suicide – can be prevented. I was myself bullied in elementary school and subsequently absent for enough time to fall behind in my studies. I suffered a great deal from this situation because I clearly did not have enough support and the root cause was not investigated. Somehow, I managed to get through it, but I would frequently see similar cases when others went through a remarkably similar experience, the worst of which occurred when one of my best friends took his life after failing a class due to extreme pressure. An experienced physician, when working in the hospital as a doctor, I met many patients toiling under the heavy burden of at once being caregivers and putting in long hours at their places of employment. It troubles me that we focus on treating the symptoms, instead of directly addressing many of the causal factors for mental illness, stress, depression, and in many cases suicide. According to Japan’s Health Ministry, although the chief cause of domestic suicide over the last 5 years is health related, work or family problems comes in second for people between their 20s and 50s and school-related issues are first for teenagers. Depression accounts for half of these health problems. The statistics clearly show a need for preventive measures in dealing with suicide and mental illness. I like to think that we can prevent these diseases, especially for the young, with advanced public mental health strategies. I joined the computer club at our university and learned the basics of programming as well as statistics. I also held an internship position at a public health center, assisting with the analysis of data on infections at the local level. I put an enormous amount of effort into these experiences so that I would be qualified for large-scale epidemiological research that not only requires medical knowledge, but also statistical and analytical skills. As an example, there was a study submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine in 2014 on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease with low sodium intake. This study targeted more than 100,000 people in seventeen countries with intricate statistical analysis on the relationship between cardiovascular status and sodium intake. It revealed that an estimated sodium intake between 3g per day and 6g per day was associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events than either a higher or lower estimated level of sodium intake. This study led Japan’s Ministry of Health to introduce a new recommendation for daily sodium consumption, changing the way people in Japan eat and think about their health. In my case, I look forward to playing a central role in the realization of dramatic public health success stories in the area of mental health, in light of and in response to the unique challenges, stressors, and cultural factors – for better or for worse – that serve to define our horizons in the advance of public health practice. I thank you for considering my application to your unparalleled MPH program at the University of XXXX. MPH Sample Personal Statement, Japanese Applicant

At 30 years old, I am now at the optimal point in my life to begin a doctoral program, especially in terms of dedication and professional maturity. As an Asian-American, both Japanese and Taiwanese, completely fluent in Japanese and fully conversant in French, I look forward to contributing to the diversity of your program in unique ways. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, raised in Thailand and later New York, and as a world traveler throughout my life, I am a truly global citizen who is most keen to apply her multi-cultural sensitivities to the study of psychology, addressing questions of culture and mental health in the context of an increasingly interconnected world. I have studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan, as well as doing my junior year of college in France. I also lived in Singapore for a full year while working for Pfizer and spent every summer of my life in Hiroshima, Japan while in school, continuing to visit often since my mom's side of the family lives there.  I have also spent significant amounts of time throughout much of the rest of Europe (East as well as West), Taiwan, most of Japan, Vietnam, India, and the Caribbean. Since childhood, I have been noted for and always struggled to constantly cultivate a profound sense of compassion for my fellowman and women. I see my almost innate desire to help others as my greatest gift. People often remark that I have a natural ability to help people with their problems and I have been counseling people my whole life. Thus, I look forward to bringing this lifetime of practice of the arts of listening and empathy to your program where I will learn the intellectual tools of clinical psychology. My interest in psychology was initiated by my desire to help people deal successfully with the many difficulties and challenges presented in life and I strongly believe that this initiative will help me to succeed both at the XXXX School of Professional Psychology and beyond, throughout a lifetime of continuing education and dedicated practice. Complementing my diversity and multi-cultural experiences, I believe that my unique capacity to learn to see and understand psychological principals across cultures has been further amplified by my Masters studies at New York’s XXXX, where I completed my M.A. Degree in International Studies, building upon my undergraduate education in East Asian Studies with a minor in Philosophy at XXXX University. The other great strength of my application is the diversity of my professional experience as both a professional and a volunteer. Currently working with Helping Hands in Hawaii since September, I administer questionnaires to clients for internal use and for the Department of Health, as well as helping nurses with activities to improve wellness and diminish the negative effects of psychotropic medication. Working with UNICEF as a researcher in the Global Policy Section, I was able to further develop my acute concern for children and awareness of public policy development on their behalf—across the planet. With Forefront Leaders in New York, I researched, wrote, and compiled articles for our newsletter and maintained our website supporting human rights and networking with our activist partners in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. With Pfizer, I had the privilege of working as a Manufacturing Systems Expert Consultant, in Singapore as well as the US, writing standard operation procedures and serving as a systems expert for a yearlong project getting our new manufacturing plant in Singapore up and running, acting as a primary liaison between the Singapore site and our corporate office, ensuring systematic compliance with industry standards, and training regional managers on system platforms. I have also worked in the field of journalism with Securities Industry News in New York and as an activist with the New York Public Interest Research Group, helping to pass laws to make pesticides less dangerous for humans as well as the environment. My multicultural aptitudes have arisen because of spending a great deal of time abroad throughout my childhood and adult life.  