Graduate / "Accessibility, efficiency, efficacy & quality"- SoI- Global Public Health [2]

Good afternoon! I am in the process of completing my Statement of Interest for a Certificate in Global Health.

Does the following answer the question the school is asking? Does the statement flow?

Your professional feedback is much appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time.

1. How will this certificate training contribute to your career plans?

My affinity for health care and the natural sciences stems from the fact that, by nature, I want to benefit humankind and the environment. As health and wellness issues become more complicated and quality of care becomes more compromised, it is my fundamental purpose and intention to create, communicate and disseminate effective and exceptional promotional and preventative health programs and resources; and to identify, shape and model high-quality standards of care within an accessible, responsive, kind and collaborative environment for the benefit of individuals and communities, alike.

While my coursework has allowed me to develop a keen understanding of how disturbances in biological systems can influence one's health, I never fully appreciated the concept of social and environmental influences on health until personal familial circumstances became the forefront of my own health and wellness. In addition, my professional endeavors have provided invaluable scenarios to critically assess, analyze and treat injuries, illnesses and/or disabilities at the individual level. While I enjoy and am intrigued by the science and art that encompasses disability studies and occupational therapy, I find my thoughts wandering and expanding from an individual perspective, to a global, community-based perspective where the emphasis is about health care accessibility, education, promotion and prevention

Through the Certificate in Global Public Health (CGPH) program, I hope to gain a comprehensive understanding of local and international public health research and best practices. I am especially driven to explore the social and environmental determinants of mental health and its correlation to other health conditions or disorders. However, no matter the subject area or population, I am most interested in achieving efficiency, efficacy and access without sacrificing quality.

In addition, the collaborative nature of the _______ appeals to me. The specialized coursework offered among the three universities provides a variety of opportunities to develop, explore and specialize ideas and interests. Likewise, I am drawn to the ______ because of its strong emphasis on practice-based experiences. I am excited at the opportunity to translate academic knowledge into practical field experience. I am confident that your program will enable me to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully promote positive social and environmental change. I believe that I am a student with the intellectual capacity and the passion and commitment to excel at your program. I feel that the CGPH program of study at ______ will be the most logical extension of my professional pursuits and a major step towards contributing to my career plans.

Graduate / "Misfortune, godsend, disconnectedly connected"- SoInterest- Part Deux [4]

Hello, again! This is the second question in my application for a Certificate in Global Public Health.

I would appreciate any feedback. As in my last thread, does the essay answer the question they are asking? Does the response have a clear message and flow?

Thank you, in advance!

2. Please describe work or volunteer experiences, including domestic or international experiences that shaped your interest in pursuing the certificate program for which you are applying?

My life has been transformed by what most people would deem misfortunate. The two most influential people in my life no longer exist in this life because of factors I believe were partially in their control. When each was presented with illness, my parents chose not to change their lifestyle habits, regardless of the information provided to them by their doctors, nurses and other healthcare specialists. Had they decided to change their habits, they may still be here and if not, may have extended their lives just a little bit longer. Instead, little by little, I watched them deteriorate until their final breaths, just two years, two months, and fourteen days apart from each other.

Misfortune, as defined by Merriam-Webster, reads, "an event or conjunction of events that causes an unfortunate or distressing result: bad luck." While the death of my parents was beyond misfortunate and ultimately life altering, the processes and lessons prior to and leading towards the present were a godsend.

My first introduction to public health was over a decade ago. I was a budding college student, just nineteen years old, looking to supplement my bank account for all those "things" for which college students are required (reads: desired) to purchase. I applied for a position posted in the local paper that read something to the effect of, "Do you like working with people? Do you want to make a difference? Become a residential counselor..." I was offered an interview. Without hesitation, I put on the nicest outfit a young college girl could afford and quickly performed a mental review of the many great business skills my dad had taught me years prior. Upon arrival to the "office" where the interview was held, I immediately became confused. The "office" was a house located in a residential neighborhood. Hesitant, I forged onward, walked to the front door and rang the bell. A woman who had a disability immediately greeted me. "Leave now!" That was my immediate thought. Fear, with no rational basis, consumed me. But, as my mom had so eloquently taught- manners and poise, even in the face of fear, hold the highest of rank, especially in the company of strangers. I entered the home. The manager immediately greeted me with open energy and a kind smile. However, my fear sustained as I was introduced to each member of the group home household. They remained present for the duration of my interview. I left with a heightened sense of fear lingering. To present day, I still remember thinking, "There is no way I am going to do that job. I do not want to work with those people. I cannot work with those people. I probably did not get the job anyway. Thank goodness that is over." Two days later I was offered the job. I cannot say why, but I accepted. I remained at that job for three and a half years.

