Homeland Security Masters, Haitian Woman

I was just a freshman in high school when 9/11 occurred. I saw how it affected so many people yet brought so many people together. I was so young but I wanted to help. That was a critical year for me in my development. It was 911 that aroused my sense of patriotic duty and helped me to understand how being an American citizen is a big part of my identity. Both of my parents were born and raised in Haiti and I also identify with the island of my family origin; I am especially proud to be a Haitian American women and I look forward to serving as a positive role model for other young Haitian women.

 Now, 11 years after our country was attacked, I have realized my dream of doing something to make America safer, especially traveling in America. I adore my job as Supervisory Transportation Security Officer (STSO) for the TSA and I enjoy explaining to people how the TSA was created in 2002 in response to 911. I am in charge of running a Security Checkpoint that screens the traveling public. I enjoy the feeling of almost always running a very smooth operation. The trust and respect of the officers that I work with is particularly important to me. I feel a profound sense of accomplishment when I see a plane taking off with the passengers that we have just screened. It feels good to serve the public.

 Now, I want to advance professionally. Without a graduate degree, I have reached a professional ceiling and will be unable to advance. But I am also hungry to return to full time study because of my passion for learning and the many new things that I want to explore on professional levels. I want to learn how to serve the public more effectively, and to earn greater and greater levels of responsibility.

My mother and father are very proud of me and want I am doing and have accomplished thus far. They are also fully supportive of my application to graduate school. Their full support is one of the reasons why I am confident in my ability to excel in your program.

 I want to earn my Master’s Degree in Homeland Security and develop a special focus on policy and organization. Throughout this period, I plan to work very hard, continuing to prepare myself and refine my skills so that I will be able to assume increasing professional responsibility as my career progresses.

 After completing your distinguished program, I plan to continue to work for the federal government. My long term goal is to serve in an executive management position I feel that I am already highly skilled at developing indispensable levels of trust and highly productive working relationships with subordinates, colleagues, and supervisors, helping to unite us all in the achievement of our goals and objectives. As a black person and a woman, I am also very much engaged with discussion of Civil Rights programs and policies and I am elated by the great progress that has been made in this area.

 911 was the first of two disasters to shape my adult values and sense of cultural identity; the other was the earthquake in Haiti 2.5 years ago. Even though I saw it only on TV and the Internet; this level of suffering made me keenly aware that these are my people. I want very much someday to return to Haiti at some point in my career, especially in some professional capacity as a servant of the USA, putting my fluent Haitian-Creole to work in the improvement of the lives of those who need me most.

 I thank you for considering my application to your program.