My family has no medical connection that I can trace nor can I claim an early longing to become a PA, nurse or doctor. In fact I was, until fairly recently, happy to be a dedicated and reasonably well rewarded ‘back room girl’ working as a Research Analyst. However, over the years, I have met people who provide ‘hands on’ care to others and have found myself envying the satisfaction that their work provides to so many of them. Recently, I have felt more and more drawn to such work myself and have decided to pursue this goal. However I am not making this application on a whim, it follows very careful consideration of the role of the PA and a realistic assessment of my potential to fulfill it to a high standard. The more I have learned about the work of the PA, the more enthused I have become about the possibility of joining the program and qualifying to undertake it. The aspects of the PA’s work that particularly attract me are: the ‘hands on’ nature of the work and being able to see the progress of patients over time; the variety of the working day and the exposure to different conditions and patients; the autonomy of the role; the opportunity to apply the considerable analytical skills that I have developed in my academic and professional work to date in a diagnostic context; the opportunity to provide health education and preventative services to ‘at risk’ communities and thus improve the health of the nation generally, and the opportunity to extend the availability of healthcare to an underprovided community. I know of the program’s reputation for innovative research and believe that my background will enable me to make a significant contribution to research work during the program, I am particularly interested in the area of histocompatibility. My work has required me to be an effective team member. I am very aware of the value of a good team working towards common goals. While being keen to receive recognition for my own input to a team’s efforts, I am also careful to recognize the efforts made by other team members. I am aware that cultural awareness and sensitivity is very important in healthcare provision. I have happily studied, worked and socialized with people of many cultural and social backgrounds. I was raised in a military family and have travelled widely as a consequence and been exposed to various cultures. I am considered to be a sociable and outward looking person. I was raised in Germany and am bilingual in German/English, I also speak some Spanish and hope to improve my skill in that language to enable me to serve Hispanic patients. I am also very aware of the growing effect on healthcare provision of an aging population requiring new initiatives and priorities. I know that the XXXX PA program is particularly prestigious and will attract many well qualified applicants. However I believe that I am an exceptional candidate. My academic and professional background demonstrates proven academic ability and curiosity that will enable me to profit from the program; my studies and work to date have also required me to demonstrate a very high level of analytical skill that I believe is directly applicable to the program and the PA role; I have already contributed to highly useful medical research; my role to date has required me to maintain medical knowledge in fast changing areas of knowledge; my background will enable me to be an interesting addition to the ‘mix’ of my class; but my main recommendation is a genuine and passionately held desire to provide health education and care to the underserved and to acquire the skills and knowledge to enable me to do so.

My decision to apply to the postgraduate program in the University of XXXX Institute for Aerospace Studies is a culmination of my lifelong passion for aeronautics. I first fell in love with aeroplanes when I was five years old. Living in a house that was very close to an airport, I remember standing on the open roof under the scorching sun and waiting for the airplanes to pass overhead. Before I managed writing the alphabet properly, I had gained a sense about the differences between the sleek swift fighter jets and the monster cargo planes with their wide shoulder wings and how they looked and sounded so different, although I was not very sure why these great things did not fall from the sky. Those ‘angry angels’ captured my soul. At the age of eight, I tried to make my first airplane from aluminum cans and reeds. Despite my enthusiasm, my first crude models could never fly, though that did not stop my imagination or my passion. As I grew older, I started building radio-controlled model aircraft, and that was my first introduction to the primary rules of aerodynamics. My family were amused by my apparently obsessive interest in aircraft but assumed that this was merely a temporary and harmless hobby. However, aeronautics was to remain an area of passionate interest to me and to become central in my leisure activities, academic work and choices and in my professional life. It was therefore natural for me to choose Aeronautical Engineering as my major when I entered the University of Technology in Baghdad in the mid-1980s and I was awarded my bachelor degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1989. In contrast with present-day Iraq, which is known primarily for constant strife and instability, the Iraq of the 1980s was among the most advanced Arab Gulf states and rapidly developing. At the time, there were many large-scale infrastructure projects, there was great industrial development and expansion in the scientific and technical human resources, and the education system of this period was of a similarly advanced order to qualify the next generation of engineers and scientists who could continue this development. Although the history of this country took an unfortunate turn and this development did not continue long-term, the education that I received was, in hindsight, among the best available in the region, or anywhere in the world for that matter. My university, along with Iraqi educational institutions generally, had a good and growing international reputation. The situation has changed somewhat since my student days but I wish to emphasize that I acquired a sound theoretical and scientific basis for my work and studies undertaken since that time. After graduation I had the opportunity