Sample Autobiographical Statement for Admission to a PsyD Program, Russian Teacher, Early Childhood

My journey began at one of the oldest in Russia, XXXX University. I studied Pedagogy in the Department of Education and earned a Bachelor's degree. I chose the education field because of my connection with children and genuine interest in studying child development. What I valued the most was coming to understand the emotional and developmental stages of children. During my internship with preschool children, I witnessed the significant impact families have on child development. One child crayoned a picture of his family with his mother colored in black, locked outside of his home standing in the rain and absent of facial features. At three years old  his mother had left him and he had forgotten how she looked, but still mourned her loss. Children express themselves differently through their stages of development.

It was this child’s painting and use of color to depict emotion that first captured my interest in studying the psychological aspects of color. My senior thesis paper was a labor of love for a full year of in-depth research that culminated in a 65-page paper explaining how color and form impact the emotions of preschool children. I conducted tests on children and recorded their emotional reactions after showing them different colors and form factors. My research discovered that the color and form of objects have a powerful psycho-physiological connection with children.

In addition to my educational experience, I worked as a volunteer counselor for an orphanage in Russia. I worked with children and adolescents who had a problems with rejection, depression, and aggression. I observed first-hand how circumstance and environment were powerful influences on their development. When a child first enters into the home they often experienced many complex emotions and mental health issues. Adapting to a new environment, building new relationships and friends, and preparing for outside life often required the help of a experienced psychologists, which I got to job shadow. I observed the therapy process and how they were able to help a child feel better and restore some of their self-confidence. Many of the children had horrifying life stories and were victims of abuse and trauma. Through volunteering, I learn empathy, compassion and listening. I also developed a profound respect and admiration for the professional psychologists that worked with the orphans. It was with this experience that I knew I would become a psychologist.

After graduation, I realized I wanted to see the world. I traveled on a journey of self-discovery that led me to the Shaolin Monastery in Deng Feng, China where I studied for two months. Shrouded in the legends and mysteries of the fighting monks, the Shaolin Temple is renowned in the world of martial arts. The monastery, surrounded by the Songshan Mountain that escalated to a thorny peak, symbolized my personal path of self-discovering. At 5:00 a.m. daily. I awoke half-asleep, left my tiny room and climbed the Songshan Mountain, training in the endurance of the spirit. Each student was assigned their monk to teach them philosophy, meditation, breathing exercises, and martial arts. Slowly, I developed harmony between my body and mind and began to understand the potential that existed inside of me.

Fascinated and intrigued by Asian culture, I moved to China in 2011 to study at XXXX Language and Culture University. Being immersed in Chinese culture was extremely challenging and rewarding. The more language I learned, the more I could discover thousands of years of Chinese history and culture. Immersing myself completely in a new culture taught me to respect diversity. Despite differences between Chinese culture and my own, I gained an appreciation for the rich complexity of their traditions and values.

After some time in China, I wanted to continue volunteering. My most life-changing trips were to the XXXX orphanage outside of Beijing. Sunvillage is dedicated to the children of Chinese convicts and fights for their survival and development. The goal of the village is to education, rehabilitate, and raise the children into independent adults. The children were from an unfamiliar culture and I had to communicate exclusively in Chinese. Most of the children were mentally and physically abused before coming to Sunvillage. Some of the children had violent tendencies and tried to hurt themselves. Some ran away from the orphanage and repeated the fate of their parents. I often pondered questions about heredity, nature vs. nurture, and the power of family and love. Communicating with the children was also interesting and disheartening. I remember I foolishly asked one child “what are your dreams” and she did not answer, but rather just lower her head. Their world was completely different than mine and I did not know how to interact with them appropriately. I could see their psychological problems and knew I wanted to learn how to professional help them and the millions of other children who suffer mentally.

After years living in China, I met my American husband. In 2015, I began a new journey in my life and moved to the USA. Through the last year, I have been impressed by the ethnic, cultural, and diversity. I see a sparkling mosaic of the cultures that shared many values. I am currently enrolled in psychology classes at the College of XXXX. I am studying Developmental Psychology, Theories of Personality, and Abnormal Psychology. Abnormal Psychology is especially interesting to me. We had to conduct a case study and write a research paper on a specific personality disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) particularly fascinated me, and I spent hours in the library researching it. Through my volunteering experience, I have observed many children who exhibit BPD symptoms such as emotional instability, feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, impulsivity, and impaired social relationships. Most recently, I began volunteering as a counselor at the Crisis Text Line.  For teenagers and young adults who are in a crises situation it is much easier, convenient, and anonymous to text rather than call. Through training, I am learning how to help people with empathy, counseling, and active listening. 75% of the people I text with are under twenty-five years old and 10% are under thirteen. It is rewarding to know that I am helping people who are experiencing distress, depression, and loneliness.