As I finish the final six weeks of my master’s program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, I wanted to share the statement of purpose I submitted with my original application. I am enrolled in the Education Leadership, Organizations and Entrepreneurship program, and I am so grateful for this experience and all the ways my life has changed because of it.
I may edit personal statements for a living, but that doesn’t mean this was easy to write. My work focuses on students applying for undergraduate degrees, and the structure of a graduate school statement of purpose is very different. I probably rewrote each sentence a couple of times, with input from my parents, brother, and a few friends.
I don’t share my essay because I think it’s perfect - even rereading it now, I can see a few things I’d change. I share it to show that your work doesn’t need to be perfect to be impactful - what’s most important is that you are giving the admissions team a sense of who you are and why this program is a great fit for you.
What key experiences have contributed to your commitment to work in the field of education or with education-related issues? What are your academic and professional goals and what knowledge, skills, and tools are you hoping to develop through enrollment in a graduate program? Why is enrollment at HGSE, and in this master’s Program and Concentration specifically, critical in helping you achieve your goals?
I began touring colleges in eighth grade and started researching the application process at 15. As a Student Ambassador for my high school's parent-run College & Career Center, I spent most of my senior year in study halls: coordinating college admissions rep visits and helping my peers plan their future past graduation. I vividly remember helping a classmate named J*** who knew she wanted to go to college and study mechanical engineering. Her dream school was Santa Clara University, a mere 15 minutes away from our school in Campbell, California. The problem was, she had no idea how to apply.
I worked with many students with similar stories—students never informed about the Common App, FAFSA, or SAT exam. Adults–either directly or indirectly–told my classmates that college was not for them. This revelation was even more impactful when I realized that many of these students were children of Latin American immigrants, just like me.
I enrolled at the University of Minnesota, majoring in psychology, looking to help others reach their full potential. I planned to work as a therapist, but I continued helping younger students with their applications. I kept up with the college admissions industry, even working a student job at my university's admissions office.
During my sophomore year, I spent time as a research assistant for the Developmental Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab within the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. I assisted two doctoral candidates under the direction of Dr. Stephanie M. Carlson, engaging in research on child development and executive functioning. My responsibilities included recruiting families to participate in studies, coding videos and analyzing data using SPSS, and running preschool-aged children through tasks measuring self-control and executive function. In one study, I observed how external factors affected executive function in preschoolers. This experience was my first introduction to the multitude of elements affecting a child's ability to learn, work, and manage daily life. These same factors are present in pursuing higher education.
After graduating from college, I worked in several fields: first, in nonprofit fundraising in Palo Alto–an experience that further illuminated the egregious wealth disparities present in society. Next, I worked in Big Four campus recruiting, where I saw the impact a college degree could have on a family, leading to job offers that could help build generational wealth.
While visiting a friend who works in admissions at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, we had several passionate conversations about systemic barriers in college access. Upon returning home, I registered for UC San Diego Extension's post-baccalaureate certificate in College Counseling.
In February 2020, I officially launched my full-time practice as an independent college counselor–an industry I knew was geared towards wealthy families. My mission was to fill the gap with affordable and accessible services for families who may not have the time or knowledge to complete the application process independently. I'm honored to have helped over 200 students from all over the U.S. in the last two years—the majority of whom identify as low-income/first-generation and come from immigrant or single-parent households. I make free educational content on TikTok and Instagram to increase my reach to teach students about the college application process. Most of the students who reach out to me are self-motivated, a change from other college counselors' clientele who are primarily parents leading the process. I have spoken to many first-generation/low-income students about the obstacles they have overcome to submit college applications, most of which stem from a lack of knowledge or awareness.
Despite my anecdotal evidence on college access for historically underrepresented populations in the United States, there is much more to learn if I want to make meaningful change. I am pursuing a Master's of Education degree in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship with a concentration in Higher Education. A solid foundation in educational policy, change management, and anthropological perspectives is necessary to identify empirically-proven interventions that will increase college access for Latinx immigrant children and other minority populations.
I am drawn to the Masters of Education program at Harvard because of the opportunity to include entrepreneurship in my education studies. As an entrepreneur in the education space, courses such as “EDU A135 - Education Entrepreneurship” will help me develop strategies to tackle the challenges in my business and learn how to scale and grow to provide a more significant impact on the college counseling industry as a whole. Additionally, the ELOE Core Experience’s focus on self-assessment, individual development, and measuring progress towards core competencies stands out as a program that is truly invested in its students’ time and learning outcomes. I would welcome the opportunity to assist in The Education Redesign Lab, which shares my goal to expand college access, and take classes with founder Dr. Paul Reville such as “EDU A314 - Collaborative Action for Children: Redesigning Education for Equity.” Additionally, I wish to learn from Dr. Alexis Redding, inspired by her work in college counseling and informing ethical guidelines in college admissions.
I plan to use the knowledge and experiences obtained during my graduate education to expand my services as an independent educational consultant to better serve students who are first-generation/low-income. Another goal of mine is to work in a consulting capacity for K-12 systems in identifying and implementing processes to improve college access for identities historically excluded from higher education, especially Latinx immigrant youth and children of immigrants.
Given my personal and academic experience, professional accomplishments, and commitment to improving educational outcomes for underserved populations, I believe I am an excellent candidate for HGSE’s Master’s in Education. For the last two years, I have spent most of my time giving as many students as possible the best chance of receiving a college degree. I look forward to broadening this work at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.