to work as an assistant aeronautical engineer in a program that specialized in the development and testing of experimental UAV's . Those years allowed me to gain a strong grasp of practical aeronautics and got me involved in the process of design and construction methods and also provided me with a realistic test of the theory. Years later, I worked as a maintenance engineer in a flight training centre where I developed a different technical aspect of aeronautical engineering and enriched my perception of aviation technology. After continuous warfare had destroyed the infrastructure of the aerospace industry in that part of the world, I made a tough choice and decided to work in the installation of gas turbine units in oilfields often in a very remote, harsh and insecure, one of the toughest jobs on earth. Although I had more convenient, rewarding and safer options at the time, I chose this immensely challenging job to maintain a connection with my favourite original discipline through the rather parallel engineering concepts between turbomachinery and aeronautics. Yet that practice provided me with the experience of working for German and other international companies that applies strict and supreme standards of a sophisticated industry. In the meantime, I maintained my academic knowledge by constantly referring to my textbooks and updated sources of aeronautical engineering knowledge while patiently waiting for the day when I could pursue higher education. With diligence and persistence I have overcome challenging obstacles that could have diverted my path away from aeronautical engineering. Today I finally see the opportunity to "get on the right track" and wish wholeheartedly to do so. My goal is to enhance and formalize my aeronautical engineering knowledge and skills in a prestigious institution and to assist in turning good ideas into useful reality by making significant contributions to aerospace projects. In addition to studying Aeronautical Engineering, I enriched my comprehension about aviation by learning to fly in my home country as a safety pilot since 1987, and I was happy to be able to use my flying skills in the evacuation efforts during a flooding crisis that occurred in Iraq in 1989. I resumed my activity as a pilot in Canada. I have received my Canadian private pilot license and I am currently working on the Canadian commercial pilot licensing. In flying I have found an invaluable teaching aid where theory can become reality and this is one of the great joys of the subject. I came to Canada to start a new and productive life for myself and my family, a country that presents me with the opportunity to resume my pursuit of my professional and educational objectives. I believe that the value of someone’s life lies in his or her contribution to the good of all. I have always felt that aeronautics is the field where I can give my best and where I make a positive contribution to this society. I believe that joining UXXX will allow me to realize my potential and to apply my skills and passion to the advancement of aerospace technology. My particular areas of interest are; Flight Dynamics, Aircraft Design, Flight Simulation and Air-Breathing Propulsion. I have several ideas that I believe are worthy of investigation and development. One idea, for instance, relates to the aerodynamics of the lift coupling. I believe that there is an intriguing potential for the use of multiple interacting airfoils to achieve higher aerodynamic performance than that of the traditional single airfoil. I am also interested in exploring the possibility of developing a variable-airfoil plane where a ‘flex-wing’ is enabled to change its airfoil section in response to the flight conditions. I believe this can be a realistic design in light of the continuous introduction of superior composite materials. Another subject of my interest is to introduce standardized aerodynamic formulae for the tri-plane configuration (foreplane-wing-tail) so they can be readily adopted in general aviation designs. I would also like to mention as a motivating field, the promising potentials in UAVs and drones that can open new horizons for exotic aerodynamics. My application to join UXXX program is an aspiration for acquiring the advanced knowledge that would enable me to contribute to the development of some of these inspiring engineering concepts. I am well traveled and have happily studied, worked and socialized with people from many cultural and social backgrounds. I have worked in many and different types of task teams and experienced the power of cooperation and the shared joy of accomplishment. I appreciate the dynamics of a successful team and the skills of coordinated work with others in order to reach a common goal. I look forward to extending this experience in the program. I also believe that my substantial experience of project management has equipped me with the planning, analytical and organizational skills that enable me to undertake an effectual role in the program. I am aware that there will be many well qualified applicants for this program. However I genuinely believe that I am an exceptional candidate. I hold a good degree in the specialty; I have significant professional experience relevant to the program from varied yet critical aspects including aeronautical design, aviation maintenance, gas turbine installations and a qualified pilot experience, this background will enable me to provide useful insights to my speciality; I have kept in touch with developments in the subject and consider myself to be fully abreast of them; I have the skills, characteristics and management background that will enable me to conduct constructive scientific work. I aspire to update my professional knowledge and earn advanced qualifications in a rigorous academic environment filled with people who are similarly inspired by the marvels of aeronautics. For this reason, I am applying for admission at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Aerospace Studies. And I am certain that, if granted admission, I will be among the most passionate and dedicated students that have joined this prestigious program. My main recommendation is a genuine passion for the subject of the program and a degree of motivation that, I am confident, will enable me to excel within it. Thank you for considering my application.

