I hope to earn the MSC in Finance at XXXX University so as to have the fullest of opportunities in the banking industry and, in particular, the fields of asset management and corporate finance. Your MSC in Finance Program at XXXX University, in particular, is my first choice for graduate study because of the vast resources of your university and the surrounding area - providing valuable connections and sources of inspiration. I especially appreciate the international flavor and sophistication of your program at Manchester and would be honored to become a part of your academic community.The internship that I recently completed in the banking industry, has helped me to appreciate and savor increasingly complex issues in finance on a global scale and I could not be more excited about giving all of my energy to this area of inquiry and advancement in global commerce. I see the MSC in Finance at Manchester as the ultimate preparation for a distinguished career spanning many decades to come in banking/asset management. My average cumulative GPA is 3.3 in my major and rising, and I have also done well in my other course. It is in Finance, however, we are feel that I have the most to contribute and that I have potential for excellence work in this area as shown by already completing Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (A-), International Finance, Essentials of Investments (B+), Bank Management(A-), Analysis of Financial Statement (B+). Currently, I am taking Advanced Corporate Finance, Real Estate Investing and Asset Valuation and will be studying towards my certification as a financial analyst as soon as I graduate. A Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters certified user, nothing brings me greater joy than the mastery of financial software. A young Syrian man with big dreams, I was born and raised in the UAE; my father has been working here for the past 25 years and is a partner and CEO of a major corporation based in Dubai - a leading property developer. Our family owns property in Dubai as well as St. Kitts and Nevis where we are nationalized. My central professional goal is to become the most successful real estate finance professional possible, trained in the West, based in Dubai. The last time that I visited Syria was in 2010, well before the civil war broke out. At that time, we still owned valuable real estate properties in Syria – most if not all of which have been destroyed. At some point in time when things are calm in Syria and rebuilding is underway, I want to be involved in helping to finance reconstruction, driven most of all by a sense of patriotic and humanitarian calling to the land of my family. Now, I want to live and learn in London, taking full advantage of the vast international resources of the city in addition to the university. Still 22, my father calls me a young idealist when I talk to him about my dream of helping to rebuild Syria to something like its former glory. Nevertheless, I want to do what I can to help as a finance professional, rebuilding Syria at some point with smart green buildings with sustainable design and architecture. We in Dubai could not be more excited about having been chosen as the host for EXPO 2020 as this will be an especially valuable opportunity to gain unique experience in design and development on an international level. I hold two Certificates in areas closely related to Finance and I am currently pursuing a third. I completed a market/retail analysis of 3 different malls in the City of Dubai mall complex. This included the world’s biggest mall, The Dubai Mall, and I won the Exceeding Expectations in Critical Thinking Award for this project. As part of the Global Leader Experience Project through Common Purpose, a leadership training program, we visited more than 12 profit and non-profit organizations in Dubai. I will be part of the American University of Sharjah Delegation Team to the Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN2017) to be held in February 2017. I thank you for considering my application to XXXX University.

Financial institutions are in dire need of interpreters and I am a Vietnamese-American seeking to be of service, putting my Vietnamese/English skills to good use. In this way, I can help Vietnam, my family’s country of origin, to develop economically. I am writing what follows on behalf of my application to transfer from my current program of study to XXXX University Master’s Degree in Finance because of my profound admiration for your faculty in particular and your institution generally speaking. Some of my special areas of interest are the identification of credit card fraud and the maximization of investment portfolio based on market trends; thus, it would be a special honor to study under Professor XXXX, a recognized expert in the area of Portfolio Selection. I especially admire the way that Prof. XXXX came up with a model that is able to approximate the optimal selection of loans. In the area of mortgage risk, I especially admire her integration of macroeconomic factors and borrower behavior; and that of another faculty member in Finance at XXXX, XXXX, whose research focuses on understanding large-scale matrix and its applications in stock market and risk management. I could not be more engaged with his analysis of Risk Premium, Principal Component Analysis. I learned about PCA in my applied machine learning class, and I keenly look forward to learning as much as I can about this technique with so many variations and such power for interpreting large-scale data. I attended XXXX for Summer School in 2015 and I really enjoyed the international and inclusive community. I will always remember the thermodynamics lectures taught by XXXX, professor in Mechanical Engineering, where he described designing thermo-systems as similar to “walking in a dark cave…using