INSTRUCTIONS:::
Write Stellar Personal Statement
All applicants must write a personal statement and submit it with the application for admission.
Do you have a compelling academic or personal need to attend the University of Washington-Seattle at this time? Is there anything else you would like us to know?
Content as well as form, spelling, grammar, and punctuation, will be considered. Suggested length is 750-1000 words.
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Against almost all odds, I'm now applying to a competitive program at University of Washington, at age 29. My academic history used to haunt me, but I now recall it without shame because I have come so very, very far. I need to be honest right-off-the-bat and disclose that I am a high-school drop out. I barely earned credit during my brief attendance in grades 9 and 10, and then went on to dropout of two different colleges within 3 years between the ages of 18 -21 after earning my GED.
Like many others, I didn't have an ideal childhood that was supportive of achieving educational goals, or any goals for that matter. I had moved out on my own at age 15, living with an older sister of a friend as roommates. I got my first job when I was 14-years-old at a business office after convincing the owner that all he needed was a child-work permit, and it was completely legal to hire me. Impressed with my perseverance and resourcefulness for such a young age, he gave me a chance. I worked my way through my teens and twenties, ending up in a communications sales position for a major wireless company, but that eventually became unsatisfying after nearly 5 years of hustling for commissions. I never did completely dismiss my earlier intentions of finishing school while I was busy growing up and working, but I also knew I would only go back when I was completely ready to do so.
With now having two small children of my own, I wanted so much more for my family; it was not just for myself anymore. I needed some challenge in my life; my brain felt like it was on constant auto-pilot in my sales job. This time, I was determined to accomplish my long-time goal of earning a degree involving my greatest passion: Health!
My favorite classes always involved health, the human body, and the complexity of organisms and cells. How they divinely work or don't work together is like a puzzle I want to solve over and over again! Currently, I'm just a few courses away from completing my pre-nursing transfer degree at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. While studying, I've found I am especially interested in disease prevention and education, specifically for at-risk youth or in underserved populations. HIV/AIDS and HPV have been selected topics for many of my research assignments during my recent college years. Reaching out to the public in effort to ensure the awareness is there, is something I'm passionate about. Advocating and providing case management for populations who are infected with HIV is something I would also really enjoy.
I have made a complete comeback this time around at a more mature and focused age. I have attainable goals that match my natural passion and interests, so it has been a much different experience since beginning again in Fall 2013. I am on honor roll, I have earned scholarships and grants, I have volunteered doing teen suicide prevention work to promote mental health wellness, and have also worked in the campus's International Program helping students from all over the world adapt to American college life. The exposure to the globally diverse cultures I encountered while mentoring international students was extremely educational for me as well. It helped me identify what my own personal culture is, and what culture really means in terms of how you were raised and how you choose to live an adult.
I would describe my own family's culture as the cliché of the All-American sort. We BBQ and camp in the Summer, then ski and watch football in the Winter. We eat dinner together at the table nightly, and my kids are involved in sports and dance. These cultural details were not taught to me though in my childhood. I created my own culture for my family as an adult with my own children to raise. I incorporate all the things I wanted to know about as a growing child, but was never afforded. Higher education is one of those things. I am setting this example for them, and if I get accepted into a school like UW, then that's the ultimate achievement for me! I would be honored that even higher standards will be modeled so that when it's their time to enter college, they will have had my hard-earned accomplishments to look up to.
Whether I end up earning a Masters in PH and becoming CHES certified, or working for an agency like Planned Parenthood, WIC, or the county health department, I know this is my calling. It is my true interest to serve the public, and to be a part of helping so many other people lead healthier, and longer lives.
Write Stellar Personal Statement
All applicants must write a personal statement and submit it with the application for admission.
Do you have a compelling academic or personal need to attend the University of Washington-Seattle at this time? Is there anything else you would like us to know?
Content as well as form, spelling, grammar, and punctuation, will be considered. Suggested length is 750-1000 words.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Against almost all odds, I'm now applying to a competitive program at University of Washington, at age 29. My academic history used to haunt me, but I now recall it without shame because I have come so very, very far. I need to be honest right-off-the-bat and disclose that I am a high-school drop out. I barely earned credit during my brief attendance in grades 9 and 10, and then went on to dropout of two different colleges within 3 years between the ages of 18 -21 after earning my GED.
Like many others, I didn't have an ideal childhood that was supportive of achieving educational goals, or any goals for that matter. I had moved out on my own at age 15, living with an older sister of a friend as roommates. I got my first job when I was 14-years-old at a business office after convincing the owner that all he needed was a child-work permit, and it was completely legal to hire me. Impressed with my perseverance and resourcefulness for such a young age, he gave me a chance. I worked my way through my teens and twenties, ending up in a communications sales position for a major wireless company, but that eventually became unsatisfying after nearly 5 years of hustling for commissions. I never did completely dismiss my earlier intentions of finishing school while I was busy growing up and working, but I also knew I would only go back when I was completely ready to do so.
With now having two small children of my own, I wanted so much more for my family; it was not just for myself anymore. I needed some challenge in my life; my brain felt like it was on constant auto-pilot in my sales job. This time, I was determined to accomplish my long-time goal of earning a degree involving my greatest passion: Health!
My favorite classes always involved health, the human body, and the complexity of organisms and cells. How they divinely work or don't work together is like a puzzle I want to solve over and over again! Currently, I'm just a few courses away from completing my pre-nursing transfer degree at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. While studying, I've found I am especially interested in disease prevention and education, specifically for at-risk youth or in underserved populations. HIV/AIDS and HPV have been selected topics for many of my research assignments during my recent college years. Reaching out to the public in effort to ensure the awareness is there, is something I'm passionate about. Advocating and providing case management for populations who are infected with HIV is something I would also really enjoy.
I have made a complete comeback this time around at a more mature and focused age. I have attainable goals that match my natural passion and interests, so it has been a much different experience since beginning again in Fall 2013. I am on honor roll, I have earned scholarships and grants, I have volunteered doing teen suicide prevention work to promote mental health wellness, and have also worked in the campus's International Program helping students from all over the world adapt to American college life. The exposure to the globally diverse cultures I encountered while mentoring international students was extremely educational for me as well. It helped me identify what my own personal culture is, and what culture really means in terms of how you were raised and how you choose to live an adult.
I would describe my own family's culture as the cliché of the All-American sort. We BBQ and camp in the Summer, then ski and watch football in the Winter. We eat dinner together at the table nightly, and my kids are involved in sports and dance. These cultural details were not taught to me though in my childhood. I created my own culture for my family as an adult with my own children to raise. I incorporate all the things I wanted to know about as a growing child, but was never afforded. Higher education is one of those things. I am setting this example for them, and if I get accepted into a school like UW, then that's the ultimate achievement for me! I would be honored that even higher standards will be modeled so that when it's their time to enter college, they will have had my hard-earned accomplishments to look up to.
Whether I end up earning a Masters in PH and becoming CHES certified, or working for an agency like Planned Parenthood, WIC, or the county health department, I know this is my calling. It is my true interest to serve the public, and to be a part of helping so many other people lead healthier, and longer lives.
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