Here are some academic pieces as a writer. These pieces are during my undergraduate career and consist of personal statements, letters of interest, application letters, etc. At the top of the page are links to professional websites of mine, if you’re interested.
GIEU Statement of Purpose
Maya Angelou said it best, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Going through compressing, yet tight experiences and broadening your horizons within these experiences, are great ways to connect with people of different ethnicities, cultures, communities, and backgrounds when realizing effective and positive similarities. The main objective of it all is to learn something; I’m not referring to the exact proximity of the firld site you’re attending or how many steps it takes to get from the forest fire to the national sculpture in the middle of the city you’re exploring, but to learn something in which isn’t external, something that you cannot see with the naked eye, something that encaptures you to sit back, step outside of yourself, and see all of the many ideas and differing opinions going on around you so that it gets to the point in where you just want to learn something. Honestly, it gets demanding when you have to speak all the time, you’re the one giving ideas and opinions about a particular subject, you’re the one that read the assignments, and luckily, you’re the only one who seems knowledgable to speak about that particular circumstance that leaves everyone else in awe and sometimes caters back to everyone else’s self notions. But what do you get from that? Sure, you get the identity of the person that usually knows what they’re talking about or, you get a broader understanding of the topic when you talk about it to others and listen to what some other people have to say, but seriously, what do you get? This is the determing question that brought me to GIEU; literally, picked me up and brought me to the Orientation Session when I had a viral infection, was instructed to not leave the building because I was sick, and felt either too hot or too cold inside. This question was NOT the “main idea” when even applying for GIEU, but this question emerged when I sat back in those classrooms, walked past someone on campus and didn’t know their ethnicity, or better yet just guessed; when issues from another country would pop into conversation and I had no back-up information to give to others, when people would debate about historical issues and I’d just sit back and observe because they obviously knew more than me, and what did I know about intercultural issues anyway, where had I been, and better yet where was I going? I wanted to find out about people, wanted to respect them and listen to them, but first, I had to understand them. Inventive, balanced, broad-minded, and sociable are just a few words to describe the adjectives that cross my mind when I’m faced with the broad statement to “tell me a little about you”. I’ve learned that there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you (Maya Angelou) and that sharing your experiences is one of the many values associated with this joy called life. I enjoy learning new things and relating them to psychological issues, personality disorders or mood categories, minority discrimination, parenting styles, and social and environmental influences regarding people. I also am interested in cognitive thought processes that posses the skill to write a few words on paper about interests in a particular field. It’s humorous that before I came to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, I would not have articulated that sentence structure in such a way, needless to say, what I learned back at home or in my “former life” as I like to call it were still beneficial in my growth process well into the GIEU program. Laerning that I was capable of standing among people of different races, nations of origin, sex, majors, personalities, familyies, etc. allowed me to really appreciate myself. I didn’t look at it as only I am proud to to attend the University of Michigan, but that Michigan should be proud to have me. The long intangible list of things I could remember that mommy taught me had been one individualistic word: acceptance. Of course she taught me to accept others, forgive their mistakes and unconscience/conscience mtives towards you or others, but what I learned most when coming here, when alone, when in my secret closet, when talking to God about the things I can never explain, I remembered mommy told me to accept myself. She told me that in a world where everyone is meant to be against you, not appreciate you, not long to understand you, and ultimately not feel what you’re going through, you must learn to accept YOU, because no one else will accept you like you do.
Upon this, I would like to acquire the skills to get to know myself more; how I would react in uncomfortable, unpredictable situations with people whom I just met a few months prior. The skills to accept people more, not just the ones whom I’ve seen before or the ones that I can feed out who they are as people, but the skills to get to know someone completely different from me, from another place, from another time are important. Ultimately the skills to connect with people, show them that I care to listen, learn, and will try my best to understand. In working with others, there should not only be a need to lead but to learn to follow as well. Unity is key when it involves working in groups with others to achieve a specific task; this is the importance of diversity values and conforming these external issues to unify different communities. Resraching my field site, probing my site leader with questions and having an optimistic, educated, and positive view about my traveling experiences are next steps in proceeding to my destiny. I know this experience will change me forever, and I am just open to the change that will come forth in my life by the beginning of June when I’m in route back to the United States of America.
Gear Up Cover Letter
March 1, 2013
Courtney Vanderbilt or Vanita Sanders
The Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives
at the University of Michigan
3009 Student Activities Building
515 East Jefferson
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1316
RE: Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives
2013 GEAR-UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), Spring & Summer Student Leader, May-July 2013
Dear Courtney/Vanita,
My name is Kalynn Hawkins and I am a junior here at The University through the college of LS&A, majoring in Psychology with a Minor in Writing. As a Psychology Peer Advisor and common acquaintance with Colleen Seifert, your email for the Summer GEAR UP Program was forwarded to interested students. Being that it is of extreme interest towards my summer plans of working with teenage/high school students, the purpose of my letter is to seek employment with a position as a Student Leader this Spring and/or Summer.