I was once asked “Who is your engineering hero?” and answered perfectly honestly that it is my father. My father ran an auto repair shed in South Vietnam; he repaired and serviced three wheel taxis and automobiles. People relied on my father to enable them to make a living and feed their children and he did all that he could to ‘keep them moving’. At the end of the Vietnam War, obtaining the most basic of materials or spare parts was either difficult or simply impossible. My father was a self-taught mechanic who was required to demonstrate an astonishing degree of skill in problem solving, ingenuity, determination and originality in order to do his job each day. He provided me with training in basic engineering that no amount of money can buy and an originality when approaching problems that has been of great help in my research work. With engineering being ‘in the blood’ and an informal but high quality apprenticeship ‘under my belt’, I began a successful academic career in engineering. I was awarded a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Vietnam University of Technology in 1994 and subsequently obtained a Master’s degree in Management, a B.Sc. in Network and Communication Management and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. My father not only gave me engineering skills and knowledge, he was also an extremely good teacher and I have inherited his skill for, and love of, passing on knowledge to others. I was a volunteer Instructional Student Assistant while undertaking studies for my Master’s in Mechanical Engineering and a Volunteer Tutor at XXXX University when completing my degree there. I have also acted as an enthusiastic and effective tutor in Math, Physics and Chemistry for high school students. I am excited by each of the various components of the program: the opportunity to combine research into the effective teaching of engineering concepts and techniques with the opportunity to teach enthusiastic engineers and to lead original research within a positive and challenging academic environment is exactly what I am seeking. Through a particular interest in 3D computer based simulations, I have developed expertise in applying these to enable K-12 and pre-college students to visualize and understand complex physics phenomena and engineering problems and I hope to develop this further within the program. I also believe that such simulations have significant further potential for testing concepts and prototypes comparatively inexpensively and I am very excited at having an opportunity to develop my ideas in this area of work. I have happily studied, worked and socialized with people of many cultural and social backgrounds. I am an experienced in team working and leading and am considered to be a sociable person with a well developed sense of humor which is useful when teaching! I know that the program will attract many well qualified applicants. However, I do believe that I am an exceptional candidate. I am a very well qualified engineer and believe that I have demonstrated that I am well able to meet the academic demands of the program; I have been an enthusiastic and effective teacher of science and engineering; I have proven skills and experience in undertaking and leading research projects; my main recommendation is a love of engineering and a great desire to improve many lives by its effective application and also enthusing others to do so.

Two factors, in particular, account for my profound passion for professional growth in the area of special education and my decision to apply to your program. Foremost among these significant factors was the fact that I too was once in special education classes to overcome my disability to perform in the area of Mathematics. I am profoundly grateful to the excellent, caring, and extremely supportive special education teachers that I had. Without this extra support and accommodation, it is most unlikely that I would have even made it to college. Furthermore, my family has been devoted to the cause of special education since 1976 when they opened The XXXX, a special education, therapeutic boarding school for adolescents and young adults aged 11 through 22. I worked with this program throughout college, and have continued my involvement since graduation. This is not only my family’s central passion and life’s work; it is mine as well. Earning a Master’s Degree from your state-of-the-art program will help me further my career and become certified as a Special Education Teacher. My long term goal is to work as a program developer and administrator. For some time now, I have volunteered as a surrogate parent for children that are wards of the state and need a "parent" to attend their IEP meetings so that they may receive special education services. I also currently serve as the academic coordinator at theXXXX School, where I wear many hats. Thus, I believe that I am a strong candidate for your program because I have so much invested in the field of Special Education, especially over the past 6 years since I graduated from college. The greatest asset that I hope to bring to your program, however, is my own experience as a special needs student. I am acutely aware of the sense of shame, anger, and hopelessness that a student can sometimes feel when they have to live with a learning disability. My own success story in overcoming my disability, graduating from college, and successfully entering the professional workforce will serve to continue to empower me throughout my professional life as I struggle to help other children and adolescents, inspiring them to do likewise. I am especially interested in doing research in the areas of early intervention and I plan to devote my life to serving as an advocate for special education students, a teacher, a role model and a ray of hope for those children and adolescents who have special learning needs and who often incorrectly feel that they are incapable of achieving academic and professional success in life. I am a cosmopolitan young woman devoted to the celebration of diversity and multiculturalism. I have traveled throughout Europe and most of the U.S., as well as Canada and some of the Caribbean. I keenly look forward to studying in a cohort style program online in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, taking two classes per semester, which will allow me to continue to work full time while completing my M.Ed. I also wish to express my profound appreciation for your consideration of my application.

