I see my very strong work ethic as my greatest asset along with the way that I have grown intellectually as a result of persevering through many hardships. I am an exceptional student in and outside of the classroom, the first in my family to pursue a second degree, and any degree in the legal field. My parents emigrated from Nigeria and I am the first born in America. I have enhanced my analytical prowess and writing ability primarily from working towards the psychology degree that I will earn in December. My long term goal is to become a successful corporate attorney, make an impact on the world, and serve as a role-model for those who will follow, especially women of African origin. In addition to English, I am also proficient in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish. I also speak and understand Yoruba, the dominant Nigerian language. I want to attend XXXX Law School because I think it is the finest program in the country and I very much admire the diversity of its faculty and student body. My undergraduate minor in the Legal Environment of Business has inspired me to want to build a career in the areas of corporate law and intellectual property rights. My studies have helped me to acquire an accomplished understanding of many of the central aspects of law that pertain to the business world and I would like to further my study in this area as well at the same time that I meet all requirements for the JD Degree. Upon completion of law school I would like to practice as a corporate attorney in the DC area. But I would also love at some point to practice law in West Africa, in the native land of my family, Nigeria. I also hope to use my Spanish on a professional level. I adore Latin American and Caribbean culture, food, everything. I take pride in the fact that I am an African American who has also fully embraced Latin language and culture. This aspect of my personality has served to make me an outstanding example of the celebration of multicultural diversity.

In South Korea, where I was born, I served twenty-nine months as an army chaplain, counseling troubled soldiers, positively affecting overall camp morale. Even in South Korea, there were soldiers from myriad backgrounds, a challenge I welcomed and greatly enjoyed, illuminating my life's path all the more clearly. Upon completing my Master's of Divinity, I taught at a Korean English-speaking school, but eventually emigrated to America, my new adopted home, where I completed my Master's in XXX. In the US, I was able to utilize my bilingual abilities and background to aid in the acculturation of Korean exchange students, simultaneously sharpening my language skills as a court translator. It is with great confidence that I believe in my ability to approach the challenge and opportunity of XXX program in Developmental Studies, focusing on Human Development and Education. Evidence of my passion for the field of study, and my belief in the work is evident through my professional and volunteer experiences. While my titles have changed, the conceptual continuity has remained constant. Specifically, I spent nineteen months as a volunteer to a collaborative mission, teaching English to children from socio-economically depressed areas of South Korea. This laid the necessary groundwork for my future endeavors, teaching English for seven years in South Korea, and working as a church's education pastor, paving the way to my US Masters in XXX, and culminating in my pursuit of an XXX. In fact, I anticipate conducting research into the connections between human development and bilingual or multilingual language acquisition. This correlates to my graduate XXX research as well as my experiences in South Korea, a country that emphasizes the need for English education, oftentimes to the detriment of the children, not realizing the stresses they are placing upon the pupils. For the future, I anticipate building my exposure as an active-duty XXX, counseling soldiers through their assorted difficulties, dealing with the loss of a friend, the stresses of armed conflict, counseling the populace of affected areas or simply, drawing from my own experiences of dealing with language barriers. Indeed, my application for XXX is nearing completion. The reality is that the XXX is multiracial, and multicultural. Having been born, lived and educated in two different worlds, and traveled the globe, I have a worldview that is truly unique, and have developed the ability to communicate effectively with people from all walks of life, creeds and backgrounds. I can think of no better place where my prospective XXX degree from XXX could be utilized more fully, serving the young men and women of the military, the future leaders for their colleagues and their respective communities. The fire inside me, my passion for service to these unique individuals for whom I feel a close affinity deserve the finest services possible of a fervent and well-educated chaplain, one who can make the greatest impact on their lives and careers. No other service has nor ever could bring me the same level of personal, spiritual or professional satisfaction.