assumptions and mathematical tools to guide us forward.” XXXX also has state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Advanced Financial Technologies Laboratory. I want to contribute to inventing new machine learning algorithms and predictive software to drive down the cost of making decisions, serving as a consultant with respect to financial markets, agriculture, etc. - an independent consultant who excels at machine learning algorithms and software frameworks, providing his clients with invaluable insights with respect to potential costs and benefits For a variety of reasons having to do with living in Germany, I wish to transfer to my ideal program, in America, Finance at XXXX University, because it represents all of my new directions and intellectual and social interests. I am no longer a good career fit with the department of industrial engineering at my current university, TU Darmstadt, in Germany. I am very thankful, however, for the great deal that I have learned here, especially about algorithms, statistical learning tools, and applied machine learning. I have found that algorithms can be used to solve a myriad of combinatorial problems such as finding best facility location, data compression, and strategy planning. I appreciate how this becomes increasingly easier to the extent to which the computational power of computers evolves and more efficient algorithms appear. We are soon going to live in a time in which making predictions using machine learning algorithms is very cheap, and such predictions will help corporate and government to reduce potential risks and costs. I want to explore and invent new prediction tools from scratch, rather than calling written libraries. This is why I hope to continue on in my studies in Finance at some point at the doctoral level. I have participated research in the effect of turbulence on the lift force for 1.5 years. During the course of this research I have mastered the skills of setting up experiment, how to determine the control variables, and how to collect and analyze experiment data. I have been through difficult situations where the data do not fall in the range of our expected values, however me and my supervisor were always working together to find where the problem might arise and redesign the testing apparatus. After 1.5 years of hard work, this research project has turned into a published paper which I had the privilege to put my name on. First focusing my studies on optics and then industrial engineering, I have experienced success and failure, changes in direction, but could not be more pleased and stable at this time with the balance of my life being dedicated to Finance, which makes all that I have done before relevant, including those endeavors which I have tended to think of as failures over the years, such as designing MATLAB Simulink, designing experiment apparatus, and so forth. I make progress based on failure. I know how to research relevant literature, and make a collection of knowledge for my own use. I thank you for considering my application to Finance at XXXX.

My dream has always been to design and build, the bigger the better, civil construction projects for our community. This is why I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. After graduating, I spent 8 years working for XXXX, one of the largest heavy civil/infrastructure companies in the world. My current position is in the field of construction management, working for one of the largest water districts in the USA, XXXX Water District of Southern California. I hope to earn the Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Construction Engineering and to do so at the University of XXXX. So far, I have had the chance to work on several large-scale projects (120MGD Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant and a 30MW Cogeneration Power Plant) ranging up to a value of 200 million dollars. Thus, I have extensive experience that will help me to hit the ground running in your online Master’s Degree Program at UX. I see your program as the most advanced of its kind and I could not be more excited about returning to my studies and the prospect of learning the latest, cutting-edge techniques and developments in my field. This will enable me to continue to do what I do, only do it better and better. I would like to move up into upper management within time in my current company. I also look forward to being involved with many new, large-scale projects on the horizon and the opportunity to manage these projects (Bay Delta Tunnels and Advanced Water Treatment Plants). Completing your program will give me the tools that I need for state-of-the-art excellence in construction engineering. Alongside my professional experience, a degree from your program will enable me to complete my professional objectives. I very much appreciate the fact that the UX has one of the best engineering programs in the country if not the world and the coursework that is offered suits my educational needs. I look forward to the opportunity to learn from some of the best professors on the planet in the field of construction engineering. Carefully reviewing the courses that you offer has me extremely excited about getting started. My grandfather would always tell me stories of how he went to University of Washington to play football but due to injury was not able to finish his degree, leaving me with profound drive to graduate from UX for my grandfather and myself. Now 86 years old and in declining health, my grandfather is highly pleased that I am hoping to earn my Master’s Degree at the UX. I also look forward to setting an excellent example for my children as a really hard-working father (son 8, daughter 6) since I will have less time to play with them which I will have to explain. I thank you for considering my application to the University of XXXX.