I am very keen on outdoor pursuits especially hunting and fishing and, consequently, spend much of my spare time in rural Nevada pursuing these interests. I have come to love the wilder parts of Nevada and the local people who have an interesting view of life and a neighborliness that is heart-warming to a townsman such as me. As a Chiropractor, I have taken an interest in healthcare provision in these communities and learned, from locals, that it is relatively scarce and often provided by PA’s. I want to work in a rural community providing healthcare because of my affinity for the people and, my love of the ‘great outdoors.’ The forming of this desire coincides with a wish to expand my medical knowledge. I am a Chiropractor with ten years experience and, while I know that I perform a useful service, it is quite limited in its scope. I am restricted in the clinical decisions and treatments that I can offer and want to broaden my skills and knowledge in order to be able to treat patients of many types, suffering a wide variety of complaints. I strongly believe that the role of Physician Assistant would meet my requirements while enabling me to provide a wide range of medical services to underserved people in a rural setting. I have very carefully considered the role of the PA and it has enormous appeal. I am used to working independently but also collaborating with other healthcare professionals; I have considerable experience in providing direct treatment and interacting with patients which is the reason I entered healthcare work, I endeavor to treat each patient as I would a family member; I believe that my current and substantial chiropractic knowledge, skills and experience will be very useful supplements to the breadth of PA skills, this is especially true in a society where the elderly will make up a greater and greater proportion of the population, I often treat elderly patients and enjoy gaining from their wisdom and insights; I am very experienced in diagnostics, within the limits of my specialty and I also understand the significance of non-verbal communication when making diagnoses; my background would enable me to provide very useful input in areas of research related to my work in such areas as spinal joint replacement or synthetic intervertebral disc replacement. I also believe that I possess the characteristics required of an excellent PA which are not significantly different from those I am required to display in my current work. I am analytical in my approach to problems, determined, intellectually curious and patient-centered in the approach to my work. It may be appropriate to my application to admit that my undergraduate grades were not ‘stellar’. The reason for this is that I was obliged to work very long hours throughout my studies as my father was unable, through illness, to run his business and needed me to do so on his behalf. This situation no longer applies and I undertake to give the program my full commitment not merely to perform adequately but to excel within it. I am fully aware of the need for cultural sensitivity in healthcare provision. I am not widely travelled but have studied, worked with, and treated people from many cultural and social backgrounds and have enjoyed doing so. I speak sufficient Spanish to enable me to treat Spanish speaking patients and intend to extend this knowledge. I know that the program will at

Since I became a student pilot, flying has helped to better prepare me for medical emergencies as well as refining my ability to always stay cool and achieve efficiency through optimal communication. My first solo flight required immense preparation, which my father, a pilot of twenty-two years, was proud to provide. Long before that exhilarating day, he took me on my first flight when I was only a few weeks old. Seventeen years later, I was finally ready to pilot the plane on my own. I am especially pleased with this achievement because I look forward to flying regularly throughout my graduate study towards the PA Degree and beyond, through decades of service on the front lines of health care. Among the many factors that contributed to my growing dedication to dedicate my life to medicine as a PA, was the day that I took my grandmother to the doctor, shortly after completing my first year of college. Dr. XXXX was one of the few clinicians who could speak to her in Persian. During the appointment, I noticed how happy she was to have a physician who could speak her native language and make her feel at ease. My grandmother’s grateful smile made me realize that I wanted to make a similar impact on the lives of others. At the end of the appointment, I immediately called my parents to let them know of my discovery. I was thrilled to finally know what I wanted to do with my life. By becoming a health care professional with an advanced degree would have numerous daily opportunities to inspire my patients just as Dr. Badihian and done for my grandmother that day. I hope to use my Persian professionally as well, and to also dedicate enormous effort to learning Spanish. From then on, I focused most of my time and energy on preparing for your program and I have been on the Dean’s Honor’s List ever since. I am hungry for any chance to learn more about the medical field. I have honed my clinical skills by shadowing physicians, working as a scribe in an Emergency Department, and volunteering at a hospital. I recognize and have enormous respect for a physician’s ability to heal his patient’s physical and emotional wounds. By working as a team member with a critically important role, I can help to heal people’s bodies; by using respect, I can heal their souls. As I completed my prerequisite courses, I began to envision what I wanted my practice to be. Thus, I decided to perfect my fluency in Persian (Farsi), which would allow me to give back to the community that has continually nurtured my personal and professional success over the years. For many years now, people that I barely know in the immigrant Iranian community in the western USA have been willing to help me, simply because of our similar cultural roots. In this same way, I look forward to helping our growing community of Iranian-Americans, especially in southern California. I have decided to combine my passion for flying with my determination to become the very best PA that I can. As a licensed pilot, I will have the opportunity to travel wherever my services are needed. Thus, after completing your program, I would like very much to lend my skills to an organization such as Angel Flight West, which transports doctors and patients during times of crisis and despair. By becoming an Angel in the Cockpit, I could bring essential medical services to the furthest corners of the globe, to reach those who would otherwise not be served. I want to be a part of spreading hope and optimism beyond the borders of my own community. I have few regrets in life. Every person that I have met and every experience I have pursued has made me a stronger and better person with greater confidence to pursue my dreams. I am grateful to those who have supported me on my journey, including my loving parents, who are my lifetime cheerleaders, friends, and heroes. My hand is on the throttle, and I am ready to fly.

