Personal Statement for BPATS: Global Studies BA, International Affairs MA
My education thus far has been nontraditional. I attended public school from kindergarten to the 8th grade. I left a few months into my 8th grade year with every intention of returning to public school for grades 9-12. I had hoped to attend San Francisco’s School of the Arts, but after months of working on a portfolio, decided to stay the course with home schooling. I spent the subsequent four years doing volunteer work, technical theater work, and photography.
One of my volunteer positions during that time was with LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and Info Center), a queer youth center based in the Castro district of San Francisco. The adults at LYRIC encouraged me to apply for a position on the San Francisco Youth Commission, which is a body of young San Franciscans, ages 12-23, whose job is to work directly with their district supervisors and the mayor, advising them on important issues affecting the youth of San Francisco. I applied, hoping to advocate for the needs of the queer youth population in the Castro and beyond. I was appointed to the SFYC for the 2004-05 term by Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who was my district supervisor at the time, and the Castro was in his jurisdiction. While serving on the SFYC, I participated in the Public Health and Housing Committee, being most interested in the homeless queer youth population. I got to know community workers at established organizations such as Coleman Advocates and Huckleberry Youth Programs. My interest in working at City Hall and in government was sparked at that time.
I began my college career at the age of 17, taking photography and Spanish. My first semester back in a structured learning environment was fairly mediocre, and I was unsure about what I wanted to study, or why. My second semester at City College of San Francisco was more fruitful. I took Intro to Political Science (American Government) and felt a connection with the subject matter. I was excited to do the work, and to engage in the political process. I continued exploring political science and added another language, this time focusing on French. From fall 2006 to spring 2008, I studied abroad. Through CCSF, I spent a semester in Paris, taking French language and civilization courses, and I spent one semester in Madrid, taking similar classes, but in Spanish. From there I decided to continue my studies in French independently, and enrolled in a year’s worth of French courses at La Sorbonne, for which I did not receive official credit.
I returned to CCSF in the fall of 2008, and for three years I took a wide range of general education classes with the aim of transferring to San Francisco State University. I continued my education in political science and added algebra, astronomy, English, American studies, and environmental science. Some of those classes I took to satisfy prerequisites, while others I took to satisfy my own passions, such as the American studies and environmental science courses. I lost interest in school somewhere along the way, as the prospect of SFSU did not excite me. I felt like I had picked SFSU out of desperation and not because I was genuinely interested in the curriculum. However, I was not ready to leave San Francisco to continue my higher education, and in 2012 I decided to take a break from school. I made a couple of unsuccessful attempts to return to City College, but found it difficult to work and attend school at the same time.
On a whim, in the fall of 2014, I decided to take a photography class. I did not stick with it to the end, but it planted the idea of going back to school for art and photography. I came to New York to visit family that same semester, and another seed was planted, this time being that I wanted to move to New York City for school. I came back in the fall of 2015 to tour schools and decided to apply to Parsons and School of Visual Arts. My attraction to Parsons was its connection to Eugene Lang College and The New School: I wanted access to the liberal arts curriculum. I feel strongly about having a well-rounded education, and to me that means taking classes in many fields outside of art. I was familiar with the reputation of Lang College and The New School, so when I was accepted to Parsons and awarded a hefty scholarship, I was happy to relocate to New York to begin my studies in the Photography BFA program.
Now I am a freshman transfer student at Parsons. Because my educational background is heavily focused in liberal arts, only 30 credits transferred to Parsons, despite my having 91.5 earned credits at CCSF.
I feel I would be a good fit for the Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students because I am both of those things. My nontraditional path has allowed me to travel, live abroad, do a lot of volunteer work, be a political activist, hold multiple jobs, have photography published, be financially independent, and take an array of different classes at CCSF. In the few years that I have been away from traditional school, I continued my journey as an autodidact, learning what interested me and what I needed to know for work. I am at a place in my life where I want to expand my job opportunities and find more fulfilling employment, and where I am able to put my skills to use and interact with other motivated intellectuals who want to make a difference in their communities at home and abroad.
Long term Goals
My goal was to finish my degree in two or three years from now, fall of 2016. Once at Parsons, I was informed that this would not be possible, but that I could pursue a second degree at Eugene Lang in conjunction to my BFA. I met with an advisor at Lang to ask about obtaining a Global or Urban Studies degree, and he told me about the Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students. He asked if I would consider changing trajectories; he pointed out that since I have so many earned credits, changing objectives would help me graduate sooner, and that I could possibly use the extra time and money I would be saving to earn a master’s degree. I was reluctant to switch programs, but after doing some self-reflection I realized that the switch makes sense on many levels. One, I am paying for my own education and am trying to be smart about how I handle my finances. Two, I expressed a desire to be around students my age (and older). Right now, as a freshman in a traditional college setting, my classmates are between 18-20 years old. Although I get along well with most people regardless of age, I feel I would be happier collaborating with my peers and other nontraditional students. I am approaching my education from a very different place now, at 29 years old, and would love to study alongside other students who are equally motivated, who have some life experience outside of college under their belts, and more of an inkling of how they want to apply their college degrees to the real world.
I understand that the freshmen level courses at Parsons are designed to help first-time college students explore their interests, but I feel that I am beyond that point in my education. I have a better idea of what I want to be doing now that I am actually back in the classroom. I find myself very engaged in the reading, writing, and classroom discussions, but less interested in the hands-on studio classes.
My initial idea for a degree at San Francisco State University was in the International Relations department, with a minor in French. The Global Studies BA program appeals to me because I am eager to continue my political science studies, and apply it on a global scale, in the context of social justice and humanitarian work. Traveling for work and flexing my language skills appeal to me as well. I would like to to deepen my knowledge and understanding of international politics through the International Affairs MA program, and I want to better understand how countries around the world relate to each other in 2016. I want to learn the history of how borders were made, and how they continue to change. Through the MA program, I hope to immerse myself in courses that help me apply my skills and interests in the field of international affairs and foreign relations, as well as courses that speak to my passion to be helpful and useful to humankind.