I want to give my professional life to the promotion of multilingual education, worldwide, and especially in the USA. I plan to make the fullest contribution possible in this regard as a professional researcher in the area of learning and the mind. I will labor to contribute to a modernization of educational policy that fully reflects solid scientific evidence in support of the intellectual and social value of multilingual education for the stimulation of the higher executive function skills of school children, resulting in enhanced academic performance. UXX is my first choice for earning the PHD Degree in Education not only because I live in Davis, California with my family so it is by far the most convenient; but I also feel that I am a good fit with the focus of your program since I am already steeped in the study of connections between cognition and mind on the one hand, and learning science on the other. This is especially true with respect to children with disabilities. Education at UXX is oriented towards the promotion and appreciation of multilingual education and literacy development, immersion schools, bilingual classrooms, etc. It would be a special honor for me to learn not just in my classes and through interaction with my peers, but also through intensive engagement with UXX’s Mind Institute, the ideal location for me to develop my talents as a researcher. Born and raised in Taiwan, I learned Japanese as well as English early on since I excelled at languages and our island was a colony of Japan for a very long time. As an adolescent, I also began studying Spanish intensively and went on to complete my undergraduate studies primarily in this area. Thus, I am proficient in this language as well as Japanese, in addition to being a near-native speaker of English and a native speaker of Mandarin. My husband is from Hong Kong so Cantonese is also heard frequently in our home. Both of my children were born in Kentucky. One is autistic and the other speaks three languages fluently. I became a stay at home mom, mostly for my son, now age 11, who needs a lot of help. It was not until my daughter, now 8, began her Spanish immersion kindergarten program that I have really been in a position to give my best to graduate school. My husband is now engaged in research at UC Davis related to Autism and virtual realities. Now, I too want very much to engage in intensive research in the area of Autism at UC Davis, in my case, studying how cognition affects verbal skills and ways of learning for children who are not neuro-typical (e.g. autism). I also look forward to an in-depth study of Autism as a culture-based disorder, especially in terms of treatment. The primary catalyst for my intellectual focus on "Mind and Learning Sciences" has clearly been my son. I am a promoter of multilingualism and an advocate for multilingual education. Fascinated by the process of language learning through immersion, I follow my daughter’s progress in Spanish immersion school very closely. I also work hard with her to master Chinese language quickly, spending every summer in Taiwan. I often find myself amused by her Kentucky accent in English. Living and loving language acquisition is the center of my world and I have no intention of leaving my Autistic son behind. He is also making progress with his language skills, only much more slowly. But, he is learning, more and more all the time. I find myself gravitating towards the value of learning in community magnified and focused by contact in the virtual world. My husband and I frequently brainstorm at length for ideas in this area. Last year I taught in a public school and my philosophy was to embrace, encourage and empower through task-based learning. I look forward to becoming a better teacher at the same time that I gear up for the fullest career development through research in the area of multilingual development for children - on as well as off the Autism Spectrum.

What public problem are you working to solve and why? (Maximum of 1,500 characters, about 225 words) I have been heavily engaged in the struggle against drug addiction in Burkina Faso for the past several years. Neighborhood parks and schools have become recruiting grounds for child and teenage drug dealers seeking to cultivate new generations of addicts. While the common perception is that his is something that happens to boys, increasingly, many girls are involved as well. Our fight against the scourge of drug addiction, with its myriad, negative social consequences, is especially urgent given the fact that the population of Burkina Faso is young, with nearly half of the population younger than 20 years old. We depend on this generation for economic development. Of course, winning this battle will require the full inclusion of young people and motivating them to high levels of involvement and engagement. For some time now, I have been in contact and networking with numerous educational, financial and youth institutions, national as well as global, in the struggle to reach the widest audience possible, girls as well as boys. Much of our effort is geared towards the empowerment of parents with regard to this issue. Parents need the support of our business sector as well as our government and civic institutions. I seek a lifetime of engagement with this issue which I have identified as of especially paramount importance to the sustainability of economic development in Burkina Faso. How are you attempting to solve the problem? (Maximum of 1,500 characters, about 225 words) Along with my colleagues, I have labored to create youth associations in neighborhoods across my city to raise awareness concerning the consequences of drug abuse – especially in my own neighborhood. As a young leader in my community, I use innovative participatory strategies to get young people - including drug addicts and their families - more interested in working to tackle this burning issue of mammoth proportions. I bring them together to brainstorm on how we can better address the problem of drug addiction together, coordinating our efforts. Some of the members of this association are drug addicts but this association welcomes people without any distinction. One of their suggestions has been to organize a fundraiser for a three-day trade fair geared towards young people. An awareness campaign was organized during this fair and parents and youth were invited to attend so as to become more informed about the consequences of drugs and how to support drug addicts. To make campaigns sustainable, I encourage teenagers to organize themselves and invite former addicts to share experiences with their groups. We work with local groups fighting drug use by training teenagers to also inform their classmates about this terrible danger and the potential that it has to destroy their lives. How does your work illustrate or expand the definition of what it means to be an active citizen or member of your community? (Maximum of 1,200 characters, about 175 words) * Active citizens care about and tackle crucial issues in their community. My work illustrates the way that this activism is most effectively generated by awareness campaigns at the neighborhood level. My strategy is to teach by example, using my own track record as a highly motivated member of the community to inspire a similar activism in others. My initiatives have fully involved people from diverse social groups where all are welcome despite gender, age, ethnicity, religion or social class. The older generation is especially important in terms of funding, helping to advertise and provide technical assistance for training sessions while younger generations are indispensable for the