	The accomplishment I am most proud of, however, does not involve my job; it involves my role as a mother and sole custodian of my six-year old daughter, Alice.  During a challenging economy, I have successfully maintained a stable home for my daughter while working full-time and completing my undergraduate degree in Psychology.  This has required organization, initiative, and perseverance, but the rewards have been abundant.  Alice is a well-behaved and adaptable child, and has only had her name on the board once.  She excels academically, and her teacher tells me she is the most advanced reader in her class.  
I believe that her success, happiness, and health are in part the result of my hard work, leadership, and “management” skills.  As a single mother, I have been the sole leader in charge of coordinating, managing, and attending to all of Alice’s needs and activities.  I have learned how to make monsters disappear and I know how to make a wound feel better with a mere kiss.  I am Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the housekeeper, the chef, the chauffeur, the personal shopper, the on-call doctor when there is a “boo-boo”, the teacher, the financial manager, the hairdresser, the coach, the advocate, the cheerleader, the quality control manager, the event planner, the tutor, the field trip chaperone, the nutritionist, and most importantly: I am “Mommy”.    

Being assertive and standing up for what I believe is right does not scare me.  Life has taught me how to do this tactfully and respectfully, while simultaneously considering the needs of other team members.  I am a leader who is sensitive to others, yet assertive and authoritative when necessary to effectively complete a task.  I’m a good listener who appreciates the contributions of each member.  These are natural inclinations which I strengthened during counseling experiences leading groups.  This training stressed the importance of diplomatically leading a group of individuals with varying opinions and experiences.  It also taught me to find convergence among the group members’ thoughts and contributions.  Patience is also an asset which enhances my leadership abilities; this is a skill I have acquired through seven years of motherhood.  

The following five adjectives describe me as a person: meticulous, inquiring, consistent, humorous, and compassionate.  I am extremely details-oriented, and I scorn shoddiness and sloppiness.  The details are often what separate what is “great” from what is truly “exceptional”.  I have always been inquisitive, and I enjoy examining the rationale behind various phenomena and searching for patterns, connections, and the underlying meaning.  I am consistent in day-to-day routines and behaviors, because I enjoy predictability and order.  Humor is one of the finest pleasures in life.  It is easy to overlook the ironic humor characterizing even the direst of situations.  Finally, my nature is to be compassionate.  The suffering of others has always concerned me, and I enjoy having the opportunity to serve and assist those in need.  

My collegiate life was non-traditional; I was an adult student commuting seventy miles to class daily and returning home to care for my child, who was three when I graduated.  Due to this, I was unable to fully engage and participate in campus events and campus life, and as a result my college experience was uneventful.  My professional life has also not been especially memorable.  I have worked a job for the sake of earning income so that I can support my family.  It is my dream to earn for myself career that would be more stimulating and personally satisfying, and I am thrilled about the potential opportunity to join the MAC program. 