“Does anyone speak Polish?” The director of rehabilitation was concerned about a recently admitted Parkinson’s disease patient who was failing to take her medication and who was anxious and confused following her recent diagnosis and admission to the acute rehabilitation facility where I was a volunteer worker. Being a Polish speaker, I was able to communicate with the patient and to persuade her of the need to take her medication and undertake her rehabilitation exercises. She was one of many patients at the nursing home suffering, or recovering from, a variety of conditions such as dementia, stroke, athralgia, pulmonary disease, knee replacement or a recent fall. I assisted physical and occupational therapists with exercise training modalities and undertook escort duties. I learned a great deal from this experience, the main one of which was probably the almost magically reassuring effect of a smile or a squeezed hand. I have not been directly involved in healthcare provision, however I have a significant academic, working and volunteer background in health sciences; primarily in Nutrition, Exercise Science and Psychology. I hold a BS in Nutrition and Exercise Sciences and an MS in Exercise Physiology. I have substantial experience of working with, or observing the work of, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, dieticians and physicians. My interest in extending my work into healthcare was fired during an internship at the Cayuga Center for Healthy Living and the experience of shadowing physicians. The CCHL takes a holistic approach by targeting modifiable risk factors such as diet, physical activity, stress and smoking in the care of chronic disease. I was exposed to patients suffering many diseases that affect a large and growing proportion of the population such as bariatric, cardiac, pulmonary and diabetic patients. It was heartening to see that the program also worked with those at risk to prevent the onset of these diseases, an example of effective preventative medicine which I hope to emulate in my future work. In my activities I have become very aware that the US population is rapidly aging and that this will involve healthcare professionals in new and difficult challenges. I have worked with elderly patients who exhibit the kinds of conditions that will become increasingly prevalent. I believe that my knowledge of Exercise Physiology will be of great relevance in treating the elderly and extending their independent lives. I am drawn to the role of PA because it is primarily about providing access to healthcare in circumstances where they might not do so otherwise and because the role offers a substantial degree of autonomy. While wanting to make a living, my primary aim is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. I can think of few better ways of doing so than by becoming a PA. My work and voluntary activity has always involved working directly with people who have needed help and I find great satisfaction in providing it. I now wish to extend my skills and knowledge to fulfill my potential for providing care. It may be relevant to state that my current qualifications were gained when I was employed and sometimes in two jobs. I regard that ability to maintain a solid GPA in the face of this situation to be an indication of my diligence and intelligence and of further academic potential. I undertake to apply myself fully to the program and to do everything necessary to excel within it. I am aware that healthcare requires a high degree of cultural awareness and sensitivity. I have happily studied and worked with people of many cultural and social backgrounds; I have enjoyed doing so and look forward to extending this experience within the program. I speak Spanish and Polish and visit Poland frequently though I am not otherwise very well travelled outside of the US. I know that there will be many well qualified applicants for the program. However, I believe that I am an excellent candidate. I have proved my diligence and intelligence by obtaining sound qualifications under adverse conditions; I have practical experience in health related work that is relevant to the program and will enable me to provide useful insights to my class; I believe that I have the personal characteristics that will enable me to be an excellent PA. My main recommendation is a passionate desire to acquire the skills and knowledge to enable me to become a highly skilled and effective PA in order to help people to the extent of my potential and especially the underserved, elderly and vulnerable.

As a child, I loved maps. This interest developed into a curiosity about the differences and similarities in the way people in these different places on the map lived, ate, spoke and earned their livelihoods. This awareness of the world and its variety has increased with time and with the substantial travelling that I have done. I have not, until recently, considered directing this passion into a formal course of study but now strongly wish to do so. My ultimate goal is to work for the foreign service of the government of Indonesia. I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia and moved to the US at the age of 14. I attended a military academy in Virginia. Becoming accustomed to a new cultural environment is difficult enough, especially as I spoke very little English, but I was also faced with integrating myself into a military environment. However, when I graduated, I was battalion commander with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, the first female to reach this position. I believe that this achievement is strong confirmation of a determined and diligent personality possessing exceptional confidence and communication skills. I love travel and have had the opportunity to visit Sweden, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, England and Costa Rica. I lived in Sweden for 3 months and spent 6 months in Spain living with a family in order to learn the language. My visits to Ireland and England arose through my selection as Student Ambassador. I speak Indonesian and English and also Spanish at an intermediate and improving standard. Traveling has taught me is that anyone and everyone can be a useful source of new or useful information about their country. For instance, a chance remark by a taxi driver about the state of his brother’s trucking business can be an indicator about the state of the local economy which can prompt further inquiries to provide useful economic information. I am endlessly curious about the world and am determined to learn as much as I can about it. I study international news on a daily basis. My particular research interests relate to the effects of the emerging global economy on Asia and especially as it relates to the Indonesia. Although the highly structured military and academic environment I enjoyed at school equipped me very well in many ways, it did not prepare me for the independence I found at college. I left XXXX University because of less than ‘stellar’ results in my second year. However I pulled myself together fully and I subsequently graduated ‘cum laude’ from XXU at the age of 23 with a degree in Business Management. I believe that my background provides proof of academic ability together with personal skills and characteristics that will enable me to excel in the program and in a future diplomatic career. I am an excellent and confident communicator, adaptable, diligent, intellectually curious, an experienced researcher and, most importantly, passionate about international relations. Thank you for considering my application.

