uokafor

Hey everyone, Applying to Cornell CIPA for an MPA Program. Please evaluate my statement of purpose (500words). Does it make up for a 3.07 GPA: Statement of Purpose: Cornell Institute of Public Affairs The best things in life never come easy. And, I suppose getting into the graduate school program of my choice is one of them. I am one audacious individual, and it doesn’t take much digging beneath the surface to see that Cornell Institute of Public Affairs is a far cry from any ordinary graduate school. But, who am I to sell myself short? And, what about those people who rest their fate on my perseverance? Where do they end up if I scale back my ambitions in response to uncertainty? If Kaiser, who I met on my way to church, is convinced that he is resigned to an impoverished life, how then can I attach such significance to my own life? If Evette, a sweet ole southern woman I met at the grocery store is penniless and cannot feed her children, don’t I owe her at least something? To those of us who are able, I believe it is our solemn duty to uplift those who struggle every single day. The things I have seen and the places I have been make me question if the bond that holds us together as a common people is, in fact, so real. Growing up in Russia as a child, I remember stories: the beatings, the blood and the alcohol; the arousing factor being nothing more than the color of one’s skin. Must we be so coy that we think our actions don’t convey such hatred sometimes? Maybe, not based solely on race, but perhaps on other socioeconomic factors. Kaiser may be poor and contemplating suicide, but what about his church or local community? And, Evette may have hungry children to feed, but surely we cannot assume every parent is born into the same circumstance? And, then, there’s us? I have not always done my part in caring for the needy, the weak, and the humiliated, this I know. The man without any legs in Thailand dragging himself around the filthy marketplace, the blind man in Nigeria searching for the next safe haven, the homeless man in Atlanta staring through that pristine car window. The chance to do something tangible in our world is real, and I believe Cornell is where it begins for me. Living abroad and living in the States, poverty remains eerily the same everywhere. And I want to change that. At Cornell, I want to further my understanding of international development, especially as it relates to the rich versus poor divide. What causes such a huge disparity in many developing countries in terms of resources and wealth? And, what role does the government play in all of this? More importantly, where has our sense of community gone? My area of study will include government and the politics of decision making here in the U.S. Welfare policy is often misdirected and doesn’t have the desired effects, and I want to find out why. My goal is to use the education acquired from Cornell in working for a foundation dealing with poverty and wealth disparities here in the U.S. and around the world. Every person should strive to leave the world better than how they found it. I am doing my part now, and my hope is that Cornell assists me in this journey.