I understand that the responsibilities of a student leader are geared specifically around the students in the program in ways that can help them master the qualities of successfully enhancing their post-secondary education. My educational background in extracurricular activities has given me a solid understanding of the attitudes, interests, and professionalism to needed work with people from diverse backgrounds.
I am able to help students academically in their post-secondary education by using my peer advising skills learned through the Psychology Peer Advising Program. There I help undergraduate students with questions about concentrations, post-graduate careers, situational factors that may influence academics, and extracurricular activities, to name a few. I am able to use my listening skills to communicate affectively with these students as well as give advice relating to their specific problem or situation. I am also able to use my public speaking skills when giving tours through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by hopefully assisting students in campus tours through the GEAR UP program. As a tour guide for OUA, I am responsible for knowing facts about the university and incorporating them into my tours in a more personable way. Through this job, I have refined my public speaking skills and have also learned how to integrate my professionalism as well as my personality when speaking to students and parents. I feel that my greatest accomplishment related directly to the needs within this position is my versatility. Being involved in leadership positions in organizations on campus had taught me diversity and versatility in a realm of aspects. I have worked with other students of different genders, races, environments, and have even studied abroad. I feel my versatility as a Student Leader would cause connections and personable interests for students within the program as well. Because you have indicated the importance of working well with students in aspects such as these, I believe I would do an excellent job for you in either position.
I am certain that my resume will give you a greater understanding of my qualifications for this exciting opportunity. I will call your office on Friday, March 15 to discuss the possibility of interviewing for the Spring/Summer Student Leader Position if need be. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with and learn from you and your talented team. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Sincerely,
Kalynn Hawkins
Summer Academic Peer Advisor Application 2013
1. Please describe the experiences and skills that you believe prepare you to be a Summer APA.
When thinking of the term Summer Academic Peer Advisor, I relate the term to a much younger, seemingly interesting professor at a university. Ok, I know the similarities may seem a bit skewed; but beware, there is some parallel that brings these two roles together. When a student is having trouble in their field of study and needs the adequate resources to feel like they’re gong down the right path, they do not go to UHS to receive special treatment, nor would they attend a basketball game to find the answers to their academic roadblocks, but they’d go to a professor. They would talk to the professor one-on-one about concerns or issues, be open and honest about their struggles, and ultimately trust the professor to give them adequate feedback about the problem. Here is where the parallel comes in. Similar to when I’m stuck in the middle of the road, ready to turn down a corner in Psychology, but not knowing exactly where to go, I quickly turn to an academic peer advisor, either in Psychology, or in other aspects. To be exact, I went into the peer advising office last semester (before becoming a peer advisor of course), full of emotion and letdowns, quickly to be turned into smiles and exhalation. That is what summer peer advisors are for! They are there to have the qualities of a like-minded professor (without being able to change a grade). They are there to understand the material at hand, answer ambiguous questions pertaining to various situations, and conclusively leave a positive impact on the way the student feels upon leaving the advising center.
The above ideas loosely identify my interests towards becoming a Summer APA. I understand what it feels like to be lost in an environment where everyone else seems as if they’ve ‘found their way’. I understand the thoughts of not knowing where you want to go, what you’d like to do, or why you’re interested in something. I understand the ability to say, “I need help,” and foster that saying into positive influence instead of self-handicapping. I understand what it’s like to be a student. This is why I want to be a summer peer advisor. Not because I feel that students will listen to what I have to say about their concentration ideas because I’m a student, but because I want to understand them and their concentration ideas. I want to understand the different routes one may take to succeed. I want to understand the various ideas and situations that come from declaring and succeeding in one’s undergraduate career. In addition, I want to understand to understand. In the many times I’ve trusted others in helping me with my academic goals, I would love for others to trust me as well in their academic journey.
During my sophomore year here at the University, I was the Community Service Chair for an all female service-based organization (Sister 2 Sister) where I planned community service events. I have worked with my peers in condensing ideas towards workshops for high school students, bi-weekly mass meetings about various multicultural and female specific topics, and extracurricular events on campus gearing towards group unity and self-efficacy. Being an executive board member on various organizations gives me the ability to not only learn from others along side me, but also the ability to be trusted to teach others as well. I have interacted with women and men of different racial/ethical backgrounds, ages, and concentration interests, by assisting in planning for events on campus, participating in OSCAR (Office of Student Conflict and Resolution) to build communication skills with my peers, and fostered the LARA (Listen, Affirm, Respond, Associate) method of communication to articulate focusing on what matters and listening to understand. Some events included last semester: Ladies Night (sponsored with three multicultural sororities on campus), S.I.B.S Kickoff (sponsored with multicultural organizations on campus to support incoming black students), a Domestic Violence Workshop (sponsored with Omega Psi Phi), Rock the Vote (sponsored with H.E.A.D.S), and Black Homecoming (sponsored with H.E.A.D.S). These events, as well as ones I’ve attended, have helped me realize the importance of similarities and connections, as well as differences and distinctions among learning communities on Michigan’s campus. Being apart of these experiences has pulled me towards a learning style that allows me to speak my mind, be open-minded, and participate actively. All of these qualities and many more will assist me in assisting others as a Summer APA.