To Whom It May Concern, My name is XXXX D.D.S. and I am writing this on behalf of Kelly XXXX. I practice dentistry at my clinic, 6 to 9 Dental in XXXX, Ca. I also teach in the Dental School at the University of San Francisco. Miss XXXX serves as my Dental Hygienist in XXXX and does all of the cleaning for numerous patients as well as assisting with an additional wide range of other duties upon occasion. Kelly is a kind, outgoing person who is always willing to go that extra mile for her patients and for our clinic. She is highly motivated and a very hard worker. I have come to know her well since she has been my dental assistant for the past two years and, quite frankly, I will hate to lose her to dental school but I know that she can and should become an excellent dentist. It is quite clearly her calling. Kelly is such a talented hygienist that it is a joy to watch her work, especially because of the way that she is both very gentle and friendly. She has gained extensive experience preparing patients, sterilizing instruments, setting up instrument trays, and preparing the materials used in dental procedures, taking special care to keep the patient’s mouth free of debris during the procedure; handing the dentist the appropriate instruments; taking impressions; utilizing coronal polishing; calibrating a temporary crown. She is highly accomplished at X-rays and familiar with the use of the fourhanded assisting technique. She is also conscientious about maintaining dental equipment in perfect condition. Although I will miss her desperately, I am thrilled that Kelly has decided to become a dentist and it brings me great joy to have helped to inspire her to contribute to our field. Please feel free to call me and leave a note so that I may return your call if further clarification is necessary.

I am dedicated to lifelong learning in the development of solutions to the major challenges that we face in the area of information technology. I stay abreast of developments across the spectrum of communications systems in general and I am most interested in signal processing. in particular. While I was born in Cairo, Egypt, my Nationality is Saudi and I was raised mostly in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. I am hoping to study towards the PHD in Electrical and Computer engineering at University of XXXX because I am especially interested in doing research in the areas of digital signal processing along with Image and video processing. I find myself increasingly engaged as well with the new horizons opening up in Software driven Radio. I look forward to a bright future working as a consultant in the industry, in Arabic as well as English. I have been working in remote sensing satellite technology since my I earned my B.Sc degree and have been preparing myself for making future creative contributions to the contributed in the design and testing of telecommunications systems on the levels of both hardware and software. . I am a fast learner who is highly adept at the use of software design tools, especially EDA's and IDE's in using new software tools. I feel strongly that the greatest contribution that I might be able to make to society would be to came up with novel methods in the design and implementations of telecommunications systems. Of special relevance for my career development was the two-and-a-half years that I spent in South Africa training in satellite systems technology. I also lived in Bristol, England for one year where I earned my MSc degree from University of XXXX. Traveling through Malaysia , Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates have also helped to shape my global horizons and understanding of the communications on a world level I have spent many years studying how TV systems work, two years, for example, with the National Satellite Technology Program (NSTP) at King AbdulAziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), where I became especially adept at remote sensing satellite technology. Some of the highlight of my MSc training in Bristol included digital filters and spectral analysis, digital signal processing systems, image and video coding and my project designing an interface in VHDL allowing an embedded microprocessor (LEON3) in the Xilinx's FPGA to communicate with the unit responsible for reconfiguring the FPGA abbreviated as "ICAP", allowing the microprocessor to control the configuration of part of the FPGA. I Also did an EM analysis for an 8 GHz circularly polarized patch antenna and VHF/UHF wire antennas for satellite application and gained a lot of testing experience with Spectrum Analyzers, Network Analyzers, Digital Oscilloscopes as well as measuring antenna patterns in anechoic chambers. Folliwing graduation I served as a project manager for a research project for the development of high speed ground station data demodulator for remote sensing satellite applications, implementing hardware and software in both RF and digital domains to control the carrier-recovery loop and the clock-recovery loop. I have also attended additional training courses in Microwave and RF and embedded designs using FPGAs and Microcontrollers . I especially look forward in the future to research in the field of digital signal processing. And I want to thank you for attention to my application to your esteemed program at XXXX.

