Statement of Purpose for entry into the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Essay Sample)

Statement of Purpose
Former first lady Abigail Adams once remarked that “learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence”. She was one of the pioneer women activists who advocated for the inclusion of women in the educational system and the recognition of their capacity to not only influence, but also guide the lives of others around them. Growing up as a woman in Saudi Arabia, enabled me to come to terms with a highly conservative culture characterized by individual biased mindsets and institutionalized biases regarding the education of women. In my pursuit of higher education, I encountered a series of challenges that at times weakened my resolve to go forward but I still kept on. Various personal experiences, including resistance from my own family and various institutionalized roadblocks in my country's educational system, fuelled my resolve to pursue my education to the fullest and to fulfill my potential not only as a woman, but also as a human being.
My name is Asmaa Abdullah Alshehri. I was born and raised in Al-namas, a small town in the province of Asir in Saudi Arabia. My passion for English literature started at an early age. One of the very first books, which I read, was incidentally an English guidebook for foreign nationals titled “Learn English in a week”. I did not. Nevertheless, it sparked my fascination with English literature from that day onwards. After graduating high school, I resolved to pursue an English related major in college. This proved difficult, as there were no universities offering English literature programs in my immediate locality. My only option was to enroll at King Khalid University, which while located in the same province, was still far away from home. My family was opposed to that idea, and understandably so, because in our highly conservative culture women were forbidden from travelling unaccompanied under any circumstances. Fortunately, a short while later my brother was scheduled to move into the same locale as the University which enable me to acquire the necessary consent from my family to enroll there.
King Khalid University is a one of the largest and most prestigious University in the Middle East. I joined the English faculty at King Khalid from which I pursued and successfully completed my Bachelors degree in English literature in 2009.After graduation, I stayed on and worked as an assistant teacher and an English academic advisor in the English literature faculty. A year later, I was fortunate enough to be awarded a full scholarship at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania for my masters’ degree. This was after attending an advance English program at the University of Waterloo and passing the required IELTS exams. During my undergraduate studies at IUP, I had the opportunity to cover literature written by some of the greatest literary minds including Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and Jane Austen. This gave me a perspective on the power of literature in influencing and changing ideological views and perspectives regarding many issues affecting society. My coursework studies under Professor LingyanYang exposed me to distinguished female writers including Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield and their individual views on the diverse roles of women in modern society. Among some of my crowning achievements at IUP, was my induction as an honorary member to the honor society of PHI KAPPA PHI and nomination as a public relationship officer in the English graduate organization due to my outstanding educational performance.
I have always been an advocate for the progressive development of women and the removal of any limitations that hinder them from achieving their full potential in life. As a woman in Saudi Arabia, I got a firsthand experience on the various challenges facing women living in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East. My studies, both at King Khalid and IUP enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of the power of literature and the role it played in helping women come to terms with their identities. I strongly believe that the contribution ...