We never forget where we come from, our humble beginnings and the people who light the fire of creativity, spirit and drive in our hearts. Growing up in Alabama, most of the men in my family were incarcerated at differing times. I prided myself in being a loner, yet always looking up with great respect to my parents, never forgetting that it was their sacrifices, and their encouragement that enabled me to become the first person in my family to obtain an undergraduate degree. My introduction to International Studies began at my mother's knee. I will never forget, she would spin our globe, ask me to point to a country and then tell me everything she could about the country my finger landed on. Later, the game was changed, the tables turned, and it was I telling my mother all about the countries under my extended finger. She gave me the world, showing me the possibilities for my future, beginning my education in understanding all of our wonderful differences, and remarkable similarities. Joining the Marines was the vehicle by which I envisioned seeing the world, and setting up a college fund. What was to come, though, helped mold the man I am today. From day one, they taught me there was no place for loners in the Marines, instilling in me the spirit de corps. I learned to be committed to the team, to work as a critical participant, knowing my role and keeping a vigilant eye on the common goal. A portion of my dreams came true in my service, the chance to see more of the world I had only ever known; spinning on my mother's outstretched hand. While I received awards, commendations and accolades for my service, I felt that I was being rewarded for my education and experiences. I learned the significance of Puerto Rico to the US and to the world while stationed in Vieques. In Peru, I was immersed in a completely different culture, getting specialized training alongside Special Forces that dealt with the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) on a daily basis. Later still, I was able to visit the Middle East, training with the Israeli Defense Forces, the largest recipient of US foreign aid in the world. With every step in these amazing places, I grew emotionally and culturally, learning from a dozen worldviews, a hundred perspectives, and heard stories of where people grew up, and what their dreams were. Indeed, it was my time in the Marines that have led me to this moment in time, on the threshold of completing my own lifelong dream of receiving a Master's in International Studies. XXX University's School of International Studies will allow me to bring my raw passion to focus by refining what I know and have experienced in the area of conflict resolution. I bring with me an academic foundation in Political Science and History coupled with practical, real-world experiences and knowledge of military affairs. Many imagine that the military is simply utilized for resolving existing conflicts, but this is only half of their purpose. The military has many procedures for dealing with conflict resolution before it ever arises, and frequently endeavors to extend the peace process, avoiding armed conflict whenever possible. Moreover, I have spent the last sixteen years traveling off and on, visiting Europe, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. I feel that the more we know of other cultures, the more we understand about ourselves. What better formula for peace could there possibly be? The seriousness with which I will approach my academics and my desire to give back to an extended community is evident in the works I have done for the community I am blessed to be a part of, volunteering for XXX, and setting up a blood drive as an undergraduate XXX participant. For the future, I envision building my exposure and acumen in the field, eventually contributing to XXX as a lead point of contact for global mission work. Nothing would bring me more personal or professional satisfaction than to be a person who can be a voice for the underserved, for those who live in forgotten corners of the globe, places where governmental subsidies simply do not reach. We need to put a global face on the maxim of equal opportunity. Everyone, irrespective of where they come from is entitled to the basic building blocks for a successful life. To that end, I will give all that I can. XXX, I will be a force for change. For now, I feel that I am ready for the opportunity and challenge to be a participant and contributor to a quality international studies educational program. Obtaining my Master's is not about just me. It is about the rest of my family. I look forward to being a creative leader on an international level, helping the poor, the sick, and the needy at all costs.

In terms of my research interests, my career has led me to my true purpose: the inclusion of physically disabled students into mainstream schools. The variables and their names change- integration, inclusion, inclusive education, equality but the bottom line remains the same: general education teachers attitudes and administration's inadvertent misinformation and or ignorance. Furthermore, some fundamental questions persist, as well: should their be systemic change, or simply an education or readjustment of teachers beliefs? More specifically, how much do general education teachers understand that special education students oftentimes have emergent literacy skills as opposed to being in a fixed point in time in terms of their abilities, capacities and potential? The inclusion of the physically disabled student into traditional schools is not a new concept or idea, and in fact can be traced back 120 years. However, research and technologies such as augmentative and alternative communication XXX aids have made students with, for example, severe speech or physical impairments perfectly capable of participating in general educational schooling situations. My own experiences with assistive technology, instructional aids and XXX have shown the feasibility of incorporating special education children in the traditional classroom. Special Education as a discipline and a source of impending research goes beyond being simply an interest of mine. From the time I entered further education, I have been intent upon procuring a doctorate in the field of education. What is more, the path of my career and education took a remarkable turn with the birth of my daughter, a little girl with special needs, but with every right to receive the finest education possible as any other person. In my own work, I have been directly involved in the lives of over 150 special education students and their parents, the students teachers and their teachers assistants. In my capacity as XXX, I have been involved in every aspect of administration and application and development of policies and procedures, as well as continuing education for my faculty and staff. By pursuing doctoral research, I will be ensuring the future of the support of these distinctive educators, effective administration and quality education for all students. My future in academics, the source of my motivation, is based upon unaddressed or not sufficiently resolved needs in the field of the application of special education. While I have welcomed each challenge within my current capacity, I feel a need to do more, and on a larger scale to affect changes. In effect, my position has largely been a middle-person, working between a school's administration, my own department's needs, and the needs of my students. I anticipate working in a capacity where administrations understand the issues involved rather than throwing money at what they view as being problems. And where funding is lacking, I will be an educated, convincing advocate for the creation of stimulating, comforting and appropriate learning environments for all children. I made my daughter a promise, to do all I could to ensure a future in which her uniqueness will be understood, accommodated and not limited or stigmatized. In truth, I fight for the future of the last barrier to education. In the not-too-distant past, advocates for education fought very similar battles, women in education, the end of segregation. And now, we are on the cusp of the last conflict: the inclusion of special education children in mainstream education. To that day, to our tomorrow, I will be there.