I was raised in Tehran, but moved to Canada in 1998, when I was 10 years old. Doctors have been my heroes since my childhood. An avid daydreamer as a child, I would often spend hours each day conjuring up fantasy visions of myself as an important doctor, working alongside my colleagues and arriving at a diagnosis as a team. Finding cures for diseases also ranked very high among my early fantasies. My fixation with physical health also led to actively taking up body building by the time that I was 18 and I even started training other individuals that were interested, sharing with them the scientific aspects of bodybuilding. I would carefully study the science behind every exercise and would always be very careful to produce complimentary diet plans. Since I am graduating this October with an Honorary BSc Degree in Biology from York University, I now have great confidence that I am well prepared to enter medical school and that I have the right level of determination, high motivation, focus, and drive to excel in your program. I was always very curious about the diseases that struck our family over the years and I did my best to learn everything that I could about them, the cancer survived by my uncle, the physical disability suffered for so long by my mother, and the near death of my father--all of this keenly reinforced my interest and exposure to medicine while still a child and especially a teenager. My mother, nearly bedfast, tells me that she would rather be able to run for 10 minutes than to inherit 10 million dollars. These events have left me serious beyond my years, especially dedicated to my studies, and most keenly interested in becoming a physician. The emotional and financial difficulties that my family faced during the first few years of our immigration were very difficult. I matured very quickly so that I could work, beginning at 14. The first job I had was wearing a cardboard box shaped like a house to attract the attention of oncoming traffic to the new residences being built in that area. I would wear 4-5 layers of clothing during the winter season to withstand the cold weather. I hated and constantly fought the stigma of being on welfare. When my bike was stolen by a big bully, I decided to take Taekwondo classes in addition to Karate and ended up winning 2 gold medals at the 2003 Canadian Junior Taekwondo Championship at the age of 16. A year later, I also won gold in both the sparring competition and the pattern performance at the 2004 Ontario Gran Prix Taekwondo Championship held at Humber College. Due to numerous knee injuries, however, by 2005, I was no longer able to compete in sparring competitions; I served as a judge for some time thereafter. I feel that my experience as a martial artist will serve me well as a physician, constantly having learned from the strengths and limits of my own capacities. The greatest contribution that I might be able to make to society would be to help the most vulnerable to protect their health throughout their lifetime, to cure them of the ailments that they have, and to help them to make wise choices that make medical intervention unnecessary later on. I see the medical degree as a giant leap forward to a life of service. I especially look forward to being able to devote my time and my talents to the care of the medically underserved. I want to be remembered not just as a great doctor, but also as a great citizen. I passed through a number of critical life-changing events that helped to solidify what I see as my destiny to become an excellent physician. Only one year into our immigration from Canada to Iran, my dad had a heart attack while he was on his way to deliver a pizza to a customer. I was 11 and had only been studying English for one year, but I immediately began checking out science textbooks trying to decipher what had gone wrong with his heart. Soon, I began to understand much of what I was reading. My passion for the mysteries of the heart has also long been enforced by my mother´s heart disease, thought to be a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. Watching my mother suffer over the years slowing losing her ability to move, and only in ever greater agony, has been a bulwark for my studies. I have spent countless hours studying over her biopsies and genetic test results in a never ending search for clues to better understand her rare disease. I have to know that I at least tried. I have spent so much time diligently studying at hospitals, that since I have gotten older, I have been occasionally mistaken for a medical professional by patients seeking to find out some sort of basic information. While of course, I declared that I was only a student, the feeling of trust, and the warmth of the handshake from these patients stayed with me. I feel strongly that the greatest asset that I have to offer to medical school is my keen, highly refined sense of social responsibility. I do not look at medicine as a way to make a good living; I am much more attracted to the challenge and the fulfillment that comes from service. I spend a lot of free time on the Internet reading about the selfless activities of physicians who donate their time with the group Doctors Without Borders. They are my modern day heroes to the fullest extent possible and it is their heroic sacrifice, nobility, and determination to protect the suffering that I most fervently seek to emulate. I hope to one day join their cause.

