PERSONAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
I am a special education teacher by training having obtained a BS in Elementary/ Generic Special Education from the University of Texas in 1986. My interest in pursuing a Masters in Occupational Therapy was motivated by the passion I have always had in helping those who face peculiar challenges in life. I define myself as a child advocate and in addition I am a generally very compassionate and supportive person. I desire to help people achieve self-worth by assisting them to lead full lives despite their various situations. I believe that pursuing a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy would be a natural progression of my career to be able to help me achieve my life’s aspirations.
My interest in the field of Occupational Therapy is motivated by various factors. First, I grew up in a society where I had friends who were disabled. Moreover, during my practice as a special education teacher, my desire to assist the students was often limited to education. However, my knowledge base did not allow me to be able to assist them to experience lives that were more productive and cohesive despite their various disabilities.
My undergraduate studies will integrate well with this course because it has equipped me with a foundation in behavioral sciences that will enable me to undertake the master’s program. The graduate degree will allow me to be able to assist them in other areas as well so that their daily lives are more fulfilling. I was always able to maintain good grades in my transcripts despite having to work and study at the same time. I was also fortunate to have had the great opportunity to work with children with autism and I also volunteered in various hospitals and community development initiatives. These experiences have motivated me to pursue the graduate program that will allow me to continue to assist those in need.
I come from a closely-knit family of nine where I am the third child amongst four brothers and five sisters. My father passed away recently while my mother works as an occupational therapist. Growing up in Texas, one of my friends happened to be an autistic child. Our friendship was interesting because she suffered from a severe form of the disease and communication was difficult. However, we still managed to communicate somehow especially after she started attending a special school. I believe this experience set the foundation for my interest in assisting people to become fully rehabilitated in terms of the emotional, cognitive and physical needs, which has turned into my life’s passion. In addition, I am a very motivated individual who pursues my goals relentlessly; I am confident that I will be able to complete the graduate program successfully.
In conclusion, I am certain that pursuing this graduate program will be a natural progression of my career into a position, which will be more relevant to the community. The program itself will definitely be challenging and being excited by challenges, I look forward to undertaking it. I will highly appreciate an opportunity to complete this program so that I may be able to make a more meaningful contribution to the lives of individuals in society.
References
United States Department of Labour, (2011). Occupational Therapists. Available at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos078.htm
