Anthropology Personal Statement Essay

Statement of Purpose: University of Washington.

Today, we live in a modern global climate characterized by political upheaval and inequalities in health based on citizenship, economic class, and culture. From these current events and phenomenon, I find research interests in the fields of medical anthropology, global health, nutritional anthropology, and health disparities. I see anthropology as a mode of thinking that has broad possibilities to catalyze and enact change through research and with applications in non-governmental organizations, advocacy and education. In looking toward my PhD, I intend to implement a biocultural anthropological perspective to examine global processes, health disparities within refugee communities, and nutritional

An intrinsic curiosity led me to explore each of the subfields of anthropology. I spent time working as an intern under Dr. Julieta Fernandez in Applied Linguistics. Our research examined the social constructions that allow for colloquial language in study abroad students learning Spanish, in Buenos Aires. My studies included a great deal of time with archaeology, including participating in an underwater geomorphological archaeological field school in Pöros, Greece. Here, I had the opportunity to practice systematic survey, lithic analysis and cataloguing, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This experience spawned my interest in GIS and led me to take a graduate level course in the subject under Dr. Francis Smiley. Under his guidance, I became familiar with many applications of ESRI ArcGIS and learned to utilize the program to give visual representation of a variety of data. I was introduced to biological anthropology in my coursework. My fascination with the subject and biology in relation to health, led me to pursue a minor in biology and participate in the Student Health Advocacy Committee at my university. Cultural anthropology has been a mainstay in my undergraduate career, with many courses on the subject. I had the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate research project in which I worked with Traditional Knowledge Scholar,

I am enthusiastic about the opportunities available to work with the Department of Global Health, the Nutritional Sciences Program, and Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology. If granted admission, I would love the chance to work under Dr. James Pfeiffer during my graduate studies. His research and work in global health and his applied work with Non-Governmental Organizations, advocacy and education to be not only interesting, but incredibly valuable. I believe that, given the opportunity, I would thrive in the University of Washington’s Medical Anthropology and Global Health program. With wonderful opportunities for interdisciplinary study and experience, as well as faculty dedicated to similar interests in medical anthropology and global health, the University of Washington is an ideal place for me to pursue my research interests. I believe a doctoral degree from the University of Washington would offer me a perfect platform from which I can pursue a career in research, academia and applied anthropological