I am a young woman from Puerto Rico who is very proud of her Latina heritage and looks forward to contributing to the study of the long struggle of Latino peoples to realize the fullest possible levels of human achievement and social progress. While still only 22, I am an accomplished student and professional who is very serious about her studies and determined to realize her long term professional goals in life. My choice of sociology as my field of professional study, the area in which I want very much to make my mark in life, is a result of my keen intellectual interest in history, social psychology, and most of all human behavior at the level of social organizations. I want very much to be admitted to your program at the U of X in XXXX because I am entirely convinced that it is the finest program in XXXX, my adopted home in the USA, as well as one of the finest programs in the country.
Born and raised in a lower middle class neighborhood in the rural town of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, I have experienced first-hand the profound struggle of people who live in underprivileged areas since my town is especially noted for its poverty and the way in which it has historically depended on government subsidies since the vast majority of residents have very few economic resources and life is generally an intense struggle for survival with human dignity. My personal background also has inspired me to devote my lifetime to the development of research with a special focus on social groups that have historically been marginalized and characterized by a lack of social and economic opportunities.
I am especially interested in doing research in the areas of social demography, immigration, and the special problems and challenges facing Latino populations in the United States, particularly those that have chosen, like myself, to adopt the state of Michigan as their new home. As with other Midwestern states in the US, the numbers of Hispanic immigrants have grown rapidly over the course of the last decade, especially as many migrate internally from areas such as California and the American Southwest to other areas of the country that have traditionally had fewer Hispanic residents. I am excited by the novel challenges that these migrations represent to sociologists and keenly looking forward to doing in-depth research on these complicated and interrelated issues.
My long term goals is to become a tenured professor and distinguish myself as a creative researcher addressing extremely important topics and making major contributions to the literature in sociology concerned with Latino development and progress. As a woman, in particular, I want to devote my life to the study of the inspiring examples of distinguished Latinas such as Sonya Sotomayor whose service to her people and her country is of such profound significance for our entire society. Like her, in my own modest way, I look forward to serving as a role model for new generations of Latina professionals as our people continue to make progress in education and in professional circles, thereby contributing to the advancement of our own advancement and that of the larger society. I also look forward to returning periodically over the years to my native Puerto Rico so as to build ties between educational institutions on our beautiful island and those on the mainland, fostering collaboration and solidarity with respect to research as well as educational initiatives.