Furthering myself through the intensive XXX Program at XXX University is more than simply a rational progression for my education, as at my current level of education I will quickly exhaust every possible avenue of promotion and challenge. Through the XXX program, I will increase my competency in a number of key areas and develop my leadership, supervisory skills and construction management abilities, placing them logically upon the backdrop of my practical experiences in the field. XXX, I am looking forward to increasing my depth of knowledge in the areas of structural engineering, mechanics and materials science. Indeed, my broad range of experiences with XXXX Vaccines, XXX Engineers and XXX Builders has exposed me to every stage of the planning, design and construction of pharmaceutical buildings, estimating (steel), and process piping. This exposure has taken me from the office to the job site, working at times autonomously or as a part of a multidisciplinary team. I have been exposed to issues I studied during my education, and love being able to apply theory to practicum in real world situations and all scales. Apart from and supplementing my academics and professional career, I make time to give back to the community in a variety of ways, a practice I have kept alive since high school when I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. In addition, during my undergraduate studies, I was a XXX mentor, representing and being involved with minorities in the engineering program at XXX. With working three jobs and full-time academics, I learned time management skills through life experience and maturity. In terms of the future, I anticipate bringing my ever-increasing theoretical understanding to the workplace, work that will inevitably lead to my becoming a professional engineer, designing structures around the globe. I envision building my portfolio of projects, and later acting as senior project manager, designing and managing the construction of structures for a growing multinational engineering company that is dedicated to environmental responsibility. To my mind, a beautiful, functional building is only as satisfying as minimizing its environmental impact. Returning to the classroom in the future is a distinct possibility, but as a professor, bringing my field experiences to burgeoning civil engineers. In the most practical terms, my unique bicultural background, bilingual abilities and extensive world travels have given me the ability to communicate effectively with people of differing backgrounds, traits I bring with me to enhance the quality of the student body. I feel I have developed a level of cultural competency that will prove invaluable as I work and lead teams of crafts, crews, superintendents, and supervisors. XXX University has been my sole choice for scholastic development these past few years. I have been continually impressed by the quality of the faculty, relevance and breadth of the curriculum, autonomy of the programs and look forward with great eagerness to continuing my academic relationship and research work through the non-thesis XXX track and part-time distance learning options. This tailoring of my education is particularly appealing, and will enable me to continue my career, meeting my obligations easily and uninterrupted.I look forward to the opportunity to develop myself as a creative leader for civil engineering. There are many opportunities in the field of civil engineering and through an academic relationship with XXX University, I will be able to make that field even larger.