Since then, every experience has taught me a little more about my limits and myself. I continued to work in various community settings supporting children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities with various life-skill, employment and leisure tasks. In the spring of 2003, I was accepted into the Occupational Therapy program at the University of Queensland located in Queensland, Australia. A lifetime dream had become reality. My intentions in pursuing a higher degree located overseas were two-fold. One, a higher degree was necessary to further pursue my professional objectives and two, moving overseas was imminent. We all have a purpose, mine is to think outside the box, see the hidden connections, hear and understand peoples' stories, and create global ties. I knew a move to Australia would support this purpose, and so much more.

Occupational Therapy, like other professions, has very specific requirements to obtain skills of competency. While the requirements were not optional, the contexts in which those requirements were to be obtained became available through various settings (e.g., hospital) and populations (e.g., school-age children with autism). I chose to acquire the majority of aforementioned requirements working with people with mental health conditions in a variety of contexts (i.e., assisted living facilities, community-based organizations, etc.). Working in these contexts exposed me to a different side of healthcare that I had not previously seen. Quality of care and service were not assets and I was disappointed to learn of the lack of support and resources available to clients and organizations, alike.

For my graduate capstone project, I chose to explore the motives and experiences of young people who utilized an online counseling program over other counseling media (e.g., face to face). My research was largely influenced by my keen interest in the intersection of technology and humanity.

My decision to study Public Health came to me upon the realization that humanity is "disconnectedly connected." We are an interconnected world, traveling our individual paths, yet we are affected by each other through camaraderie and crisis everyday. However, do we travel these paths utilizing technology to create a false sense of connectedness? Or has technology further separated us from those factors that provide us wholeness and balance?

I will continue on this path, taking the next steps to answer these and other questions and continue on my quest towards my goals: to attain a Certificate in Global Health and travel the world so I can connect and find a place of balance. People, life, and the stories and experiences they graciously give me is what I strive for; for a connected world that values the potential that lives within all of us.

Graduate / "Passion from compassion" - Admissions Essay to Health Administration MBA Program [3]

Good afternoon! I am in the process of completing my graduate application for an MBA in Health Administration. This is the first of 4 questions asked to be submitted with the graduate application. The uni has asked that we keep our responses to approximately 200 words.

Does the following response answer the question the uni is asking? Does the statement flow?

Your professional feedback is much appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time.

How will the MBA/MS degree enhance your career plans? Project the kinds of positions you anticipate having five years after earning the degree. What experiences have you had that form the foundation of your goals?

Second only to family is the passion for contributing to the world in a purposeful and meaningful way. The Health Administration MBA will support this passion and enhance my career plans by providing me the fundamental and unique tools to improve the system of care giving, both domestically and internationally, and facilitate and empower others in their journey of personal actualization.

The types of positions I anticipate having five years after earning a Health Administration MBA include a mid- to senior- level management position in patient care services, or a role in planning and development. Rooted in my ambitions, I project these positions to be in the contexts of a public health facility, rehabilitation center, mental health organization, relief organization, or government health institute. In addition, I envision advancement towards building and managing a business based on Co-operative principles and values, which will provide domestic and international holistic health and rehabilitation services and resources for marginalized and vulnerable populations.

I offer my experience as a clinician of occupational therapy, a facilitator of growth and development, a coordinator of projects, and an intrinsic healer of humanity. Nearly two decades of work with children and adults with disabilities has been central in establishing the core foundation on which passion from compassion continues to mature.

Graduate / Candid Appraisal of Self, Strength/Weaknesses- Health Admin. MBA [3]

Good afternoon! I am in the process of completing my essays for the Health Admin. MBA program.

Does the following answer the question the school is asking? Does the statement flow? I am having some difficulty expanding on my weakness, which is expressed in the last sentence of this post.

Your professional feedback is much appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time.

