i would really appreciate any help on my personal statement Forum

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roohafza

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i would really appreciate any help on my personal statement

Post by roohafza » Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:00 am

Hi! Any feedback would be really appreciated. My PS deals with some controversial topics (i think?) so if you see any red flags, please let me know!

I was ten when Brother Akbar joined our little mosque in Missouri, and he instantly became the topic of conversation for all of us kids. He was unlike our South Asian fathers, who laughed loudly and wore brightly colored polos during their cricket matches after Sunday School. Brother Akbar was tall, quiet, and always wore a suit. He had only one leg.

From eavesdropping on our parents, we learned that he was from Iraq and had fought in the Iraq War. His family had been killed by American soldiers who wandered into his town. As compensation for the loss of his limb, his wife, and his two daughters, Brother Akbar and his young son were given refugee status in America. I was perplexed at his situation, and knowing his story strained my relationships with my elementary school peers. Most of them had family members fighting in the Iraq War, and their anger with me came in strong waves. Sometimes they threw slurs at me, other times they threw pencils. They would ignore me for days, until the fever of their anger cooled. While before I would accept this as an unavoidable fixture of my life, I began to grow restless with the new knowledge of Brother Akbar’s past.

My classmates’ relatives were good people, sacrificing their lives for something they believed in. But so had Brother Akbar. How could both groups be right? And why was I taught to stay silent while my peers lashed out at me? When my family’s car windows were smashed in, no one called the police. When our mosque was marred with graffiti, we tried to ignore it. We didn’t alert the authorities out of fear of some invisible hand that could strike at any time. Living in Missouri as a South-Asian Muslim-American made me realize that there were two distinct Americas, and I was living halfway in both. Meeting Brother Akbar propelled me to pick at the veil separating these Americas, and I’ve never forgotten him.

As an adult, my experiences have guided my interests as a community member and academic. During my sophomore year of college, I took an internship with LINK Houston, a non-profit that works to promote transit equity. Public transportation in Houston is allocated based on population density, and vulnerable minority communities occupy less populated and underserved areas. I interviewed and transcribed narratives from Houston residents who expressed how the limitations of transit policies affect their daily lives. I spoke with an Afro-Latinx woman who walked her children a treacherous four miles to school every day. Crying, she told me she felt that the city was punishing her because of her race and undocumented status. As I met with policymakers and lawyers seeking to aid LINK, I realized that public policy can make productive systemic changes for marginalized community members without police intervention. This is especially critical for populations who feel the police are not on their side, like my community in Missouri.

For my senior thesis, I also conducted ethnographic research on Houston’s Iraqi refugee population. Often the people I interviewed explained that they didn’t know their own legal rights and couldn’t find legal help when needed. Women were told to remove their hijabs at work, and others faced verbal and physical threats in public spaces. They didn’t know who to turn to or how to protect themselves, and thus lived in silenced fear out of self-preservation. Seeing so many communities in Houston live in familiar fear solidified my decision to go to law school.

I have found my passion for advocating for the advancement of underrepresented communities using public policy. Through my internship and academic research, I have become an active listener who seeks to understand the complex issues that marginalized populations like my own Muslim community face. In law school, I look forward to learning about civil rights, public policy and humanitarian law to prepare for my career. With a J.D., I will help vulnerable minority populations access the legal aid they deserve to live safe, happy lives. I will work to lift the veil dividing our country, so that no American will be scared into silence.

BosnianSchnitzel

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Re: i would really appreciate any help on my personal statement

Post by BosnianSchnitzel » Fri May 15, 2020 8:50 am

Talking about Brother Akbar for 3 paragraphs seems like a little too much. Maybe talk more about specifically how this law degree will help you.

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