SAMPLE 1: PERSONAL STATEMENT (500 words max)
My Name here
Carol E. Macpherson Scholarship Personal Statement
Date here
Dear Scholarship Selection Committee:
I have loved traveling and reading about other cultures since I was a little girl.
Sitting on the floor of our family kitchen and reading about people who lived all over
the globe as well as living for a year in Argentina, instilled in me a respect for
diversity and a burning desire to be an advocate for those underserved on this
planet. This goal has been my reason for past formal and informal studies, and a
degree in xyz will provide me the final tools I will need to meet the challenges I will
face, and to be the strong advocate I would like to be. The Carol E. Macpherson
Scholarship would help me greatly as I work toward my goal. Below please find my
personal statement using the sections you have requested.
Education and Professional Goals
My plan is to complete my undergraduate degree in xyz, and pursue a career as
an advocate for clean and healthy environments while living in Africa or South
America. I am currently conducting research on women, water, health and law to
add to the existing information about the role of women in preserving and
protecting freshwater resources. In the past ten years, I completed an internship in
Ethiopia and in Uganda, learned about the United Nations, and honed my
organizational, advocacy and cultural skills. I needed to take a break from college
while my children were young, but am now re‐energized to return to school to
complete the degree, and gain the knowledge and skills I need to pursue my dream.
Responsibilities/Characteristics
Following my internship, I married, had a child and lived for one year in Uganda.
Now, I am a single mother of three wonderful children (ages 8, 6, and 5). I love my
children, and am glad to be a role model for them of a woman who continues to her ...