Drury University Personal Statement

Out of all of the skin care products in the world, your bathroom cabinet needs to be filled with products researched and designed by me. When I entered high school, I discovered my passion for selecting lip sticks, lip glosses, lotions, perfumes, and makeup foundations. You name it. After learning about the connections between the information in my chemistry class and these items, a light bulb went off! I maintained an A average in chemistry throughout the whole year! Additionally, in 2014, I became a student in the Academy of Engineering and Technology, which also heightened my interests in chemistry. In a science fair at that academy, there was a chemistry course where we made colorful slime, and during that process, I learned that I get an adrenaline rush when I am mixing different chemicals together to see what the outcome is. Majoring in chemistry at Norfolk State University will definitely prepare me for a very successful future in chemistry! My ultimate goal is to conduct research and development for chemical cosmetics. I plan to obtain employment at the greatest companies in the world such as L'Oréal and Avon.

Always, I was told from parents and elders that anyone can achieve their dreams through arduous work and dedication. Surprisingly, I hadn’t pondered this until I observed a shivering homeless person standing at the corner asking for help on one snowy, frosty winter day. This affected my life greatly. On the way, I just started thinking about the life of homeless people and how they are not fortunate enough to get their own place to live, their choice of delicious food to eat and several other amenities that we all enjoy in our everyday lives. An incident, like this, sparked an enthusiastic sense of compassion and empathy in me. Along with my family, I started thinking deeply and my thoughts to help the homeless expanded to other areas and I wanted to start helping the community around me as much as possible.

Following college, I moved to Portland, Oregon and looked for ways to continue developing my skills and fostering my passion for social responsibility. I started at Impact NW as an AmeriCorps member, where I served two terms helping run the AKA Science program. In my role, I managed hundreds of volunteers, wrote curriculum, and trained instructors; but above all, I learned how to work with corporate partners. Aided by corporate volunteers, our program served thousands of students each year. I quickly realized the importance of establishing meaningful, long-term relationships. Companies gave back to our community and in return we provided them a chance to hold an engaging experience for their employees. Every committed corporate team we cultivated helped us build capacity and redirect vital resources back into our program. We also encouraged volunteers to share their skills and as a result they would provide us with amazing insights. For example, one group of volunteers from Nike world headquarters helped streamline our processes by sharing ideas from their work in lean manufacturing. These experiences sparked something for me and I realized that my strengths as a creative thinker and a leader and my passion for giving back unite.

Before I answer the questions posed, I believe an explanation is owed regarding this request for admission into Saybrook. I originally applied to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology seeking a degree in business psychology. Since the program was not ready to start for another year, it was suggested that I take courses in the international psychology program. I thoroughly enjoyed this new experience with an opportunity to “think global”. I optioned to remain in this program with a concentration in organizations and systems. As I sojourned through, I was always aware that there was still something missing. Although I loved being part of the IP program, my roots are deeply entrenched in the world of organizational development (OD).

I come from a small rural town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. My hometown is split down the middle by a set of railroad tracks. On the north side, one can find pristine neighborhoods, newer schools, most doctors’ offices, and the only hospital in town. The south side of the town stands as a stark contrast. On the south side, you no longer find the wealthy neighborhoods but rather dilapidated and condemned homes and housing projects. One seems to find abandoned buildings on every corner, many inhabited by those that have lost their homes. Limited help is coming for those who need it, mostly through churches and volunteer programs targeting the underserved. Many doctors, dentists, and nurses are giving their time and resources to help

Wes Moore the author and other Wes Moore both experienced difficult childhoods. For the most part, their difficulties seemed to stem from choices that they made or choices other people made that affected them. As the book presented the situations, a lot of their problems seemed to be a result of choices rather than something like systemic racism, which is the opposite of what the video of the professor claimed. (WIVB) School seemed to be the only thing that could be considered a structural issue, yet they both skipped very regularly from a young age and never even gave it a real chance. They both lived in neighborhoods that were not the greatest, and even when their mothers moved them to different neighborhoods, they still found their way back to the “bad” parts of the city.