I am eager to search for and embark on a different approach to aiding my community, bringing about progressive social change on a larger scale. This is where an academic relationship with XXXX Law begins. Growing up in XXXX, North Carolina, only two percent of the population was African American, and all of them were related to me. As the only African American girl in grade school, I experienced firsthand the insensitivity of children, and the ignorance of adults. However, by eighth grade, my unswerving hold of my morals and values, my desire to do unto others as you would have them do unto you led me to being elected class president. Even more importantly, I developed a strong sense of social justice and a desire to protect others. Psychology was a natural and logical path, but I have been left wanting to give more. By completing XXXX's distinguished program, focusing on corporate law, and earning my JD, I will be completely equipped to bring the plans I have for my community to fruition. Indeed, I am intent upon investing my time and energy in aiding new businesses and non-profits to realize their own philanthropic dreams. I am convinced that progressive change will not occur by itself in my community, that it will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek; it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger that one is able to realize her full yourself potential. I want not only to help bridge the racial gap in the American legal system, but I also want to serve as an example to the African American community, particularly as a married, African-American mothers. I want to inspire others that it is never too late to achieve your life's goals, your potential and to make a difference. At thirty years old, I will bring not only maturity and seriousness to your academic community, but also experience and diversity to the student body. Proof of my commitment to the community and the seriousness with which I will approach my pursuit of not only graduate legal education but also my future contributions is evident in my volunteerism as well as my professional work. From my contributions to Hurricane Katrina's victims in New Orleans, to Foothills Harvest Ministry, feeding and clothing the homeless, and mission work in Africa, I have found that I have a gift to serve others. Contributing my time at a substance abuse center for women, and directing youth programs at XXX, I have been entirely committed to the betterment of lives. Above it all, though, I have learned that people benefit much more by a hand outstretched to lift them up, rather than a hand that simply offers them charity. I look forward with great eagerness to my time with XXXX Law, the next chapter of my life, and I firmly believe that my professional human relations and volunteer work has prepared me for this great opportunity and profound challenge. As a wife, mother and role model, I have taken a vow that I will do my utmost to instill healthy values at home and in all that I do for others. What better contribution could I possibly make to their lives or to my community than to work to help small business owners become successful? I thank you for your time and consideration

I am convinced that someday, America can become a fully egalitarian and interracial society. I am an American with an interracial identity. I exist. I am real. I am here. For every interracial person, this process of finding one's own in society takes years of profound thought, strength and determination. Too few even embark on this struggle, too many choosing to allow themselves to drown in apathy, low self-esteem and limited self-efficacy. For my part, I want to help celebrate and safeguard interracial America as a Family and Public Interest Law Attorney. Growing up in a biracial home in Iowa, I experienced firsthand the insensitivity of children and the ignorance of adults. In my own search for identity and embracing my two cultures, I have come to understand America's multiculturalism all the more clearly. Much more than this, even as a little girl, I developed a strong sense of social justice and a desire to protect others. This led naturally and logically to giving my time and energy to social services. My time in social services has shown me that the system is broken. I cannot go forward without doing all I can to implement change, or continue to work with children in the hopes that they will successfully integrate back into a dysfunctional family. At-risk families need to be given crisis prevention skills, or they will simply continue to rely on social services for aid, rather than growing. I have become convinced that Public Interest Law holds the key to solving our society's systemic problems, particularly child welfare policy and discrimination law. I am intent upon conducting research into ways of developing a more unified approached, a more viable, sustainable model for child welfare that can be implemented at least at a local level if not nationwide. Through an academic relationship with XXXX Law, I will be completely equipped to bring my hopes and dreams to fruition. By developing child welfare policies that work, I will be instrumental in protecting children from abuse, neglect and ultimately able to encourage more unified federal policies that hold states accountable for their implementation. To accomplish these goals, I envision working in a family law practice or non-profit child advocacy program, championing the rights and protections of children. As my exposure to the field advances, I anticipate beginning my own non-profit group, assisting socio-economically challenged families, providing free legal representation, helping them to get access to health care, employment assistance programs, parenting skills workshops, food pantries, as well as community partnerships that provide emergency shelter for temporary home placements. XXXX's curriculum struck me as a program that will not only increase my knowledge, but also help develop my leadership skills, which will be invaluable to my career. I anticipate being exposed to a broad spectrum of like-minded professionals in your program and using them as a sounding board for my aspirations, developing partnerships for the future. As a mixed-race African American woman, I want to contribute to making the legal community, in particular, a multi-color profession that more fully embraces the concerns of minority women in particular, and the rights and entitlements of their children. Proof of my commitment to the community and the seriousness with which I will approach my pursuit of not only graduate education but also my future contributions, is evident in my volunteerism as well as my professional work. From my contributions as a Catholic worker in an Iowa soup kitchen, my group activism in graduate school, internships to supplement my education, I bring with me myriad experiences upon which to place the theoretical framework of law, supplemented by my foundation in criminal justice. As a wife, mother and role model, I have made a promise that I will do my utmost to instill healthy values at home and in all that I do for society. What better contribution could I possibly make to the lives of the most vulnerable members of my community? I thank you for considering my application to your distinguished program.