Growing up, I spent several years going to school in Bangkok, and as my extended family is split between Japan and Taiwan, I have spent most of my summers going to both countries to visit.  During my undergraduate studies, I spent a semester in Tours, France, and one in Tokyo, Japan.  Fluent in Japanese and conversant in French, I am confident that my international background helps me to relate to people from all cultures and levels of society and I very much look forward to bringing a unique perspective to your program at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. I feel strongly that my multi-cultural awareness and capacities will be invaluable to my long-term professional aspirations, helping me to relate to patients of many diverse backgrounds once I begin to practice therapy. The greatest contribution that I might be able to make to society would be to make a positive difference in people's lives, helping them to overcome their challenges and live more harmonious and fulfilling lives. My interest in psychology is a result of my lifelong desire to help people. This is also why I chose to complete a master's degree in international affairs because of my desire to enrich people’s lives through the mediation of inter-cultural conflict and the building of effective communication channels between diverse peoples. I have not, however, found the degree of personal satisfaction that I had hoped for in this area; in time, I came to realize that the ongoing development of my empathy required more direct and intense human interaction than I have found in the non-profit sector. I came to realize that I craved one-on-one interactions with people rather than spending my time fulfilling bureaucratic functions as part of an organization. In short, I crave the type of intense and emotionally fulfilling interactions that are characteristic of the relationship between a psychologist and her clients and I turn now to this goal to realize the full fruition of my professional character and development. I am most comfortable with the fact that I remain open as to the specific areas of clinical psychology upon which I would like to develop a specialization and research interest. I am confident that your Psy.D. program will help me to choose the areas that are right for me.  I do know that I want to counsel people, and eventually have my own practice, or work in a smaller practice after I put my time in at hospitals and clinics. I would like to eventually use my Japanese at some point in my career, working in Japan counseling expats (of which there are a vast number). And I am certain that my travels and exposure to many cultures will afford me the capacity to develop fruitful avenues of inquiry with respect to cultural interaction, conflict, and adaptation or assimilation hurdles.  I look forward to working with many different populations from many different ethnic backgrounds, especially here in the U.S. I intend to pay for my Psy.D. program with money that was left to me by my grandfather; I am fortunate that he left me enough for five years of schooling without having to apply for grants or loans. I also have an excellent family support base nearby since I am originally from the East Coast (New York) and my significant other is from Massachusetts; his family lives in Boston and Scituate.  I am looking forward to having the opportunity to also live in Boston as many of my close college friends live there and I have a build a strong social network on which I can depend. PSYD Autobiographical Statement Asian-American

My interest in Pharmacy began around the time my daughter's teeth started to develop. I was concerned when my baby's first teeth were dark. My dentist told me that medication I had taken during pregnancy had caused this condition. I promised myself that I would learn more about medications, and their side effects, discussing them with my doctor in the future before taking them. While doing personal research into pharmaceuticals, and Pharmacy school, I had few educational opportunities living in my homeland of Cameroon. I never lost sight of my Pharmacy dreams, however, and my sister showed me that it is truly attainable, leaving Cameroon, attending, and later graduating from _____'s College of Pharmacy. In 2003, I came to America, the country that is renowned for offering people with belief and drive a chance to bring their dreams to fruition. These past four years, I have developed my proficiency in English, completing my pre-Pharmacy courses and gaining valuable real-world retail Pharmacy experience working in XXX Discount Pharmacy. Having the opportunity to interact with people from a multitude of backgrounds, acting as a link between patient and doctor, has been personally and professionally gratifying. Moreover, working for XXX Pharmacy has shown me that I have an aptitude for excelling in a retail pharmacy. Additionally, I have come to appreciate how pharmacists are the most accessible medical professionals in a community, and are advocates for patients, and guides. A pharmacist reaches people on many levels, even culturally. I feel that my unique background and bilingual abilities in French and English will equip me to better serve clients, those that need quality service the most, filling a much-needed gap between patients and physicians in my area. I am particularly sensitive and aware of the increasing needs of minorities, especially in their introduction to the American healthcare system, having walked more than a mile in the immigrant's shoes. What is more, my volunteer work is a clear indication of my desire to assist the community of which I am blessed to be a part of. I have been involved and in touch with my community volunteering at my church for several years. Reaching out to others is intrinsic to who I am. For the future, I anticipate serving my community as a pharmacist, and later developing my career into that of an industrial pharmacist. I will then be expanding on my foundation in Pharmacy to include the compounding of medicines, reaching beyond my community, and having an impact on lives on a much larger scale. Xavier U is my sole choice for Pharmacy education. XULA has produced some of the finest, creative, and successful African American minds in America. I am proud to have a sister that counts herself amongst XULAs alumni, a sister that will be my support system throughout my education. Your time and consideration are appreciated, and I eagerly await a personal interview. PharmD Personal Statement Example French & English