Give a candid appraisal of yourself. Include some discussion of your strengths and weaknesses. Please keep your response to approximately 200 words.

We all have a purpose. Mine is to think outside the box, search for the hidden connections, and create global ties. As a child, my world was relatively small, yet my idea of the world was vast. Television and tourism commercials were the source of my curiosities, while writing to "pen pals" in distant lands were my realities. Consistently, I daydreamed about people and their worlds, and always, I yearned to help those less fortunate. My mom always told me, I "couldn't save the world." What she didn't realize was, in that one statement, she fed an already rooted seed from which my passion for humanitarian interest now exists and grows.

Domestic and international health and humanitarian work and volunteerism are embedded in my spirit. By nature, I want to benefit humankind and the environment. I am a person not of ego or eccentricities and I harbor very few illusions about who I really am. My greatest strength is my work ethic. It is as much a matter of conscience as it is a matter of completing tasks.

I am looking up from the bottom of a new ladder of success and with that comes a new and somewhat unfamiliar sense of anxiety.

Graduate / Cross the vast, aqua blue ocean - Discuss three accomplishments - Health Admin. MBA [6]

This the third and final response for the Health Administration MBA essay.

I really need some good advice on how to cut this down to 200 words. HELP! :0) Thank you in advance!

Discuss three of your achievements or accomplishments. (approximately 200 Words)

The rigor of my success has led me down a path of unadulterated adventure, intense melancholy, and peaceful contemplation. Rewind to post high school. There was no choice. Let me take that back, there was a choice. It was, "Go to college, " or "Go to college!" It could be said that my fate was sealed. But, the world was vast and one that I had hardly touched, even in the confines of the small college town where I would eventually earn my undergraduate degree. The tedious commitment and work was finally rewarded. I walked the gangway towards the stage to grasp the prize that had been a mere thought just four years prior. From the crowd, I heard my entire family screaming and at one juncture, I saw my Aunt performing a little jig. It was near Christmas when I graduated with a Bachelor of Science. In retrospect, I do not think they believed there was a better gift than to watch me graduate.

This would not be my first academic accomplishment. This time, I would cross the vast, aqua blue Pacific Ocean to make real my daydreams from the past. I will never forget the day I left. I looked into my mother's eyes searching for that "everything will be okay" message of comfort that only a mother can give. As I moved to embrace her, I started to bawl - a reaction I actually expected from her. She remained calm. Her peaceful heart and warmth was the comfort I needed in that exact moment. Reluctant, I released my embrace. I gave my dad a hug, slapped him on his lower back (our signature love pat) and told him, "I love you. Take care of mom." As I walked away, I glanced back once more. Her sapphire eyes gazed back, letting me know that everything, indeed, was going to be okay. As I set foot on the plane, a gut wrenching excitement overcame my entire being. I was on my way to the place I had always dreamed of living. It took me two years to plan and organize the move to Australia. Yet there I was, reveling in a goal I knew I could accomplish and one I never thought possible. As I sat in my seat, my focus remained on my mom and her piercing cerulean eyes. I thought to myself, "It's going to be okay, Stacy Lee. It's going to be okay." I never saw my mom again.

After my mom's passing just two months after I started my academic coursework, I found myself in a proverbial "Twilight Zone." Yet, I persevered, giving in only to the hard-working values that were instilled as a young child. One semester, I even made the Dean's list. But, just one year, two months, and twenty-five days after my mom's passing, heartache struck, again. My dad, in all of his stoicism and rigidity, emailed to tell me he was sick with pancreatic cancer. I was one semester away from graduating and for the first time in my life, I considered quitting academia so I could be with my dad in what I knew would most likely be his final days. Fortunately, I had a 4-week break in between semesters and made plans to fly home to be with my dad.

As I walked to the first class of my last semester, I pondered if I had made the right decision. My dad's firm words, "You get on that plane and finish what you started. I will be here waiting for you when you are done" lingered, and every day thereafter.

In 2005, I walked the stage to receive my Masters degree. My dad, unable to travel as he intended, was on the other end of my friend's telephone. She secretly made her way to the underside of the stage and held the phone so he could hear my name announced. I grasped the phone from her as I exited the stage. My dying father was there, as he had promised - "I knew you could do it. Now hurry home."