coordination and general organization of the event. All segments of society are involved because drug abuse cannot be eradicated by only one social group. Active citizenship requires the involvement of all or nearly all community actors. Finally, active citizenship requires an evaluation of the impact of activities designed and implemented to improve performance. At the end of the campaign, we evaluate the activity and suggestions are made for additional steps to be taken. What concrete impact – however you define impact – is your work having? (Maximum of 1,200 characters, about 175 words) * My work has made the youth of my neighborhood, in particular, more conscious of their importance and the impact that they can have on the development of the community. During one of our campaign evaluation meetings, they explicitly recognized how their self-confidence was increasing as a result of our efforts. They never imagined that they could be able to organize such an activity with the support of their parents and local institutions. This led me to the conclusion that the major impact of our project is that young people realize that when they are drug-free, they can move mountains. I am applying for this fellowship so as to acquire the necessary tools and build the essential networks on national and global levels so as to reach the broadest audience possible and to make that audience as fully gender-inclusive as possible. Drug addiction is considered shameful in African society. This is especially true when females are involved. Thus, anti-addiction associations tend to be entirely made up of boys and men – despite the fact that Drug addiction among young women is increasing. I hope to better address this issue as a result of my graduate training. Share an issue on which you’ve changed your mind and explain why. (Maximum of 1,200 characters, about 175 words To develop their sense of responsibility, independence, and feeling of ownership of the project, I gave the young people engaged with me the freedom to write and submit funding proposals to potential partners. In the process, I discovered that they had asked for more money than they needed for the activity in question. We had previously agreed on a budget but some of them wanted to use the event as a way to make money. I was very disappointed and wanted to go and apologize to the partners. But I changed my mind and decided that the young people should do it themselves. I explained to them that honesty is key to building trust in their community ­–which is already disenchanted by their drug addictions. I asked them to go back to all the partners where they had already submitted the proposals and to take them back. Then, they were directed to draft new proposals for submission. They did it and we got funded in less than a week because donors were impressed by our transparency as well as our initiative. How have you brought others to the cause in order to create change? (Maximum of 1,200 characters, about 175 words) * I had a frank conversation with the teenagers at my house. After I listened to their explanations, I made it clear to them that for our partnership to work, we all needed to be honest as well as active citizens. I outlined very strong arguments concerning the consequences of overstating their budget. One of the consequences could be to lose credibility (which some of them had already lost since they got involved in drug abuse) and the support of their families and institutions. I clarified the goal of the project which is to promote social change and not simply collect money. They told me that they did not realize the consequences of their acts and that this would never happen again. Indeed, by the end of the activities, accounting records shows no missing money. Benefits were put back into the account of the association to organize future activities. We were all proud of our major accomplishment, which is hopefully just the beginning of future, life-changing opportunities for the young people in my neighborhood.

My wife and I are both from Burkina Faso where we grew up and received most of our education. She is currently working towards the completion of her PHD at the University of XXXX and I hope to begin my graduate education in North America next year, Fall of 2018. We plan on spending as much time as possible together – hopefully in Montreal, our dream city. XXXX University in Montreal is my first choice for graduate school for a variety of reasons in addition to its location, however, especially your profound respect and admiration for diversity and the highly interdisciplinary interests of your faculty in the Developing World, particularly Francophone Africa. My wife is hard at work looking for a suitable temporary professional position in Montreal as well. Since French is the national language of Burkina Faso, we feel especially at home in French-speaking culture and society. As a specialist in the area of economic development, I also very much appreciate Montreal as a city and an economy, a symbol of successful, sustainable development in ways that are most exemplary; serving as an excellent model for development in the Developing World generally speaking and, as I see it, Burkina Faso in particular. I very much appreciate how your highly interdisciplinary Master’s Degree Program in Economics, studying under the Development Studies Option, will enable me to receive the most thoroughgoing immersion experience possible in the critical social, political, economic and environmental challenges facing the Developing World – especially francophone Africa. I look forward to a long lifetime translating the theoretical knowledge that I will learn into hands-on practice so that I will be able to make my fullest contribution to society as an agent of progressive change. Since completing my degree in Business Law, I have been serving with an organization devoted to the stimulation and management of private-sector businesses – which I see as especially important to the overall development of the country. My ultimate goal is to contribute to creating sustainable small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), capable of generating jobs and thereby alleviating poverty, especially among vulnerable communities. Earning my Master’s Degree in your program will provide me with the theoretical background, knowledge base, and tool kit that I will need to achieve this goal. The diversity of the faculty as well as the student body at XXXX is also ideal. It would be a special honor for me to study under Dr. XXXX who specializes on development economics in francophone West Africa. Upon completion of my Masters, I intend to return to work with my current employer, taking on additional responsibilities, share my learning experience in Canada with my colleagues and associates, building us up and making us more effective as an organization – with a central focus on innovation. As a development professional in Burkina Faso, I will be using my skills to help enterprises mitigate the challenges they face. My current experience, supervising a team of 12 agents working in 10 different provinces of Burkina Faso, creating thousands of new private enterprises over the course of the last several years, will provide me with helpful real-world experiences to share in discussions concerning issues faced in Africa. I have a vast professional network that will help me to make a major impact in the development of the private sector over decades to come. Francophone West Africa has very few development experts trained in Canada with great passion for the advancement of the private sector. I thank you for considering my application to XXXX.ant to stay there permanently.