The pursuit of knowledge helped me love books and which brought me to Creighton University. Since my childhood I was eager to learn as much as possible, specifically the environment. I was fascinated about wildlife and how beautiful it looked. Being a native from Nairobi, Kenya; I was able to go to the safaris and learn about the different animals. These are the memories which I vividly remember and keep close to me. When I went back many years later, I was disappointed to see how my city has changed. This was disheartening because the city didn’t change for the best. This caused me to go for a minor in Sustainable Energy. The Energy department at Creighton is being cut back on and is limiting our class options to learn. Northeastern University

Last May, I traveled with Alternative Breaks to New York for community service. During this service, I worked with Meals on Wheels who dedicate their time to provide food for the elderly of Manhattan. As I delivered the food to the seniors, I got a sense of fulfillment because I made them smile by providing them with food. Thus, I chose MDC’s Single Stop because I wanted to make a difference in my home campus by providing and assuring nourishment to those that do not have it just like I did in New York. As my first two years of college comes to an end, I wanted to leave a mark of my own here at home at Miami Dade College North Campus. During the month of September, I decided to partner up with a few of my peers to serve at MDC’s Single Stop.

Over the summer I will be working with an organization called Sacred Road, which is on a Native American Reservation in Yakima, Washington. Sacred Road was started by Chris and Mary Granberry, a couple from Alabama who moved to the Reservation in 2003 to serve the struggling community there. When they moved there, one hundred percent of the homes on the reservation were affected by alcohol/drug abuse, and the average life expectancy is 40 years old. Sacred Road works with members of the community to rebuild homes, counsel teens, and run a children's care center, along with starting a church. Since the Granberry’s have moved in, the average life expectancy has increased, the suicide rate has dropped immensely, and the amount of thefts

I have spent copious amounts of time in communities stricken with low socioeconomic statuses, less fortunate than the usual neighborhoods I see in Pikesville. The experiences has engrained a strong moral compass into me, leading me to have a solid goal; of beautifying and bettering areas of destitute.

Another meaningful experience that sticks out to me is when I regularly volunteered at a children’s homeless shelter in Roxbury, Mass. for two years, and was reminded of the fact that the statistics we hear every day about homelessness are real people – not just numbers. Every child I played alongside,

Community residents of all ages and ethnicities are the foundation of Esperanza’s grassroots work. Esperanza seeks to create opportunities for community residents’ growth, security, participation, recognition, and ownership through developing and preserving affordable housing, promoting accessible health care, stimulating involvement in arts and culture, ensuring quality education, pursuing economic development, and advocating for progressive public policy. Through partnerships with churches, schools, block clubs and other community institutions, Esperanza helps to strengthen the social infrastructure of the neighborhood. In all of our actions, Esperanza strives always to build hope with

I have been largely influenced by my first geology advisor at ASMSA, Dr. Lindsey Waddell, who strongly advocated for liberal arts education and a Keck experience. Because of her advocacy and outspokenness, I decided to attend Beloit College in an effort to obtain the best geology education possible, through both its curriculum and Keck membership. I hope to become a well-rounded geoscientist that is not entirely confined by their narrow interests, but one that studies the Earth as an integrative system through an interdisciplinary lens. After my undergraduate degree, I plan to attend graduate school and earn a Master's in Geology and a PhD in Oceanography or Marine Geology. Alternatively, I will consider other opportunities such as GeoCorps or Peace Corps. I aim to work as a researcher for Scripps/Woods Hole, but I am certainly willing to walk through other open doors should they present themselves.

In VUSM 300 I have been able to see the La Crosse community through a different perspective. Throughout this semester I have gone to a series of places at which I pretended to be like the minority of the community. Throughout this paper I will talk about when I visited the La Crosse jail, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and the Warming Center. After visiting these places I have become more conscious of how important it is to give back to those in your community that need a little help every now and then.

In spring of 2016, my youth group and I began planning a trip to a neighboring city. This wasn’t just any trip however, we were going on a mission. Each of us there were bound and determined to