I am applying for your Doctoral Program because I feel that I am an ideal fit for your curriculum. Without a doubt, I feel most comfortable working in a senior living facility named Gill's Shelter. I work as a Director of Operations for a public entity called Senior Citizens Welfare Program -- a department of my school called Metropolitan. I enjoy working with senior citizens because I consider them to be our greatest natural resource, and thoroughly enjoy helping others. Our elders deserve the utmost respect and care. This is the environment where I feel most comfortable and where my skills are most needed. Along with my team, we have organized fundraisers, raising large amounts of funds for the needs of senior citizens.
I feel that my experiences working with elderly people have greatly changed my perspective on life. Before I began working in social services, I was unfocused (some would say irresponsible) until I began my post-secondary education. My educational aspirations have changed me a great deal insofar as I have discovered my passion, goals, and dreams.
My primary academic interest is in the social sciences. My goal is to become a social worker. Ultimately, I would like to write a book about feminism and women's rights. As a feminist, I strongly believe in gender equality. Being from Pakistan -- a male dominated nation -- gender equality is highly important to me. Therefore, this is my impetus for becoming a social worker, and fighting for women's rights and equality.
However, I still enjoy so-called traditional female activities such as baking and cooking, as well as watching Korean dramas. My favorite Korean drama stars an actor named Lee Min Ho whom I am absolutely crazy about. Watching Korean drams in my country is considered very bizarre because of the language barrier. Thus, I hide my interest in my fandom for Korean dramas.
I also enjoy traveling. My extensive travels have included London, where I attended two classes for ten weeks for a summer with a friend and teacher. While I lived in Pakistan, I attended Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) -- a highly-prestigious university in my home country (lums.edu, internet). While studying at LUMS, I attended a major journalism event where I went to a variety of workshops that focused on different tasks, such as news reading and anchoring. These academic experiences have greatly enriched me, and have contributed to both my knowledge base and skill set.
Living in a male-dominated society has proved to be a challenging experience, but has motivated my ambition to help women have a more-fulfilling and better quality of life -- not only in Pakistan but worldwide. For example, in my country of origin, Pakistani women are very under-educated. For example, only 23.5% of women receive a secondary education. Also, the female literacy rate is only 61.5% for women ages 15-24 years old. I want to contribute to lessening the gender gap between boys and girls in Pakistan's educational system (unicef.org, internet). There is also a lot of violence against women in Pakistan, including domestic violence, forced-child marriages, gang rape, vani (a practice that involves the exchanging of women to resolve disputes), and even honor killings -- which is also called Karo Kari (Mukhtarmai.org, internet). Because of these heinous practices, I am a very passionate female rights activist.
Everything I have ever accomplished has been a challenge for a woman of my nationality. Despite the challenges and protestations of many of my family members, I am determined to study in the United States, and work towards fulfilling my dreams of becoming a social worker, as well as a writer who inspires other women to pursue their passions and dreams, in spite of the sexism they may face along the way.
Works Cited
Lahore University of Management Sciences. (2014). Retrieved on 31 Dec 2014 from www.lums.edu.pk
Mukhtar Mai Women's Organisation. (2014). Retrieved on 31 Dec 2014 from www.Mukhtarmai.org
Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved on 31 Dec from www.unicef.org