Having been born and raised in the Mongolia of the 1980s and 90s, the decades in which my country gained independence from the Soviet Union and gradually began to rebuild a post-USSR identity; I am a child of the Democratic Revolution, I aml am a child of hope, hope for tomorrow, for progressive, humanitarian social change. As my homeland reinvented itself through massive development, so I have gone forward to follow my life's path: a career in Law. Transitions are seldom easy, and while my homeland struggled with food shortages, empty shops and massive inflation, my family and I moved to Poland in search of a better life. The constant change and reinvention required of us as a family while I was growing up, helped to make me someone who is highly adaptable, and in the most practical terms; I have long cultivated a solid grasp on what it means to be multiculturally competent, learning, for example, how to speak as well as read 5 languages.Poland held promise for my future in Law, but my dreams were shattered when I was unable to satisfy the requirements for citizenship there or anywhere in the EU. I did not see returning to Mongolia as an option, as I wanted to move forward not backwards. So I immigrated to America to join so many others who pull themselves up by their own bootstraps in the land of the free and the home of the brave. I arrived in New York City on Memorial Day; a day that I will never forget--born of necessity and a desire to succeed at all costs. Since my arrival in America, I have been constantly impressed by the joy and happiness of a free people, it is palpable. I look forward with great eagerness to serving this unique population, giving my time and energy for the advancement of a society that I find incredibly beautiful because of its diversity. The more fully I became immersed in American culture, leaving my comfort zone, the more quickly I matured, intellectually, emotionally; I have fewer fears, less anxiety, and I rapidly adjusted to the competitive nature of my new society--taking more risks than I would have anywhere else in the world--developing my inner focus, paving my way to excel in academia. I relish the development of my individuality here in America, a place where men and women have equal opportunities, at least in terms of the law, our foundation for advancement. Attending XXXX's School of Professional Studies Immigration Law Advanced Certificate Program is a logical option for me and complimentary to both my personal experience and my undergraduate studies in international relations, My principal motivation has been a result of my relationships with other Mongolians living in the USA. I am deeply troubled by the way in which my fellow Mongolians have little or no sense of community, few avenues of fellowship o even communication; most have a precarious legal status at best with little knowledge of immigration issues. Soon, I came to see my calling in front of me, the need to educate fellow immigrants, and empower entire communities. I am very highly motivated to excel in your program because, as a graduate of your distinguished program at XXXX Law School, I will be a able to become part of the solution to many social issues facing the legally underserved, those with the greatest need for legal services who are also the least able to afford it. I am most impressed with the breadth and autonomy of your creative curriculum, coupled with the amazing faculty and seemingly endless access to resources. No other school could offer me a more appropriate setting for my full academic development, nor prepare me better for serving the needs of the immigrant, especially Mongolian, community, This is why I want to devote my life to the study and implementation of immigration law in America, contributing to making it as successful as possible for everyone involved. Becoming an attorney holds great personal import for me as well, a need to serve the legal needs of my family. The tragic death of my brother, father, and uncle in a car accident in Mongolia immersed me in many international property issues at a time when I needed to heal. I had to be strong for my family, a task I gladly took on, aiding in their recovery as I tried to bring about the best outcome for everyone. Additionally, my significant other is an entrepreneur, owns a small business and looked to me for help when there was conflict with the proprietor and franchisor. Unfortunately, our legal issues persist,and the ongoing financial burden of legal bills is taking its toll. Completing my education, and passing the Bar examinations will empower not only me, but my family as well.I feel that my example, volunteering for others, serving the community, is exactly what public interest law encompasses spiritually. To serve the needs of others, those that are so desperately in need of assistance, ignorant of their options and essentially helpless with respect to their legal condition, this is what it means for me to represent the interests of the public. Already, in every way I can, with respect to educational and legal resources, I have been relentless in my pursuit of aiding others. No other field ever has nor ever could bring me the same level of personal or professional satisfaction.While pursuing my degree in International Relations, I completed an in-depth study of the needs of small and mid-sized business that were struggling to survive in Poland. I quickly came to appreciate that many of their problems had their basis in the Polish legal system. I have always had great zeal for my studies, attending seminars at western institutions, visiting many headquarters in Brussels of international organizations; I was even fortunate enough to attend and get to listen to several European leaders at the 2005 European Economic Summit, which earned me a consultancy job shortly after graduating.Continuing my active community engagement here in New York, within the confines of volunteering due to my legal status, I volunteered at Citizenship Now! events sponsored where I aided permanent residents with their naturalization applications. This experience left me longing to do more for immigrants and their families, putting a face on the realities of acculturation. After completing my advanced immigration certificate program, I became a volunteer paralegal in an immigration law firm, and this has been a most excellent primer for the work that I want to do for the rest of my life: preparing applications for naturalization, permanent residency and drafting motions is building my legal acumen, and practicing my legal vocabulary exactly the right exposure I need to bring my dreams to fruition and serve my future clients in the best possible manner.I look forward to bringing my multinational worldview and experience with diverse immigrant populations to XXXX Law. Given my foreign student status, your JD curriculum's emphasis on legal clinics is ideal. I am eager to put my dreams into action, for my family, and my community. To their tomorrow and my own, I will give all that I am. Thank you for your time and consideration of my application to your distinguished program.

