Statement of Purpose for New Mexico University, Admission Essay Example

We all are the outcome of our life experiences whether they come in the form of family life, education, or interaction with people we know as well as the greater society. My mother has been disabled with severe depression since I was four and I have seen three of the closest people committing suicide, i.e. my father, grandfather, and an uncle. I have personally observed as to what happens when help is not available to vulnerable citizens of the society.

Due to my family experiences, I have also become more compassionate, non-judgmental, and empathetic than an average person. This is because I try to put myself in others’ shoes and not understand their problems from my own perspectives. My friends often tell me I am really good at understanding people because I listen attentively and do not judge people. Thus, both my family experiences as well as my ability to understand people have motivated me to seek my Masters in Counseling.

When I entered college, I knew I had to work besides taking care of full-time academic workload. In order to support myself as well as better prepare myself for the real world, I have taken different leadership and teaching assignments over the last few years. From 2006 to 2007, I worked as an Applied Behavior Analysis Autism Therapist. I was a Middle School Choir Teacher in Chaparral, New Mexico from 2008 to 2009. I also taught a Pre-Calculus online course for Ideal- NM in fall 2009. From 2009 to 2010, I was a Voice/Music Theater teacher at Alma d’arte High Las Cruces. Similarly, I taught Algebra I to special education students in spring 2010. Since 2008, I have been a Title 1 SES Math/Reading tutor. Last year, I also joined Las Cruces Private School as a piano teacher. As my work experience shows, I have taught various subjects to a diverse group of students.

I enjoy teaching because education is the key to more civilized and prosperous society. The community progresses when we help others grow and realize their potential and few people make as much difference as teachers. I have always been popular among my students because I make them feel comfortable as well as motivate them to do their best. I am a huge believer in the power of knowledge and want to be able to share my knowledge and experiences with as many people as possible. This is why I also want to pursue Education Psychology concentration in addition to Counseling.

Most of the tutoring I have done since 2008 has been with low income students including those in Chaparral, New Mexico. I was also an autism therapist for a wealthy family. In addition, I have been involved with a number of Churches including Mormon Church, Presbyterian Church, the Church of Christ, and one was non-denominational. This demonstrates my respect for all kind of people no matter who they are and what they believe.

I hold a teaching license to teach English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and am also proficient at technology as evident by the fact that I have taught an online course. The experience helped me realize the potential of technology in making education more productive and engaging. I have kept myself up-to-date by actively following technology news related to education such as the emergence of new gadgets and collaborative tools that may completely changed the traditional classroom format as we know it.

I have lived in New Mexico for eighteen years now and have greatly interacted with the Hispanic community. I graduated from New Mexico State University in the top ten percent of my class. Fortunately, the university has a large population of Hispanic students as well as international students which provided me ample learning opportunities outside class as well. I was actively involved in cross-cultural events on campus and also took numerous multicultural courses required of education majors. I also spent a summer singing in Europe and met people from numerous European countries including France, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. I admire diversity of cultures because by talking to people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, we not only improve our cross-cultural knowledge but also become better at identifying personal biases. We also improve at separating opinions from facts and I believe there are more similarities than differences among the cultures but unfortunately, differences get more exposure in the media and thus, are ingrained into public’s minds. When we get rid of our personal biases and prejudices, we learn to appreciate others more and the key to peace is to understand others and value them.

I am proud of the fact that despite a difficult childhood I didn’t lose sight of my goals and have come this far. But I would be exaggerating my achievements if I don’t give credit to those who have helped me along the way and never lost faith in me. These special people in my life have taught me that we are part of the society and have a moral responsibility to help anyone who needs help in any way. I believe we do not need fear of punishment or greed of rewards to engage in social welfare or perform noble needs because it’s in our genes to help others. Our rewards come in the form of personal satisfaction one derives from such experiences. Over the years, the desire to help others has become an important personal trait of mine and I often find myself asking others if they may need my help or assistance. This is why I want to become a counselor and a teacher.