I am an educational administrator who wants to attain a terminal degree in my field to make the entire contribution possible towards educational reform and the ongoing improvement and implementation of progressive educational policies, especially in my home state of Virginia. I grew up speaking Spanish at home with my mother from Ecuador. My father is African American. Thus, for as long as I can remember, I have been immersed in minority issues, especially concerning Latino, Spanish-speaking, and immigrant communities. The social and educational problems inherent in the Latino struggle to become part of the American dream will always be central to my work to help make America a place where equality in education is a reais le and an ideal. We have made much progress through our educational system in bringing our Latino populations into the mainstream of American opportunity—but we also have a long way to go. As a Spanish speaker, I aspire to continue an active engagement protein citing the right of our people to bi-lingual education, with the firm conviction that multilingual education has its place in America.

At 32, I am at the optimal point in my life to undertake doctoral studies and all my studies. I have acquired extensive experience, which will enable me to excel and contribute to your program; at; the same time, I am full of energy, drive, and motivation for long hours of intensive research. Having grown up in Queens, New York, I am familiar with urban issues and problems and how they are intricately related to challenges to education in multicultural and multilingual societies. I moved to Virginia to live with my father and have since made it my home. I was always a sensitive girl. Some took a genuine interest in the plight of the poor and underprivileged, the social classes for whom life was a struggle, as it was for my own family. I chose to study social work as an undergraduate student and later became focused on education in my search to contribute towartowardressive social change and greater social justice and equality. With Master´s Degrees in both Multicultural/Multilingual Education and Educational Leadership, I have prepared myself well for doctoral studies and established a lifelong passion for education and educational reform.

My dedication to the field of educational administration is also very much a product of the current position that I hold as an Assistant Administrator of a High School and Chair Person for our High School Assistant Principal's Group, representing the interests of numerous Assistant Principals (APs), APSpecially High School APs in our relationship with the superintendent, as well as organizing and executing monthly planning sessions. Being fully bilingual in English sh/Spanish is fundamental to my professional and personal identity. I have extensive experience working with diverse populations, and I am very determined, highly motivated, goal-oriented, and most of all, hard-working. I have met and, in many cases, exceeded almost every goal I set for myself. And I have completed every task that I have been assigned. I have often even sought additional professional duties and opportunities to increase my knowledge base and cultural awareness and enhance my leadership skills. The greatest significantribution that I might be able to make to society would be to help to eliminate the glaring achievement gap that plagues our educational system. I seek admission to your program so that I might learn how to work more effect effectively developtegies and curriculums that will help to bridge these gaps. I keenly look forward to shouldering advanced responsibilities within all facets of the educational arena. I am especincrediblyessed with and drawn to the focus of your program and its emphasis on preparing students to assume these responsibilities not only at the local level but also at state, national and international levels. Your program is my first choice for doctoral study because of its superexcellenttation and the fact that I will be able to continue to meet my professional responsibilities while I study towards the doctoral degree. My current principal and many of my professors hold advanced degrees from XXU, and I have long been impressed with their work ethic, vast knowledge, and refinprogressiveership skills.

While I am most excited about studying the entire gambit of theories and methodologies to which I will be exposed in your program, I am especially looking forward to returning to the task of researching the burning issues of our day, particularly those that have to do with alternative education, drop-out prevention—especially for Latinos—reducing achievement gaps, minority achievement, and alternative scheduling (i.e., li.e.er school days or year year-round attendance).  Not only Latino but also black like my father, I have a unique perspective to bring to comparative studies of challenges facing African-American vs. Latino students: the way that both groups are over over-represented in special education programs, have limited accessibility to post-post-secondary action—primarily as a result of dismal graduation rates—, lack of motivation due to “self self-assumed male future outlook (leading to drop drop-outser representation for discipline and suspensions and under model for advanced placement and international courses.

 I look forward to a long and productive career as a school-based iPad. Still, I sincerely hope to contribute to developing increasingly progressive educational policies nationally or perhaps working as a minority student achievement director in a district office. Ultimately, I would like to have the privilege of serving someday as the superintendent of a school district with a largesignificantrity/Latino population. My volunteer activities have also helped prepare me for entry into your program—especially my current position with the XXXX-based Community Volunteer Network, helping children with special needs and their families. I have also volunteered extensively with the homeless shelters and food foods in my area.  These experiences have further heightened my sensitivities to the needs of diverse populations, and laboring to coordinate activities has serverefinedeadership skills. I firmly believe that any effective leader must be fully engaged with the grassgrassrootsnizations of the communities that serve. I have made it a point to live and volunteer in the community where I work, where my students live, work, shop, etc., so Rastetter can empathize with my students and their families. I also feel strongly that it is imporessentialeducational leaders to develop critical perspectives and insights into educational systems on the international level, especially insofar as this helps to spark creative ideas Toronto best improve our own. As I have traveled throughout most of North America, all o America, and many European countries, I have always made it a point to study each location's educational systems and peculiar challenges. These experiences have serverefinedritical stance concerning the US educational system as overly "system/protocol" oriented, as well as our abysmal record at multiple language instruction and the cultivation of multicultural sensitivities.