I plan to earn the MPA Degree and hope to do so at XXXX University, learning all that I can about administrative management and policy analysis, the skills needed to make informed public policy decisions. While I was born and raised in the USA, my family is from Yemen. I study my country of origin closely and daydream of going there one day and helping once it is safe to do so. Currently the airport is closed, and the country is engulfed in a brutal civil war with no end in sight. Throughout my career, I have worked to expand healthcare for members of minority groups in the USA, access to public benefits and free legal services within hospitals.  I have been employed by non-profit groups as well as local government. The XXXX School of Public Policy at XXXX University is my first choice among MPA Programs for several reasons, especially the ongoing research work being conducted by the social policy team. I worked in healthcare for four years, all the way through my undergraduate studies, immersed in medical and clinical health research. After graduation, I became increasingly engaged with the non-profit sector and local government. Co-founder and president of a student organization, I served as a research assistant for two professors and secured a bioinformatics research position at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which equipped me with the technical and analytical skills necessary for successful problem solving. Alongside my professor and clinical research professor, Dr. XXXX, I investigated the genomic correlations to HPV cancer. We co-authored a paper “X” in the journal Cancer Research. Just a few blocks away from the affluent Upper East Side neighborhood where the medical school was located, poorer communities faced much higher risks of developing cancer. We conducted community health studies that examined the impact of socioeconomics on cancer risk, and I learned that class, race, and migrancy are driving factors of cancer development and disease. At this point, I became extremely interested in the connection between healthcare delivery and social justice issues – in the context of public policy development processes and measures. A double-major in economics and history, I completed research assistantships in both fields. After I graduated, I became a Legal Fellow and Paralegal Intern at XXXX Health and Housing, part of the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), facilitating access to housing, healthcare, and public benefits. At Heritage Health, I assisted clients with access to affordable housing, mental health services, and public benefits under the tutelage of General Counsel. Representing clients in housing court and applying for healthcare and TANF, I learned how factors such as shelter, employment, race, and social stigma impact one’s ability to access health insurance and public resources. At the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), I worked with immigrant and refugee clients on matters including citizenship, access to healthcare, and social services. After a year’s experience in the nonprofit sector, I became an AmeriCorps service member in the Commissioner’s Office of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), an agency of the New York City Mayor’s Office, where I was promoted to serve as a committee member for the Government Alliance for Racial Equity (a consortium of city agencies examining equity in the provision of service). My direct public service experience analyzing and advocating for the needs of NYC’s diverse populations has prepared me for excellence at the _____ School. Unlike many traditional Yemeni families, my siblings and I were raised by a single mom, who worked and went to college full-time to make a better life for us. When I went to college, I worked two jobs while studying to afford educational and personal expenses. While all of it was a struggle, I was always aware of the fact that I was still greatly blessed to be given opportunities that so many people do not have. I would ideally like to work within a congressional committee or non-government organization on social policy issues such as healthcare, educational attainment, and immigration. I believe a strong investment in our community will have long-term economic and social returns.  After working on issues of race and equity on the GARE report, I moved into the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) to learn about policy measures protecting immigrants and refugees. This is my current position, evaluating data to strengthen and expand the delivery of legal services, facilitating access to healthcare, public benefits, and providing advice with respect to applying for citizenship. The XXXX School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University is the ideal institution to support my academic pursuits since the program’s central focus is on Healthcare, Social Policy, and Public Finance – which dovetails perfectly with my ow research interests. Studying under Professor Rigby would be a special honor; I had the great privilege of communicating with her about capstone research projects. I hope very much to become a valued asset to the social policy team’s endeavors to analyze issues of poverty and immigration because of my on-the-ground community and government service perspective that informs my judgment of policymaking. My discussion with students in the social policy track and well as my recent visit to the school in October has also very much reinforced my keen desire to begin your program. I studied Arabic intensely in Jordan for six months at the Qasid Institute and at the same time was a volunteer soccer coach and outreach intern with Right to Play, a non-profit organization that builds play areas and facilitates access to healthcare and food for refugee children. Here in America, I have volunteered extensively in hospitals, especially St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital and non-profits such as Right to Play and the New York Legal Assistance Group. I hope to continue to distinguish myself as a volunteer, in Arabic as well as English. Thank you for considering my application to Public Policy and Administration at XXXX. MPA Personal Statement of Purpose Sample