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.
