Master of Public Health
Admission Essay
I have recognized early in life that individuals respond and react differently to challenges, depending on the person’s values and beliefs; as well as personal aspirations and goals in life. I had been destined to be one of those individuals who had to contend with life’s difficulties, particularly the need to support one’s family and loved ones as early as 11 years of age. When most of the children at that age are still being holistically supported by parents, I was already forced to work to support my family. As such, when I was pursuing my studies while supporting my family, naturally, my attention was divided between work and academic activities; as such, the reason for generating low GPAs. Likewise, I just transferred to Canada and was adjusting to the academic system, which was antithetical to ours. As I have now transferred to Canada, and my family is with me, I was able to focus more on my studies and eventually, I know academic performance would significantly improve. With a more mature orientation in life, my personal and professional goals would be to be an instrumental part of the any of the following global organizations: the United Nations or World Health Organization. To support this plan, I started pursuing higher education at the York University after I came to Canada Through hard work and persistent determination, I worked day and night to save money and support myself to school.
When I was 20 years old, I joined the Hawassa University in Ethiopia and graduated with Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. At York University, where I pursued a degree in Humanities, I was immersed and exposed to a new learning environment with far fetching opportunities and got to be immensely enthusiastic offered by the multidynamic academic realm. My previous working experience necessitated working within a 35-hour workweek in a period of one year. This was pursued to ensure that I could support myself through school; without resorting to applying for a student loan. I was able to finance my education through the income earned in the process. Through time management skills, I excelled academically. I learned that if I tried hard, I could succeed; if I wanted something badly enough, I possessed the ability to take advantage of various opportunities that enhanced personal and professional strengths, and continued to advance in theoretical frameworks and competencies in community development.
I am a hardworking individual with high achievement goals. I exude personal and professional discipline with strong adherence to good work ethics. I am highly resilient to life’s challenges and adversities. My early exposure to hardships and the ability to support loved ones provided the impetus to strive harder and eventually set professional goals which include altruistic behavior. As such, my vision of becoming part of global institutions, such as the United Nations or the World Health Organization would be the culmination of my lifelong dreams.
I feel that the personal and professional experiences in life; in conjunction with one’s persistence and determination to pursue higher education would be mutually beneficial to me and to Walden’s Graduate Program in Public Health. I was particularly impressed by the multidimensional approach to learning offered by Warden. Specifically, I heard so much about the program from Lisette Castro and it was deemed complementary to one’s academic and future research interest. My previous research endeavors included topics such as the impact of HIV/Aids, Housing Problem and sugar Daddy's versus Cowgirls. I am convinced that I have the tools and the determination to excel in such a stimulating and challenging environment. I intend on being successful in the program through effective use of time management skills that would prioritize academic pursuits and balance this with responsibilities at work and with my family. Despite having generated low GPAs from the two bachelor’s degrees which were completed, I am convinced that pursuing this graduate program from Walden would be different since my focus would be on my studies. As such, I plan to succeed through a focused determination and the burning desire to become part of the identified global organizations provide the motivational drive to excel.
I envision to pursue this degree from Walden University because I strongly believe that Walden aptly empowers the students to develop, not only cognitive and intellectual skills in their respective fields of endeavors; but more so, skills and competencies that make a difference to the lives of others. My objective in life is not solely to enrich myself through earning financial returns that would enable me to support my family in the future. More importantly, I have the innate and burning desire to be involved in social change, in commitment for social responsibility, in advocating for public health through programs that focus on physical fitness, nutrition, prevention of illnesses, and in empowering community members to be involved in taking destinies over the holistic development and sustenance of good health. My focus is not only to promote awareness; I want to inspire others to change for the better.
