Graduate School Application Materials
Graduate School Personal Statement
As a graduating senior, I have been applying to graduate programs and was recently accepted in the UCLA MSW program for Fall 2025. For this section, I’ve used my graduate school application essays as evidence for being a leader and change agent due to my advocacy-based career. As mentioned in my essays, I want to embody a career that focusses on barrier removal for high school students as it relates to preparing for college and careers. Students of color, specifically students of color from urban, low-income communities, are facing more community, family, and interpersonal challenges compared to their peers which impacts their ability focus on life after high school. In addition to directly increasing student exposure to college and career options, as a social worker my role will expand to directly intervening in specific challenges students face that are impacting their focus. I proposed this as a new role within school districts that focus on outreach, barrier removal, and holistic interventions as well as integrating research for policy changes and recommendations.
My career and these essays directly relate to the objective of a leader and change agent. For example, as part of my statement I explained my vision for a new system/ role that solely focuses on student needs. This is an example of using situational context to apply appropriate behaviors considering this proposal is rooted in research data on student, educator, and parent’s needs. My career is also embedded in social work which tends to be a change heavy field and embodies my commitment to advocating for change throughout my career. Additionally, these essays demonstrate my growth as a leader and change agent within my field as it documents how I will be beginning my career based on my work within the IES program and incorporates the various leadership theories I have learned in the program to apply to my behavior as a leader in my field.
LEAD 310 Personal Vision Reflection
LEAD 310 Personal Vision Reflection
This leadership course was apart of my leadership emphasis as a IES major and this class was specifically focused on theories and concepts related to emotional intelligence as a leader. Through a series of team activities, group work, presentations, lectures, and readings, the goal of this course was to explore different aspects of emotional intelligence and connect those concepts to my personal experiences and behaviors as a leader. This particular assignment was our personal vision reflection which involved creating a presentation detailing my values as a leader and how they connect to course material, course readings, my career and life aspirations. This assignment was meant to serve as an outline for my career as a leader and change agent.
As a leader and change agent, this class and assignment exhibits another example of how I have envision my career and addresses how it connects to my commitment to advocating for change. Through my career path of supporting student academic and personal success, this assignment shows my plans to embody and commit to dedicating my work to advocating for change as evident through my career outline described. Additionally, this assignment required using emotional intelligence and leadership theories learned through class readings to craft and align my goals with my values as a leader to guide my leadership and change behaviors. Also, this presentation involves outlining my leadership approach in my field by starting with my values and how they relate to various leadership theories and connecting both with my dreams, calling, career and life aspirations. All of which demonstrate how I have used situational contexts such as personal experience, class materials, and my values to apply to my leadership and change behaviors.
LEAD 384 Ethnic Studies Summit
As a part of my leadership emphasis in the IES program, I enrolled in this leadership course which revolved around ethnic studies needs within Chapman. This course focused on advocating for an ethnic studies minor for Chapman and involved readings, discussions, and event planning. The duration of the course involved planning for an ethnic studies-based event to engage the community and students that were invested in the existence of the minor. This involved weekly three-hour classes of planning, reserving spaces, connecting with the community, and learning about ethnic studies leadership.
As a leader and change agent, this course demonstrated our commitment to advocating for change through the end of the semester event hosted by our class to prove the need and relevance of an ethnic studies minor. This event was planned through learning and exploring various leadership theories that were useful to the creation of the event and informed how our class hosted the event such as contingency leadership and situational leadership. The act of planning and hosting this event is an example of utilizing leadership behaviors necessary for advocating for change and awareness. Lastly, this event and class was based on the situational lack of culturally responsive curriculum and engagement at Chapman thus applying the appropriate course of action for advocating for change.