My journey began at one of the oldest in Russia, XXXX University. I studied Pedagogy in the Department of Education and earned a Bachelor's degree. I chose the education field because of my connection with children and genuine interest in studying child development. What I valued the most was coming to understand the emotional and developmental stages of children. During my internship with preschool children, I witnessed the significant impact families have on child development. One child crayoned a picture of his family with his mother colored in black, locked outside of his home standing in the rain and absent of facial features. At three years old his mother had left him and he had forgotten how she looked, but still mourned her loss. Children express themselves differently through their stages of development. It was this child’s painting and use of color to depict emotion that first captured my interest in studying the psychological aspects of color. My senior thesis paper was a labor of love for a full year of in-depth research that culminated in a 65-page paper explaining how color and form impact the emotions of preschool children. I conducted tests on children and recorded their emotional reactions after showing them different colors and form factors. My research discovered that the color and form of objects have a powerful psycho-physiological connection with children. In addition to my educational experience, I worked as a volunteer counselor for an orphanage in Russia. I worked with children and adolescents who had a problems with rejection, depression, and aggression. I observed first-hand how circumstance and environment were powerful influences on their development. When a child first enters into the home they often experienced many complex emotions and mental health issues. Adapting to a new environment, building new relationships and friends, and preparing for outside life often required the help of a experienced psychologists, which I got to job shadow. I observed the therapy process and how they were able to help a child feel better and restore some of their self-confidence. Many of the children had horrifying life stories and were victims of abuse and trauma. Through volunteering, I learn empathy, compassion and listening. I also developed a profound respect and admiration for the professional psychologists that worked with the orphans. It was with this experience that I knew I would become a psychologist. After graduation, I realized I wanted to see the world. I traveled on a journey of self-discovery that led me to the Shaolin Monastery in Deng Feng, China where I studied for two months. Shrouded in the legends and mysteries of the fighting monks, the Shaolin Temple is renowned in the world of martial arts. The monastery, surrounded by the Songshan Mountain that escalated to a thorny peak, symbolized my personal path of self-discovering. At 5:00 a.m. daily. I awoke half-asleep, left my tiny room and climbed the Songshan Mountain, training in the endurance of the spirit. Each student was assigned their monk to teach them philosophy, meditation, breathing exercises, and martial arts. Slowly, I developed harmony between my body and mind and began to understand the potential that existed inside of me. Fascinated and intrigued by Asian culture, I moved to China in 2011 to study at XXXX Language and Culture University. Being immersed in Chinese culture was extremely challenging and rewarding. The more language I learned, the more I could discover thousands of years of Chinese history and culture. Immersing myself completely in a new culture taught me to respect diversity. Despite differences between Chinese culture and my own, I gained an appreciation for the rich complexity of their traditions and values. After some time in China, I wanted to continue volunteering. My most life-changing trips were to the XXXX orphanage outside of Beijing. Sunvillage is dedicated to the children of Chinese convicts and fights for their survival and development. The goal of the village is to education, rehabilitate, and raise the children into independent adults. The children were from an unfamiliar culture and I had to communicate exclusively in Chinese. Most of the children were mentally and physically abused before coming to Sunvillage. Some of the children had violent tendencies and tried to hurt themselves. Some ran away from the orphanage and repeated the fate of their parents. I often pondered questions about heredity, nature vs. nurture, and the power of family and love. Communicating with the children was also interesting and disheartening. I remember I foolishly asked one child “what are your dreams” and she did not answer, but rather just lower her head. Their world was completely different than mine and I did not know how to interact with them appropriately. I could see their psychological problems and knew I wanted to learn how to professional help them and the millions of other children who suffer mentally. After years living in China, I met my American husband. In 2015, I began a new journey in my life and moved to the USA. Through the last year, I have been impressed by the ethnic, cultural, and diversity. I see a sparkling mosaic of the cultures that shared many values. I am currently enrolled in psychology classes at the College of XXXX. I am studying Developmental Psychology, Theories of Personality, and Abnormal Psychology. Abnormal Psychology is especially interesting to me. We had to conduct a case study and write a research paper on a specific personality disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) particularly fascinated me, and I spent hours in the library researching it. Through my volunteering experience, I have observed many children who exhibit BPD symptoms such as emotional instability, feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, impulsivity, and impaired social relationships. Most recently, I began volunteering as a counselor at the Crisis Text Line. For teenagers and young adults who are in a crises situation it is much easier, convenient, and anonymous to text rather than call. Through training, I am learning how to help people with empathy, counseling, and active listening. 75% of the people I text with are under twenty-five years old and 10% are under thirteen. It is rewarding to know that I am helping people who are experiencing distress, depression, and loneliness.

