Dear Selection Committee,
My name is Ashton Harris and I am a current freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am glad to apply for the study abroad internship in South Africa, specifically the administrative position with Life Healthcare Children Hospital Group.
Before entering college, I always knew that my interests lie in the healthcare system, whether as a physician or a medical administrator. My passion for medicine was motivated by several fortunate research and shadowing experiences in medicine. In one experience, I assisted Dr. Betsy Davis, a biostatistician working on a scientific study with speech pathologists. She was responsible for ensuring maximum accuracy and precision of the results. I was amazed to learn the importance of ancillary research to the practice of medicine. Overall, I realized the significance and opportunities that come along with a degree in public health. This internship with Life Healthcare Children will give me a greater appreciation for UNC’s several outlets for students to express their interest and passion in public health and premedical fields.
In regards to my personality, I am a very pragmatic person who has learned how to balance logic and emotion. I feel that being logical is very important in a health career, however, one must display empathy in order to improve one’s people management skills. In high school, I applied my pragmatic personality by attaining leadership positions in various clubs and organizations. Being in multiple administrative positions has taught me the importance of voicing the opinion of your colleagues in executive roles; it is important to do what is best for your company, organization, etc., but one must also consider the opinions of others. I believe that this skill will prove to be an important asset in my pursuit of a health policy and management degree.
Specifically to this program, I feel that my communication and consideration skills would benefit my effectiveness in the social work department at Life Healthcare Children. While meeting with parents to discuss financial and emotional distress, I would be able to comfort the child and ensure him or her that her opinions are important and will be taken into account in each medical decision. I have experience with reasoning with others, of multiple ages, which would prove to be useful in this specific program. At the same time, I believe that this internship would allow personal growth by taking me out of comfort zone with the American health care system. Instead, I would have the opportunity to grow personally by being introduced to an unfamiliar culture while also gaining more knowledge about diverse health care systems.
Overall, I feel that this opportunity will allow an ideal outlet for my strengths, while teaching me more about myself and my passion for healthcare.
Thank you so much for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Ashton Harris
843-743-9976
1910 Granville Towers Ln West