I am an educational administrator who wants very much to attain the terminal degree in my field so as to be able to make the fullest contribution possible towards educational reform, the ongoing improvement and implementation of progressive educational policies, especially in my home state of Virginia. I grew up speaking Spanish in the home, with my mother who is from Ecuador. My father is African American. Thus, for as long as I can remember, I have been immersed in minority issues, especially with respect to Latino, Spanish-speaking, and immigrant communities. The social and educational issues that are inherent in the Latino struggle to become part of the American dream will always be central to my own professional struggle to help make America a place where equality in education a reality as well as an ideal. We have made much progress through our educational system in bringing our Latino populations into the mainstream of American opportunity—but we also still have a long way to go. As a Spanish speaker, I aspire to continue an active engagement protecting the right of our people to bi-lingual education, with the firm conviction that multilingual education has its place in America. At 32, I am at the optimal point in my life to undertake doctoral studies and to give my all to my studies. I have acquired the type of extensive experience which will enable me to excel and contribute to your program, at the same time that I am full of energy, drive, and motivation for long hours of intensive research. Having grown up in Queens New York, I am most familiar with urban issues and problems and the way that they are intricately related to challenges to education in multicultural and multilingual societies. I moved to Virginia to live with my father at the age of 15 and have since made it my home. I was always a sensitive girl, someone who took a genuine interest in the plight of the poor and underprivileged, the social classes for whom life was a struggle, as it was for my own family. I chose to study social work as an undergraduate student and later came to focus on education in my search to contribute towards progressive social change and greater social justice and equality. With Master´s Degrees in both Multicultural/Multilingual Education and Educational Leadership, I have prepared myself well for doctoral studies and established a lifelong passion for education and educational reform. My dedication to the field of educational administration is also very much a product of the current position that I hold as an Assistant Administrator of a High School and Chair Person for our High School Assistant Principal's Group, representing the interests of numerous Assistant Principals (APs), especially High School APs in our relationship with the superintendent, as well as organizing and executing monthly planning sessions. Being fully bilingual English/Spanish is fundamental to both my professional and personal identities. I have extensive experience working with diverse populations and I very determined, highly motivated, goal oriented, and most of all hard working. I have met and in many cases exceeded almost every goal that I have set for myself. And I have completed every task that I have been assigned. I have often even sought out additional professional duties and opportunities in order to broaden my knowledge base and cultural awareness and to enhance my leadership skills. The greatest contribution that I might be able to make to society would be to help to eliminate the glaring achievement gap that plagues our educational system. I seek admission to your program so that I might learn how to more effectively work to develop strategies and curriculums that will help to bridge these gaps. I keenly look forward to shouldering advanced responsibilities within all facets of the educational arena and I am especially impressed with and drawn to the focus of your program and its emphasis on preparing students to assume these responsibilities not only at the local level, but also on state, national and international levels. Your program is my first choice for doctoral study because of its superlative reputation and the fact that I will be able to continue to meet my professional responsibilities at the same time that I study towards the doctoral degree. My current principal and many of my professors hold advanced degrees from GW and I have long been impressed with their work ethic, vast knowledge, and refined leadership skills. While I am most excited about studying the entire gambit of theories and methodologies to which I will be exposed in your program, I am especially looking forward to returning to the task of researching the burning issues of our day, particularly those that have to do with alternative education, drop-out prevention—especially for Latinos—reducing achievement gaps, minority achievement, and alternative scheduling (i.e longer school days or year round school attendance). Not only Latino, but also black like my father, I have a unique perspective to bring to comparative studies of challenges facing African-American vs. Latino students: the way that both groups are over represented in special education programs, have limited accessibility to post secondary education—primarily as a result of dismal graduation rates—, lack of motivation due to “self assumed” dismal future outlook (leading to drop outs), over representation for discipline and suspensions, and under representation for advanced placement and international courses. I look forward to a long and productive career as a school based principal, but I also sincerely hope to be able to contribute to the development of increasingly progressive educational policies on a national scale, or perhaps working in a district office as a minority student achievement director. Ultimately, I would like to have the privilege of serving someday as the superintendent of a school district with a large minority/Latino population. My volunteer activities have also helped prepare me for entry into your program—especially my current position with the XXXX-based Community Volunteer Network, helping children with special needs and their families. I have also volunteered extensively with the homeless shelters and foods banks in my area. These experiences have further heightened my sensitivities to the needs of diverse populations and laboring to coordinate activities has served to refine my leadership skills. I firmly believe that any effective leader must be fully engaged with the grass roots organizations of the communities that they serve. I have made it a point to live and volunteer in the community in which I work, where my students live, work, shop, etc., so as to be better able to empathize with my students and their families. I also feel strongly that it is important for educational leaders to develop critical perspectives and insights into educational systems on the international level, especially insofar as this helps to spark creative ideas as to how to best improve our own. As I have traveled throughout most of North America, all of South America, and many European countries, I have always made it a point to study the educational systems and peculiar challenges of each location. These experiences have served to refine my critical stance concerning the US educational system as overly "system/protocol" oriented, as well as our abysmal record at multiple language instruction and the cultivation of multicultural sensitivities.