The Master of Public Administration Program at the XXXX College of Criminal Justice is my first choice for graduate school. I look forward to lively and creative discussions in the area of Public Policy as well as administration, everything having to do with youth crime and delinquency control in particular, is my intellectual and moral passion. I hope to develop a special focus and a lifelong commitment to the full rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, serving with a Criminal Justice Agency. First and foremost, I hope to graduate from John Jay College as a top-notch administrator of social programs intended to uplift and protect the human rights of juveniles. My focus is on rehabilitation and I look forward to a long professional lifetime helping young people that are or have been incarcerated to become productive members of our society. I am a very capable and hard-working student and your MPA Program at XXXX will prepare me to become a successful leader, entrepreneur, inspiring and enabling me to make my fullest contribution in the future to the protection and empowerment of at-risk young people. I really enjoyed being at John Jay College during my undergraduate studies. The professors are especially well trained and experienced and present cutting-edge material from interdisciplinary perspectives, employing cutting-edge teaching and research methods that bring learning to life. I appreciate the flexibility of your program and hope to finish within 2 years. You will give me the tools that I need to succeed. My central long-term goal is to start my own non-profit counseling center for juveniles in trouble, offering activities, counseling and mentoring for juvenile delinquents and at-risk high school students, mentoring and assisting young delinquent members of minority groups in particular to recognize their potential and show them how it might be fulfilled. I'm for rehabilitation not incarceration. Since the Master of Public Administration Program prepares students for careers in public and independent organizations as managers, analyst, and leaders, I see your program as the perfect place for me to grow as an Administrator/ Counselor. I look forward to giving my all to the full-time study of Juvenile Delinquency, Public Administration, Ethics, Integrity and Accountability, and Program Development and Evaluation. Earning the MPA at XXXX, I will be able to attain my own goals at the same time that I help others attain theirs. It has always been my intention to make a difference rather than merely make a living. Since January of 2014, I have served as Administrative Executive Coordinator at the Graduate Center, providing support to campus and university executives. My previous title at Brooklyn College was Office Assistant, Level III. I do not feel that I am making a difference that I had intended with my life and now seek a new path which will lead me to making a direct and beneficial impact on the lives of those who deserve a second chance, serving as a guide to help them find their own path forward in life for their good and the good of society as a whole. I keenly look forward to soon being enrolled in your MPA Program at John Jay so that each day that passes, I will learn how to give more to my organization. I thank you for considering my application to the Master of Public Administration at XXXX College.

My family is originally from Azerbaijan and I am a near-native speaker of Russian. While I was still a small child when the Berlin Wall came down, the Cold War continues to color my existence, intellectual interests, and professional aspirations. My family and I, my husband and now our children, all of us are permanent immigrants to the USA and the USA will always be our home. Nevertheless, on both professional and personal levels of identity, I stay informed about where we came from: not only Azerbaijan, but especially Russia and Russian/American relations – in fact, anything having to do with the former USSR. I am fluent not only in Russian and English, but also Turkish and Azeri. I hope to put my language skills to good use in the future, at the service of keeping America safe and strong. My ideal professional position would be working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). I plan to strengthen my application to this organization primarily by earning a graduate degree in Criminal Justice from the University of XXXX at XXXX. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of XXXX and I feel strongly that this is the right time for me to go to graduate school and prepare myself for my maximum professional and intellectual contribution to our world, our story, the quest for justice and security on our troubled planet. My husband is attending the U of X at XXXX and if accepted to your distinguished Master’s Program in Criminal Justice, I would be able to commute alongside him. I am very excited about your new CRJ Program beginning this fall and I hope very much to be selected. It would be a special honor for me to study under and be guided by Dr. XXXX. I especially admire her work with respect to the psychology of adolescence because I see this area as particularly important to understanding the challenges of criminal justice and public safety, working to keep young people out of the criminal justice system, and how to best deal with them once they are in there; and I see this as true on both domestic and international levels. One need only look at the ages of the terrorists who killed more than a hundred people in a nightclub in France a year ago, or 13 at the heart of Barcelona last week: they were young people barely out of adolescence. Speaking on the telephone with your department, I am most grateful to Dr. XXXX as well who encouraged me to hurry and submit my application. I also keenly look forward to learning from him as much as I can about individual rights in the international arena as they relate to constitutional law. I have several friends who are CRJ majors at U of X and they all rave about Dr. XXXX’s lectures. I am generally secular but from a Muslim family, and I understand Islamic thinking. I also stay up to date in my reading about events in the Middle East as well as the former Soviet Union, as much as I can, especially since Russia intervened in Syria. My family moved to the USA from Azerbaijan when I was 13. I have visited Russia with my parents and I have also been to Canada with my husband. I am not only orally fluent in Azeri, Russian and Turkish but I speak and write all three languages quite well. Thus, I see my language ability as perhaps my greatest professional asset and, along with my graduate training, it is my hope that it might attract the interest of the CIA and I might be given an opportunity to work for this agency. I am passionate about individual rights, inmate rehabilitation, and against capital punishment as an unnecessary evil. Thus, I might not seem to be the ideal candidate for a position with the CIA; but, in the long term, my wildest dream is to have a humanizing influence over this organization, helping to make it accountable in terms of respect for human rights, to the extent to which this is possible in an extremely conflictive world in which the US remains the top player. My application to the University of XXXX is simple, I seek to better myself and be a good example to my children. Completing your program will also help me to make my very best contribution to society and make the whole world a safer and perhaps more just place. As a result of earning my Master’s in Dearborn, I look forward to continuing on at some point and earning the PHD. I am a child of the Cold War and I know a great deal about Russia in particular. I have studied Russia's geography, history, and politics virtually my entire life. I think that I could be a great asset to the CIA. In fact, a CIA recruiter has already encouraged me to apply for the position of Intelligence Collection Analyst. I think it would be wise, however, to wait to apply until I am armed with a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of XXXX. I thank you for considering my application.