I am eager to break and, frankly, shatter the glass ceiling that society has set for how Native Americans are typically viewed. I truly believe I can make a difference. With almost a decade of solid work experience as a teacher and the limits that I have set for myself, know no boundaries. I have taught many students over my career so far and can definitely help and motivate them to become better themselves. Teaching is an ideal profession to help others determine and reach their potential. At this point in my career, I feel I have exhausted every possible avenue of challenge at my current academic level and am seeking additional training to become a more prolific leader for the Native community. I have only applied to Penn State as they specialize in funding given to qualified and motivated Native Americans. Overall, I anticipate a program that will guide me towards social justice in the XXX century. The school itself will provide outreach opportunities that will give me an edge in the field of Education Leadership. At the heart of my career aims is my unswerving desire to help my students learn and better themselves, motivating them to become positive contributors to society. I would describe myself as being persistent, patient, and a very hard worker and seldom take no for an answer. In order to be more successful in helping others, I need to increase my grasp of an understanding of the fundamental areas of Educational leadership, such as administration, planning, organizing, and refine my existing leadership skills. While I would love to teach in an effective environment where everyone (students, teachers, administrators, and principal) contributes to the learning process, I recognize that this is highly unrealistic in today's environment. There is simply a great deal of distractions including TV, cell phones, IPods, etc. The classroom and teaching represent a challenging career. However, what many call the pressures of the job, I find invigorating, and I look forward to each day with great eagerness. No child, no student, is incapable of learning when they remain focused and involved, completing their work not only in school, but being disciplined enough to continue the process at home, as well. Nothing brings me more personal or professional satisfaction when my students demonstrate their understanding and grasp of course material. The ongoing issues of education among Navajo Indians need improvement. I have a dream to lead the Navajo people into the XXX century of education, breaking stereotypes that have plagued the Navajo, descriptions such as poor, lazy, and unmotivated. In my experience thus far, I have seen and experienced effective and ineffective principals. The majority of the ineffective principals had poor or an unsustainable set of leadership skills. In order to be a successful principal, one must be a great leader and inspire others, with a constant eye towards continuous improvement. Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, more quality educational programs need to be developed, funded, and sustained. The ultimate end would be for all students, post-graduation, to go on to further education, graduate and inspire others to do the same. The Native Americans and society would be much better off to have more intelligent and intellectual people for the future and generations to follow, as active participants and role models. In addition to eventually obtaining a masters degree in Education Leadership and participating in the Principals for Student Success XXX Program, I envision enriching my educational experience by immersing myself in such topics as organization theory, school law, negotiations, and even finance in education. One of my long-term goals is to serve the community as a superintendent, meeting objectives that measure just how well middle schools and the district are performing. As a graduate of the University of XXX, I feel that XXX University would challenge me to do even better to attain my dreams and aspirations. The degree that I seek is meant to train educational supervisors and make me the best I that I can truly be. I take opportunities as they come, and where they do not present themselves, I create them. Even now, from my desk chair, I can see out the window, facing the only direction I have ever known: forward. Thank you for your time and consideration.

