Self-actualization is the process of realizing one's full potential - to really work hard and find out what you are capable of. Understanding the mind has been a particular passion of mine for a very long time - ever since my teenage years, I have struggled with my endless curiosity about why people do the things they do. Furthermore, I have always wanted to learn more about what people can do to better themselves. Realizing that I want to help people with their own emotional and life-related problems was a huge moment for me, and one that has brought me to my own quest of self-actualization. With my goals and ambitions in mind, I believe the school psychology graduate program at Brooklyn College is the right place for me to learn and grow.
I am 22 years old; I was raised in Puerto Rico to fairly modest conditions. When I was 17, I started work on my bachelor's degree from the Universidad Central de Bayamon; at the same time, I juggled my schoolwork with my job as a supervisor at Starbucks in order to make ends meet. By the time I was 20, I received by BA in Psychology from Universidad. I then moved to the United States when I was 21, starting a new stage of my life in New York. This was a very difficult transitioning period for me, but one that I feel armed me with many essential skills for improvisation and patience. Throughout my life, I have had a very good grasp of my priorities, which is what has enabled me to move through these programs at such an early age, particularly while thriving in a challenging job. This has been an integral part of my self-actualization process, a concept which interests me greatly.
Currently, I work as a substitute teacher with the Board of Education in New York, and I am finding it immensely fulfilling. This has fuelled an incredible appreciation for (and curiosity with) education and its role in shaping the minds and attitudes of children. With that in mind, I would love to learn more about the psychology of children from a school-centric context, which is why I wish to pursue this graduate program at Brooklyn College. Getting up-close experience with children in the setting where they spend most of their time and social development is a golden opportunity to learn more about them and how they think. Furthermore, I can also find ways to help them with whatever problems they may have, which is a particular goal of my plan to self-actualize.
All of the things that have led to this point are part of my self-actualization, which continues far into my future; I wish for Brooklyn College to be part of that process. My long-term goals are very ambitious; my primary purpose for entering medical school is to eventually become a psychiatrist, with an emphasis on child psychiatry. By entering Brooklyn College's school psychology graduate program, I believe I will be one step closer to reaching my goal of self-actualization. With the training and experience I will receive as a result of this program, I will be able to help others effectively and to continue my own journey in understanding the human mind and how it works.
