I consider myself a pretty private person and I dont like to share much but with the Ferguson Decision I thought I would share why it is that I am passionate about becoming an occupational therapist. Below is an excerpt from my grad school personal statement. For those who dont want to read it, in short: I want to dedicate my life to helping others get the greatest fulfilment they can from theirs. Although I have been put-down, threatened, subjected to second class treatment and am living a life deemed lesser by our larger society I want to be able to look back on my life one day knowing that I lived my life on my own terms. I want to know that my life wasnt lesser and that my life matters and that all Black lives matter. __________________________________________________________________ The first time I experienced racism I was five years old. My family and I were moving into a new neighborhood that was all White and one of our new neighbors called the police. They thought we were robbing the house despite having several moving trucks with us. In their mind, there was no possible way a Black family could live in the suburbs of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. A few minutes later multiple police officers arrived with lights flashing and sirens blaring to investigate the situation. Even after the police had verified that our family was moving in they stayed to monitor the move-in, my family was being treated like criminals in our own home. Later that day I asked my dad why the police were there and with a pained expression he explained that our Black skin can sometimes make others feel uncomfortable and that life will not always be fair. Seventeen years have passed since I first experienced a racism. In the years beyond that I have experienced other racially motivated events as memorable as the day, like the day my high school soccer team had to be escorted out after our game. The opposing team’s fans were throwing water bottles at the Black players and telling us to “go back to ghetto where we came from.” Instead of responding to these aggressions with anger I have chosen a more philosophical approach to life. I decided to dedicate my life to doing the most good and helping others. I want to help people live happy and healthy lives. Helping others reminds me of all of the good there is in this world. I believe that I can do the most good and help the most people as an occupational therapist. With a degree in occupational therapy I will change lives. Becoming an occupational therapist will allow me to be the person who helps bring joy to peoples lives by enabling them to live life to the fullest, no matter their circumstances. I will be able to help heal and rehabilitate people physically and emotionally. As an occupational therapist I will be able to encourage people to chase their hopes, dreams, and desires in the face of adversity just as I am chasing my dream of being an occupational therapist in the face of adversity. My life experiences have made me resilient, strong, flexible, patient, understanding, and passionate about helping others.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 06:09:50 +0000
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