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 th
e 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 pro
vide 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. B
elow 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 advocat
e for clean and healthy environments while living in Africa or South America. I am current
ly 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 Natio
ns, and honed my organizational, advocacy and cultural skills. I needed to take a break fr
om college while my children were young, but am now re energized‐ to return to school to