When I first stepped into the world of education, I thought my learning journey had reached a milestone. After all, years of study and training had prepared me to teach, inspire, and guide. But soon, I realized that education is a living, breathing field that demands continuous growth. Professional development for educators is not just a checkbox on a career path; it is the heartbeat of effective teaching and meaningful impact. Why the Importance of Professional Development Cannot Be Overstated Professional development is more than attending workshops or earning certificates. It is a commitment to evolving as an educator, staying current with new research, and refining skills to meet the diverse needs of students. I have found that embracing this mindset has transformed my teaching practice in profound ways. For example, when I participated in a workshop on differentiated instruction, I learned how to tailor lessons to varied learning styles. This not only improved student engagement but also deepened my understanding of how to foster an inclusive classroom environment. The importance of professional development lies in its ability to bridge theory and practice, making education more responsive and effective. Here are some key benefits I have experienced and observed: Enhanced instructional strategies: Learning new methods keeps teaching fresh and relevant. Increased confidence: Gaining knowledge empowers educators to try innovative approaches. Better student outcomes: When teachers grow, students thrive. Networking opportunities: Connecting with peers fosters collaboration and support. Career advancement: Continuous learning opens doors to leadership roles and specialization. Teacher leading a professional development session in a classroom Practical Ways to Engage in Professional Development Professional development does not have to be overwhelming or disconnected from daily life. In fact, I have found that integrating learning into my routine makes it more sustainable and enjoyable. Here are some practical strategies that have worked well for me and can be adapted by others: Attend workshops and seminars: Look for sessions that focus on current educational trends or specific skills you want to develop. Join professional learning communities: Collaborate with colleagues to share ideas, challenges, and successes. Pursue advanced certifications or degrees: Deepen your expertise in areas that align with your passion and career goals. Engage in reflective practice: Regularly assess your teaching methods and seek feedback from students and peers. Utilize online resources and courses: Platforms like Coursera, EdX, and others offer flexible learning options. Read educational research and literature: Staying informed about new findings can inspire changes in your approach. One of the most rewarding experiences I had was joining a peer coaching group. We met monthly to observe each other’s classes and provide constructive feedback. This not only improved my teaching but also built a sense of community and shared purpose. The Role of Professional Development in Navigating Educational Challenges Education is constantly evolving, and so are the challenges educators face. From integrating technology to addressing diverse student needs, professional development equips us to adapt and thrive. I remember when my school introduced a new digital learning platform. Initially, I felt overwhelmed, unsure how to incorporate it effectively. However, through targeted training sessions and ongoing support, I gained confidence and discovered creative ways to enhance lessons. Moreover, professional development fosters resilience. It encourages a growth mindset, reminding us that setbacks are opportunities to learn rather than failures. This perspective has helped me stay motivated during difficult times and model perseverance for my students. Teacher’s workspace with professional development resources How Professional Development Supports Graduate School and Fellowship Applicants For those preparing to advance their careers through graduate school, residencies, or fellowships, professional development is invaluable. It sharpens your skills, broadens your knowledge, and strengthens your application by demonstrating commitment and growth. When I was applying for a fellowship, I highlighted my participation in various professional development activities. This not only showcased my dedication but also provided concrete examples of how I had improved my teaching practice. Admissions committees appreciate applicants who actively seek to better themselves and contribute meaningfully to their field. If you are crafting your personal statement, consider weaving in your professional development experiences. They can illustrate your readiness for advanced study and your potential to make a difference. For tailored guidance, resources like StatementWritingHelp.com can be a trusted partner in helping you articulate your unique strengths. Embracing Lifelong Learning as an Educator Reflecting on my journey, I realize that professional development is not a destination but a continuous path. It requires openness, curiosity, and a willingness to step outside comfort zones. The rewards, however, are immeasurable. By investing in ourselves, we honor the trust placed in us by our students and communities. We become better equipped to inspire, challenge, and support the next generation. And in doing so, we find renewed purpose and joy in our work. If you are considering your next steps in professional growth, I encourage you to start small. Choose one area to explore, seek out resources, and connect with others who share your passion. The importance of professional development is not just in the knowledge gained but in the transformation it sparks within us. Professional development is a journey worth embracing. It enriches our practice, empowers our students, and shapes the future of education. As I continue on this path, I am reminded that every step forward is a step toward becoming the educator I aspire to be.

