GMU Personal Statement

In addition to her suffering, her constant back pains at night made me want to alleviate all of her pain, sadly, all I could do was offer her heat patches. I could not imagine how lonely my mom must have felt since she left her whole family behind in Vietnam. Witnessing my mother endure such hardship, I felt like it was my duty as her daughter to diminish her suffering. The dream that my mom often fantasized about was of me having a stable career. My long-term goal is to be financially stable so that I can take care of my mother, but, first I must successfully attain a job.

I know how hard she works to give me an education and that’s why I value school and give it my all. Many privileged kids here in the U.S don’t take the opportunity many of us wish we had. For example, wealthy parents that can afford to pay college. I want to go to college because I want to give my parents a good future. Give back to them for all of their hard toil.

I graduated from high school in 2013, and attended James Madison University from August 2013 to December 2014. I began having health problems during the 2014 fall semester and when the semester ended I withdrew from the classes I had taken and returned home on a medical leave of absence. When I returned home, I spent the spring semester focusing on my health so that I would be able to get better and return to JMU. After taking the spring semester off, I decided to work at a landscaping company to help give me something to focus on again. When that went smoothly, I signed up for one summer class at my local community college. I enjoyed being able to take a class again, and received an “A”. I knew I was ready to continue pursuing my degree, but wanted to remain close to home while I continued to recover

Standing there looking into my mother’s eyes filled with intent and worries, I was speechless. At this instant, I was able to budge a smile and move myself, despite being frozen from the news, to embrace my now widowed mother. Despite this tragic event, my dad had a dream, a vision that his two sons would achieve the American Dream filled with infinite opportunities that can be obtained with a higher education. To this day, I continually strive to live up to the American Dream my dad envisioned for me.

By volunteering at my local church and helping with local service projects, I have realized the commitment and perseverance it takes to lead by example. At my local church I continue to help with the organization of my youth group. After speaking at church staff meetings for several months we made it our goal to improve the youth group by ensuring that children and teens of all ages were included and had an opportunity to participate. I was able to create a system where teens who attended high school were paired with a middle school individual of the church. This provided a sense of inclusiveness and made the youth group more enjoyable for everyone.

Similar to other immigrants my family history is somewhat compelling. Starting with my grandfather who was exiled out of Egypt in 1959 primarily as a result of the "decolonization process and the rise of Egyptian nationalism”, my immediate family and I also left France in 2004 as a result of rising tension against Jews. The migration of my grandparents and parents, from a young age, cultivated a sense of determination in me to overcome obstacles. Arriving in Miami at age 5, I had to learned my third language, English, in order to attend school. I was determined to and successfully lost my accent and got tested into the gifted program after a year of school. This determination has continued through high school where I was accepted into the Scholars Academy.

Even though she didn’t go to college, she inspires me to live the life she didn’t have the chance to live. My mother is the greatest impact in my life. Yes, you can say I’m a “momma’s girl”, I love my mother with all my heart. She is beautiful, loving, smart, and I would do anything to keep her happy and by my

I never once thought I would be in this predicament when I entered high school. The failure I have experienced during my junior year took it’s toll on me. Already struggling with depression and anxiety. I was driven into an even darker path. However, my mother got me through that dark time.

I am interested in Howard University because it is an HBCU that encompass the themes of cultural diversity and education. Your commitment to scholars ensures me that at your school I will be right at home. Since I intend on on going down a medical path, I know that Howard University will provide me with best resources to follow my dreams. As a child I was always interested in the worlds around me and how things worked. As a result I participated in a Summer Enrichment Program located at Indiana University in Bloomington. There I explored all of the different STEM fields. From the experience I have developed a love for biology and learning how small things affect larger things in the world around me. The next summer I participated in the Summer Science Research

I look forward to gaining skills and knowledge that will assist me with becoming a successful social worker. I love the versatility of the field and that it allows me to work in many different dimensions. A career in social work gives me the opportunity to evaluate programs, groups, and services needed and used in the community. I also love to

Reflecting on my development as a first-generation immigrant, I can attribute a large portion of my characteristics and aspirations to my experiences growing up and to the role model whom I have admired, my mother. More specifically, being exposed to the tireless work ethic of a single parent who had to overcome the dual pressures of assimilation and poverty has imparted in me a respect for the ideals of continual self-improvement and advancement. My mother’s sacrifices have always been to better our family’s situation and to provide me with the best education opportunities. Recognizing my mother’s hard worked and what she has given up for me, I put my best foot forward in every situation to honor her. Looking back at the hardships such as racial discrimination and language barriers my mother had to transcend, as

The Profession of Social Work as a Career Goal Graduating from high school, I have always had a passion working with kids. I never put into thought exactly what I wanted to do with kids, all I knew was that I wanted to work with kids. At first, my career choice was to become a midwife. There were several complications down the road, in which I could no longer pursue that career choice.

I have worked so hard in school waiting for a moment like this. UNCW would be a great challenge for me, but it would also help me out immensely. UNCW has a excellent education program and that is exactly the field of study I aim to go into. I spent approximately half of my sophomore year at the early college tutoring at Dobson Elementary. I cherished every second helping my fifth grade class. I gained the opportunity to assist the teacher with the math part of the class and also enjoy recess with the kids. At first, I was nervous and kind of terrified of the kids, but I warmed up quickly and began to find things in common with them. A good majority of them enjoyed basketball just like me. So when recess arrived they would all crowd around me

I am pursing a degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. I am passionate about education and excited to share the joy of learning with students. The perspective of wonder and sense of excitement that children bring into education motivates me daily. Teaching can leave a lasting impression in a child’s life and offers a special opportunity to shape the bright young minds of future generations. While many professions can be impactful, I believe the qualities of the person in the career position to be the most influential.

Growing up in a loving household, my parents provided the support and encouragement I need. They raised me with good morals and gave me a strong foundation to develop. I want to work as a school psychologist to improve the lives of students in need of help and make sure it will not affect their