For the past seventeen years, I have maintained an academic and professional commitment to linguistics and teaching excellence. While I have welcomed each new challenge, I have come to realize that I gain greater personal and professional satisfaction tipping the scales in favor of Hispanic and Latino children struggling with acculturation. It is my belief that by impressing upon immigrant youth their place in America's rich tapestry of cultural diversity, the pace of their acculturation is bolstered by feelings of self-efficacy and self-esteem. Moreover, in recent years I have seen a growing need in Washington, D.C. area schools for bilingual counselors who are not just fluent in two languages, but can sympathize emotionally and psychologically with the immigrant experience. In this regard, I have a great deal to offer. While I was born in the US, I spent ten formative years in Brazil, an experience that immersed me in a completely new language and culture. Through the faculty of the graduate School Counseling program, I will have the unique opportunity to increase my depth of understanding of issues facing immigrant youth, particularly those from socio-economically depressed backgrounds, many of whom are at-risk of dropping out of school. Additionally, my interests include examining the effects of cultural adaptation and language development on adolescent's development. Completing a graduate School Counseling program, I will be equipped to bring my ambitions my dreams to fruition. Post-graduation, I envision increasing my exposure as a bilingual high school counselor, and use my position to facilitate youth's acculturation, empowering children to adapt and flourish. Children's parents also need guidance, particularly in keeping their children focused and in school, and thus, need guidance navigating the US educational system. I anticipate developing creative and effective workshops that will aid in these aims. It is my hope that as a Hispanic woman, I will inspire others to maximize their potential and give back, as active community participants. Aside from my fluency in Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish and English, I bring with me a solid foundation in XXX, bilingual education, as well as Spanish linguistics, coupled with over a decade of teaching experience. My educational experiences are as international as my travels across four continents, and included study abroad programs in Ecuador and Mexico. More importantly, my commitment to the community is evident in my active volunteerism through my church. As an educator, students have frequently sought me out, sharing their experiences and struggles. The trust they show me, and the rewards of helping them, brings me a sense of accomplishment that goes beyond anything I ever felt in any profession. While I have given all that I am in my work, these unique experiences have left me wanting to do that much more. XXX is my sole choice for scholastic development. The quality of the school, the breadth and autonomy of the school counseling program, diversity of student body, and access to resources are all reassuring of unsurpassed educational experience. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Having reached a point in my professional career where I feel I will quickly exhaust every path of promotion and challenge at my current academic level, I am eager to begin a more precise refinement of my existing abilities and education. Specifically, I am interested in a career in which I can bring my passion for computers, mathematics, and complex problem solving to the business world and its unique set of challenges. A graduate degree in operations research engineering is a natural choice; and turning to XXX is the logical choice. As an engineering major in college, I developed strong analytical and problem-solving acumen, but the opportunity to also explore business strategy, finance, market forces, topics I had a strong interest in as well, simply were not feasible. Completing graduate research in XXX will enable me to bring my goals and ambitions my dreams to fruition. Moreover, I will be enhancing my abilities in the above areas and more. Indeed, I am additionally looking forward to exploring foreign markets, business technology and competition. As a high-tech consultant in the XXX century, the ability to understand business on a global scale will only be increasingly valued if not expected. While I envision, post-graduation, building my exposure in the field as a successful senior consultant or management level consultant, I also want to own and operate a manufacturing company to sell my specialized healthcare products. Having completed my undergraduate Bioengineering degree, I feel very strongly about bringing quality healthcare products to aid in the amelioration of people's lives. More importantly, I have come to understand that, no matter how good my product may be, I need to also have an excellent foundation in industrial and operational issues. I see myself contributing to the XXX learning environment in three ways: my cultural competency, that is, my ability to communicate effectively with people of differing backgrounds. This is a skill I have developed from having been immersed in the cultures of three countries, educated in Macau, New Zealand and the US, with a well-rounded worldview that has been permanently altered by these experiences. Secondly, with my unique academic foundation in bioengineering, as well as business, I feel that my ability to apply scientific analysis to business situations will shed light on many other students own methodologies, as I learn from theirs. XXX is intrinsically interdisciplinary, and bioengineering is as well, encompassing not only biology and engineering, but also an emphasis on mathematics and computer skills. Applying these skills my professional exposure is evident in my involvement with XXX Medical Center where I contributed my energies as a research engineer for over a year. Supporting the objectives of the XXX Radiotherapy Technologies, I worked within a multidisciplinary team composed of physicians and research fellows, working towards defining tumor positions within the human body through the use of medical imaging software/equipment. It was my job to equip participating physicians with the knowledge they needed so they could then deliver optimal cancer treatment. I accomplished this by collecting data for data and statistical analysis and consulting with physicians on results. What is more, I am proud that the data I collected contributed to future patient research. In the most practical terms, the work gave me excellent real-world practice and scenarios in which I was able to use my advanced math skills, and computer software experience, using such packages as Matlab, C++ and Labview. Thirdly, through my own set of leadership experiences in Chemistry and Bioscience Clubs, leading projects, autonomously and through group efforts, from concept to fruition, I bring with