I am a young man who was born and raised in Nigeria until the age of 16. I have being living in the U.S for the past nine years and I now feel that is the optimal time for me to pursue graduate study.  I am a caring, compassionate young man who is very devoted to the cause of service to others and I have known for some time that I wanted to pursue a career in the helping professions. This is why I chose to major in an attain a BS Degree in Public Health Sciences and now very much want to attend you esteemed Master’s Program in Occupational Therapy. I am especially interested in doing research in the areas of developmental delays among children and younger adults. My long term dream is to work with an architectures and engineers in the development of assistive environments and technology devices that might serve to enhance our ability to help children and adolescents with developmental challenges to learn to develop their skills more rapidly and effectively.

 I have worked professionally in a health care setting for over five years now and I have also volunteer throughout much of this period tutoring disadvantaged or at-risk children in the areas of kids math and science. I am a very hard worker, and a good listener and also someone who has been trying very hard to develop leadership skills. The greatest contribution that I might be able to make to society would be to eventually open an occupational clinic in my native country, Nigeria. My emphasis on the importance of service to those who are most vulnerable among us also led me New Orleans in 2008 to help rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. On my very first day at my current position at XXXX Rehabilitation Hospital, I found myself wheeling a discharge patient to the elevator as he told me some of his stories from World War II. During our conversation, he asked me why I was interested in occupational therapy and I said that I could not imagine any other career.

 Before I began working at the hospital, I was nervous. I was not yet certain whether or not I wanted to make a career out of working at a rehabilitation hospital. Was I even capable of assisting disabled patients? I asked myself. I even worried that they might not like me.  By the middle of the first day, however, I already felt fully accepted, knew deep inside that I was helping others in a truly meaningful way. I have always found profound joy in my work and I am convinced that this is my calling. My dedication and inspiration for becoming an OT professional has also come from my first friend in America, Julian; he showed me around and made me laugh. He had been diagnosed with autism from an early age and he introduced me to the beautiful world of special needs people. Every week a speech pathologist and or occupational therapist came to help him. We have remained close over the years and I always admired and was fascinated by their strategies and methodologies for helping Juliann.

Throughout college, I worked as a Resident Care Assistant in an assisted living facility learning to appreciate and understand the profound impact of the aging process and the professional needs of geriatric patients. While volunteering at XXXX Hospital, I helped patients relieve strains and stiffness in their hands. And at my current position I have been most inspired at the ways that occupational therapists help patients to learn or regain high levels of independence in their daily activities. Observing and working alongside several occupational therapists has helped me to appreciation the subtle yet enormous value of OT.