Statement of Purpose

My primary purpose is to be of service to people. I am passionate about helping people learn and then assisting them in applying that learning, thereby improving their lives. I love watching peoples' minds work and seeing the lightbulb go on. My personal interests include education, mental and physical health and well-being. As one might expect, my professional careers, while appearing dissimilar, have mirrored those interests. Prior to my present job as a personal trainer, Bootcamp and group fitness instructor, I was a medical social worker and a classical musician, teacher, performer and national presenter. I still teach flute to a handful of students and perform occasionally. While the industries are different, the goal is the same: helping people help themselves.

Becoming a successful musician equipped me with a significant skill set for life. The skills necessary to excel in music are applicable to other areas and indeed are a great template for success in life. This is a major tenet of my personal philosophy and one I hoped I conveyed to all my students. The methods by which they learn to play the flute are the methods by which they can to achieve any other goals. The tools include intelligence, perseverance, self-discipline, self-awareness, concentration, organizational ability, communication and self-confidence. Talent, while useful, is overrated in my opinion. Innately gifted students may often depend on their natural abilities to "carry the day" and not learn or value the work habits needed to fully realize their talents. When their talent fails them in some way, these students have no "Plan B" to fall back on. Furthermore, students who are innately talented sometimes assume that they are unique in the world and have no competition. Since they are already "special", they think they do not need to develop excellent work habits. Oftentimes when they move on to higher and higher levels of study, they make the shocking discovery that in fact they do have competition
and that their colleagues are as gifted if not more so than they. Many naturally talented athletes demonstrate the same tendencies and often suffer the same fate.

To be a successful musician, one must spend hours a day in a practice room. Unlike an athlete who works with coaches, trainers and other professionals, a musician relies almost exclusively on him/herself to perfect their craft. A musician might have regular contact with a teacher, however, compared to the time spent alone, the amount of lesson time is negligible. Developing effective work habits from this kind of intense, introspective environment is a worth-while compliment to mastering an instrument. These work habits easily transfer to achieving results in other areas in life.

I am very fortunate to have undergone the rigors of musical training. At the age of 30, considered past the prime for such an endeavor, I obtained my MM in Flute Performance from The Boston Conservatory. Even more remarkably, I was given a scholarship, rare for a flutist.
I thrived in school, ultimately being inducted into a national honor society based on my academic work and my GPA. I continued to teach my students and perform with various orchestras while I attended school full-time. My MM and experience at conservatory provided me with a springboard to achieve local, regional and national prominence as an educator and performer.

Soon after completing my degree, I started training in martial arts. Martial arts and Eastern thought have always intrigued me, however, beyond a superficial interest, I had not explored
these topics in depth. A series of serendipitious events changed that and I dove into kempo
karate, chi gung and T'ai Chi lessons. I loved my training, which was my first exposure to a serious, extensive physical routine. In addition to improving my health and fitness, I also improved certain emotional strengths such as focus, resilence, clarity of intent and self-awareness. My martial arts training reinforced what I had learned from my work as a classical musician. At the time, I wanted to open a dojo for women and girls seeking to teach them self-confidence and empowerment through physical training. Unfortunately a number of injuries prevented me from earning my black belt and precluded me from my goal. After a long rehab from my injuries, my martial arts training ultimately resulted in my leaving the music world and instead becoming a certified personal trainer. My present position is with the Golden Gateway Tennis and Swim Club in San Francisco where I have worked with mainly female clients of all ages and fitness levels for the last 3 years..

Both of these experiences, in music and martial arts, were vital to helping me understand and train my mind as well as strengthen my body. The holistic nature of mind, body and spirit, how all parts are connected, became more clear to me over the years. I gained great confidence that I can successfully set and achieve my personal and professional goals. And I developed a great hunger for more knowledge and information about health, fitness and well-being.

My decision to return to graduate school arose from an extraordinary opportunity give to me by my company. In 2007, the parent company of my health club, Western Athletic Clubs, requested that I take the class "Clinical Exercise Physiology" in the Exercise Science and Sports Department at the University of San Francisco. Their request was in anticipation of a unique business venture WAC was creating: an center for optimal health located within their flagship health club, the San Francisco Bay Club. WAC asked several trainers to take this particular class in order to obtain the skills necessary to work in the center when it opened.

I was thrilled with their request although initially apprehensive since I did not have the prerequisites required to take this upper undergraduate level course. The class was an epiphany for me: I loved the subject matter, studied assiduously and successfully completed the coursework, receiving an "A". Furthermore I discovered that I could handle the demands of both my job and school. This experience prompted me to apply for graduate school in health and fitness. I am very confident that when I return to graduate school, I will be as successful this time as I was previously at conservatory receiving my MM.

Why American University? The program to which I am applying, Health Promotion Management, is described on the AU web site as encompassing areas of health policy, global health, health communication, health management and exercise science. A graduate certificate in nutrition is offered as well. Given my broad range of interests, AU's multi-disciplinary approach is most appealing to me. I explored other programs like those at Arizona State University, Columbia and several California state schools. Based on my research and my conversations with Angela Fraley, the graduate advisor for AU's program, I believe that American University is the best fit for me at this time.

My personal and career goals remain the same: to continue assisting people in improving their lives. An advanced degree will enable me to be more effective in the delivery of holistic health care as well as influencing health care policy and decision making. Obtaining my Master's degree
will grant me new opportunities and avenues as well as give me the formal education and knowledge base I desire.