I am a diligent ambitious man who is profoundly dedicated to my work. I see the business world as the primary motor of human progress, social advancement, and especially economic development. I feel strongly that I have the right levels of experience and motivation to excel in your program, and later to build up my own international and socially responsible company with the tools that I will acquire at UXX. Born and raised in Iran, I look forward to contributing to the international diversity of your program sharing and learning from your program’s diverse cultural composition as well as from coursework. With my background in electrical engineering, I have advanced math and analytical skills, a refined aptitude for design, and intricate, complex calculation. I am especially keen to study towards and earn the MBA Degree because I want to develop state-of-the-art skills in management and finance, acquiring the tools that I need to build my own enterprise. I am especially interested in doing research in the area of international business since it is my aspiration to develop my own international enterprise building upon my work experience throughout Asia and Europe coupled with the enormously powerful theoretical and practical platform that I will gain as a student at Hult. I have also been laboring mightily to enhance my linguistic skills so as to heighten my effectiveness as a future leader in the world of international business; in addition to being a native speaker of Persian and fully fluent in English, I have achieved an intermediate level in French and basic competence in German. I have many years of experience in management, with a strong background in both Asia and Europe. Furthermore, I have developed a very refined sense of social and corporate responsibility and especially look forward to studying these aspects of international business in your program, the ethical and human sides of the profitable return. My four years of financial work experience with the XXXX Company helped me to acquire an advanced understanding of the instruments and methodologies of financial affairs and the challenging environment of corporate management and finance. During my three years with the XXXX Company, I had to face many difficult hurdles requiring a great deal of creativity in the design and supervision of electrical engineering projects. With the XXXX Company, I was promoted to a variety of management positions, working with top managers and finance consultants from around the world: Italy, Germany, and China, to name a few. During that period, I also did volunteer work in the promotion of greater global awareness of the need for social responsibility on the part of investors. Most recently, I have been further refining my understanding of our global community through association with professionals from around the world, vastly improving my language ability in French, and taking courses at the Nice Sophia Antipolis University, studying the host of factors that affect the competitive performance of European businesses. I have visited and studied small businesses in several different European countries in a search for novel, creative ideas and paradigms. I am confident that my unique blend of experiences provides me with an excellent background for study in your world class program as we struggle together in the construction of a new international order that, in Obama’s words, “bends the arc of history in the direction of justice.

First and foremost, I am a human being who places top priority on the welfare of women and children, the sustenance of our species and our planetary home. But I am also a man, black, and gay, in that order. As a philosopher of society, I am concerned with oppression, marginalization, injustice, and discrimination against minority groups. These days, I am especially proud to belong to a largely white society that has chosen a black man to be its leader. I have more confidence than ever in my leadership skills, both as a result of my own progressive development and that of my society of origin, America. I see being black is much more relevant to my career than being gay. Of course, my blackness is much more obvious. As a pragmatic and a moderate political centrist—which I see as highly desirable for being a successful career as an IR professional—I seek to become a successful diplomat, in the broadest sense, between the historical haves and the have-nots. In other words, quite sensitive of my minority status, I want to put it to good work, taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves to me, as a black man, to open and walk through doors that are leading us down the path towards becoming more tolerant societies that celebrate rather than repress diversity. Of humble economic origins, I began working at 15 as bus boy at Bonanza and stayed there for 2.5 years. This early taste of the ‘real world’ helped to inspire me with a profound devotion to my studies. I finished my Criminal Justice B.A. with distinction and have mastered not only Spanish but also Catalan. Having long cultivated a passion for social service, I also volunteered as an adolescent at both a nursing home and a hospital for the chronically ill. I currently volunteer as an English Tutor with the Chinese immigrant population of Boston, providing me with invaluable insight into Chinese language and culture. I have also worked as a Case Manager for members of prison populations. I am especially proud to have served as the Coordinator for the University of Delaware’s Study Abroad Program in Granada, and I have acquired additional professional experience serving as a translator for the Disaster Research Center at the U of DE where I was also a Teaching Assistant for two courses and worked for the University as a Tour Guide. Finally, I enjoyed a paid position as a professional researcher for the Criminal Justice Department. Attaining my Diploma of Superior Studies in Public Law from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 2008 helped to further steer me in the direction of IR. I continue to pursue my interests that took shape and were given greater definition in Barcelona: comparative criminal and constitutional law, and the philosophy of law. I am currently studying Mandarin Chinese intensively and I am most keen about continuing to master this challenge. I look forward to doing research on US trade policy towards emerging markets, especially the People´s Republic of China, and conflict management in foreign policy and negotiation. I hope to serve as a diplomat or as a consultant in either the public or private sectors in US-China Relations. I very much want to study IR at UXXX, quite frankly, because of both the prestige and the excellence of your department and I thank you for considering me as a candidate to your program.