2. Please describe one of your most rewarding/memorable academic experiences at UM?
Honestly I’ve had many rewarding/memorable experiences at U of M. One being a Tour Guide for Office of Undergraduate Admissions, I have been trusted to guide others literally around Michigan’s wonderful campus. I am able to have conversations with prospective students, parents, and alum about the Michigan difference while fostering my personal experiences as well. Reading my evaluations, I have received a lot of feedback about the positivity and optimism of my tours and feel that those visitors do enjoy their time here at Michigan because of the comfort they receive from the campus and myself as their guide.
Figuratively I have been apart of positions within positions to add experience to execution of guiding others. For example, I went abroad to Gabon, Africa this past spring to study different cultural experiences. The students of my organization wanted to do something for the children who didn’t get the opportunity to enjoy their childhood. I took the initiative to start a Toy Drive here at Michigan. Through the drive, we placed boxes at different departments on and off campus, collected toys for two months, and were able to take many of those boxes to adoption centers and schools in Gabon. The organization trusted me to complete the idea for the toy drive, write out a proposal, and assign tasks efficiently
I have also taken the initiative to assist my organization (Sister 2 Sister) in continuing scholarship for need-based female high school students in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. During our Annual Charity Date Auction, we raise money to go towards those two scholarships, and this year (February 9, 2013) we raised $1500 that will be awarded to two females. Lastly, I am also a receptionist at the Sweetland Peer Tutoring Center where I guide others in answering questions about their assignments and locations in Angell Hall (thanks to being a tour guide). These experience have shown me that I am not only able to guide others towards a great, but sometimes simple goal, but also the realization that working well with others will potentially help you in learning more about yourself. I apologize for having so many rewarding moments, but honesty is key.
3. How would you respond to a student who asked you to recommend “a good class?”
Surprisingly, I get this question often and the answer I give them is basically answering a question with a question. When students ask me to recommend a good class, I ask them what their interests are initially, and then give them a vast majority of options that could transform into those interests. For instance, if someone asked me what a good humanities class would be, I’d start by asking them what they know about humanities, what intrigues them about societal issues/topics, and what possible fields of study they think will be helpful for new or improved interests. With the answers to these questions, and probably many more, I would be able to further guide them to a larger number of courses that could cater to those interests as well as broaden their horizons into larger areas of study, like creative expression, community based courses, volunteer work, etc. A “good class” depends on a good students interests in multiple fields of study.
4. What was your most difficult experience during your first year at UM and how did you deal with it?
Coming into the Michigan during Summer Bridge through the Comprehensive Studies Program, I was able to maneuver around campus early, build life-long friendships, and ease my way into this newfound pathway of freedom and exploration. What I struggled with however, during my first fall semester here at Michigan, were personal issues that translated over into my academic workload: A tempted divorce between my parents, a break-up from my high school boyfriend, and the stressors of “off-campus apartment life” really took a toll on my academics. I was away from my high school friends for good, and didn’t have the comfort of my Bridge Family to soothe me at all times. My parents hated each other at the time and didn’t understand the pressure their relationship was putting onto my younger siblings and myself. My only boyfriend and I had suddenly called it quits and I didn’t realize the emotional dependency I equated with him. I was miserable, depressed, and under a huge amount of stress both physically and mentally.
What brought me out of this depression was that I realized I was at my wits end. I had had enough of failure. I was a person that I didn’t even recognize and I knew that at that moment, I wasn’t the person that I was to become. I wasn’t setting a great example for myself, let alone my younger siblings. I wasn’t this person that wanted to end my life and call it quits because I figured nobody really cared about my existence. Who was I? What was I going through?
I decided to go to bible study one night. I had avoided any spiritual connection all through the semester and just needed to be around a bunch of people who were Christians like I wanted to be. It honestly wasn’t the word I heard that night, the environment of prayer and dedication to Christ, but it was the connection I made with one of the executive board members. She smiled at me when I walked into the boardroom and honestly, with the red eyes, puffiness and swelling showing on my face, that’s all I needed. She gave me the warmest hug and just started talking to me; she told me all of her first year problems and let downs and similar pathways and it boggled me how much people around campus could’ve been or had gone through similar experiences. It honestly changed my life! I found God that day, and couldn’t have been happier. My grades have improved tremendously, my attitude about life situations have changed, and my overall standpoint on building connections has been made clear. I learned then, that connections are my motivation.
5. Is there anything you would like to tell us that you think would be helpful in our decision making process?
My career goals:
As my first plan of interest:à After Undergrad I plan on attending graduate school to further my studies in psychological development. I would like to get a Masters in Psychology (general or either developmental), followed by a Doctorate. After, I plan on receiving a license in Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy to later become a Marriage & Family Therapist. I then want to open a private practice as a therapist
As my second plan of interestà After Undergrad I plan on attending graduate school to further my studies in psychological development by applying to the Michigan School of Social Work striving for a joint degree in the Masters Program and Doctoral Studies. I would do the steps mentioned above after my Doctorate as well.
I'm an artist 