PERSONAL STATEMENT
Who am I?
PAST
During my first two years as an undergraduate, I wasn't sure what I would major in, but once I stepped into my first sociology class, I realized I finally found my niche. Shortly after I declared my major, I attained an internship at the Federal Executive Institute (FEI); I was thrust into a government organization without knowing what to expect. It was an invaluable experience for me. It taught me that I could apply sociological concepts and theories to help advance an agency, as well as provide the necessary insight to help improve working relationships or behaviors within a diverse working environment. At this organization, executive leaders worldwide come to this campus to learn to be a better leader through improved team-building skills, management skills, and operating procedures. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), for example, would bring their employees to the institute from all over the world to develop and enhance their leadership skills. I got to experience individuals from all different walks of life, which I believe aided in deepening my understanding of sociology, specifically on social relationships, concepts of the self, and patterns of human behavior. That experience and my undergraduate career have led me to realize that I wanted to contribute my sociological imagination to the government sphere. Shortly after I graduated in May of 2020, I looked for what my next step would be. Join the workforce or continue my education. With the occurrence of the global pandemic, finding a job was extremely difficult, so I went with the latter. It excited me, knowing VCU had an online digital sociology master's program because I didn’t have any academic experience relating the digital world to the sociological world. I knew this would further help me begin a government career since our society is evolving towards an ever more digital world.
PRESENT
Sociological questions that pique my interests in the field include the following: How will the work sphere change in the future through the digital lens? Will teleworking become more prominent in the future, with Generation Z being digital natives with little or no memory of the world before smartphones? How will workplace relationships develop as the digital world further integrates into the workplace? Is it possible the digital world may have caused a greater divide between the haves and the have-nots? These questions encompass my interests in digital sociology because it allows me to continually strive towards my goals of enhancing my knowledge in sociology, the digital world, different cultures, and the work sphere while at the same time understanding how they all interact and function with one another. I hope to further develop my presentation, technical writing, and research skills within VCU’s Digital Sociology program to accomplish my goals. Understanding on a deeper level how different technologies contribute to how societies function, the workplace, social relationships, and one's concept of the self is my ultimate goal to leverage into a future government career.
FUTURE
I am pursuing a graduate career to broaden my knowledge and use my enthusiasm to solve demanding digital sociological problems facing the world today. Based on my networking experience with high-level government executives at FEI, my internship experience, my undergraduate career in sociology, along with the eventual completion of my master’s degree; I wish to use these accomplishments to achieve a job where I can use my sociological skills to create innovative solutions at the government level. My ideal job would be to be involved in human resources in the government sector. A master's degree in sociology with an emphasis on digital sociology will provide me even more insight into sociological solutions to apply within an organization that I could potentially work for. When I look towards my future and think about what I want, I know that the juice will be worth the squeeze.