me practical experience and leadership exposure, and the sets of lessons learned through doing, and not just classroom theory. Furthermore, my foundation in bioengineering will no doubt have certain parallels to operational research engineering, such as mathematics and modeling, formal science, statistics, and algorithms, concepts I have a good working knowledge of in academic and professional situations. Coming from Macau, I have a worldview that is quite different from my academic peers. I do not mention this simply to increase the diversity of the student body. Completing my high school education in New Zealand, as well as living and working in Macau and the US, I developed an ability to interact effectively with not only my fellow colleagues, but since having experienced life as, basically, an immigrant, I feel particularly sensitive to the needs of many minorities; combined with this is my ability to speak three languages fluently. As a result, I am able to speak confidently in front of groups of people, and am very comfortable in my own skin while celebrating the differences that make us all truly unique. There is a need to reach out to our diverse clients and co-workers, to understand and appreciate our differences, be they cultural or socioeconomic, an appreciation of the rich tapestry of life that we are all a part of on earth. A future consultant needs to be able to interact effectively with people of differing cultures, ethnicities, nationalities and creeds. This is critically important given the vast influx of person with varied backgrounds into business world. Given my cultural competency, I feel I will be completely adept at reaching out to my diverse clients, no matter their country of origin. This is what I bring to the student body, as well, one in which I anticipate many opportunities for group assignments, teamwork and projects. The XXX classroom and learning environment, filled with experienced faculty and accomplished student body will enable me to share my own analyses, test others, come to unexpected conclusions and learn that much more from the collective meeting of ambitious minds. I completely embrace the fact that there is more than one leadership method, that there is ample room for improvement in my own style and what better place to learn such lessons than in the classroom, where the consequences of failure do not translate into millions of dollars lost. It is in the classroom where our missteps can be turned into learning experiences, and in study time, we can reflect on our interactions, integrating them into our own distinctive path. I look forward to my time with XXX with great eagerness. No other school could possibly offer me the same breadth, autonomy or relevance of curriculum. XXX simply stands out from the background noise of other schools, with amazing faculty, diverse and accomplished student body combined with a conceptual continuity in delivering quality scholastic programming that is truly superlative. Thank you for your time and consideration.

For the past five years, I have dedicated myself to the education of teens as a credentialed and highly involved high school classroom teacher. This devotion, coupled with my refined approach to work even outside of the classroom has made me a successful teacher. While I have filled my time within and outside the classroom, giving students all that I am, I have been left wanting to do that much more. Coupled with this is my disenchantment with an educational system that I believe can do more for the Native population. Turning onto the path of Educational Leadership is more than a logical choice, it is a natural one given my heritage, skill set, and drive. Indeed, I cannot go forward without remembering what it was like escaping to the reservation for summers with my grandparents. When parting at the end of each summer, I will never forget my grandmother's advice to me: Na' adinitaah', live up to your potential, a maxim that I have incorporated into every aspect of my life. Equipped with a graduate degree in Educational Leadership from XXX State, my path to my potential and principal certification will be assured. The ideal principal position would involve utilizing my full-blooded Navajo heritage, serving a community that is predominantly Native American, influencing students as a guide, giving them the gift of insight into the common threads of values and beliefs of their own cultures. I anticipate empowering others to embrace their own heritages, shake off social conventions and embolden them to stare down prejudice in the name of pride for who they are. Pride in our heritage is not a case of being proud of what we were, the Native American remains, is alive and well, and is eager to give back. Moreover, as a Native American and a principal, I will be a positive role model for Native youth, an influential voice, helping alleviate Native issues, such as truancy, teen pregnancy, and illiteracy. It is my belief that current Native statistics do not equate to prophecy. Students always have a choice. It is up to the educational leadership to help guide those choices. Entering into a course of study that focuses on the issues of Educational Leadership, Educational Policies, and possibly Educational Law will equip me with the requisite tools to be able to tackle the most fundamental problems in the American school system, going to the roots of problems that are literally tying the hands of many dedicated teachers. As an educator, I recognize the need to work with not only students, but parents, as well, creating relationships that will aid in students success. Through the relationships and connections in the community I have developed as a teacher and volunteer, I have been exposed to a rich tapestry of diverse backgrounds, ever increasing my cultural competency. XXX State's College of Education is my sole choice for scholastic development. My research into the College has left me all the more encouraged of a superlative education enhanced by a curriculum that is broad and autonomous. While most schools primarily consider academic achievements, I respectfully ask that my extensive volunteerism, a life that few have the energy to maintain, and the heart and mind that carries practical exposure to the cultures and traditions of numerous people into consideration. My confidence in my expectations for an unparalleled experience with the College of Education is compounded by the promise of students having the ability to tailor the curriculum towards their requirements, such as the School Leadership strand. Coupled with this is the College's stellar list of alumni that naturally include professors, but also presidents of universities and school superintendents. Thus far, I have steered myself in a direction that has broadened my life in ways that I had never imagined. Now, I look forward to the possibilities, the challenge and opportunity of my future with XXX State, with great eagerness. Thank you for your time and consideration.