Sociology, Storytelling, and Vulnerability in my Ph.D. Application

Dear Admissions Committee,

Since I graduated with a master’s in sociology earlier this year, I often get asked this question: “What, exactly, does a sociologist do?” While it is a rather difficult question to answer, engaging with it has given me the opportunity to reflect on my role as a sociologist and, more significantly, has fueled my desire to seek admission to your doctoral sociology program. I must admit to harboring reservations regarding the academic-industrial complex. However, I am confident that my passion for and commitment to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge — particularly in the context of promoting social justice, as reflected in this candidate statement—demonstrates my place within the esteemed community of doctoral sociologists.

My initial interaction with sociology dates back to 2016 when I established a nonprofit organization in Madagascar with a dual mission: reducing waste production and providing employment opportunities for disadvantaged women. The organization’s inception drew from my creativity and my observations of the issues I sought to tackle. After three years of leadership, I arrived at the difficult realization that my efforts were not effective. I recognized the need for a more systematic approach to understanding and addressing the complex issues my organization was attempting to solve. Unfortunately, I found myself lacking the skills to implement such an approach, which prompted my decision to pursue further education in the United States.

Upon beginning my accelerated undergraduate program in Community and Nonprofit Leadership in 2019, my objective was to gain a deeper understanding of the nonprofit industry and learn about the best practices for designing and administering programs with measurable and sustainable impact. Through engaging in coursework such as Leadership of Social Agencies, Social Entrepreneurship, and Grant Writing, I arrived at yet another difficult realization: while my own skills gap played a part in impeding the success of my organization, the nonprofit sector itself lacks the necessary body of knowledge to address multifaceted and systemic issues.

Where can this critical knowledge be accessed? Why is it not more widely leveraged? How can it be made more readily available? Reflecting on these inquiries, I made the decision to pursue a master’s in Applied Sociology, with a specialized focus on research and evaluation, in 2021. Upon beginning this program, my objective was to cultivate an understanding of the scientific process and develop the ability to effectively engage with scholarly materials. Ultimately, I intended to combine these skills with my knowledge of the nonprofit industry and serve as a bridge between academic insights and practical applications.

As I delved deeper into my coursework, however, I discovered a deep fascination with social theories and found great satisfaction in engaging with them. For instance, Kimberley Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality facilitated my understanding of the uniqueness of my experience and struggle as a female international student from Madagascar. Similarly, W.E.B Du Bois’ notion of double consciousness provided me with a framework to comprehend the internal conflict I grappled with while attempting to navigate my sense of self in a predominantly white city and a predominantly white university. Additionally, urban sociological theories enabled me to make sense of the significant contrast between my experience in Indianapolis and that of a fellow Malagasy in the global metropolis of New York City.

Beyond my coursework, the opportunity to conduct independent social research for my thesis has also been truly transformative. It has led me to recognize that my intellectual curiosity extends beyond merely acquiring new knowledge. While I have always considered myself to be someone who enjoys intellectual exercises, this master’s program has revealed my strong desire to push the boundaries of knowledge and contribute to the expansion of our understanding. With that being said, while my commitment to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge was certain following the completion of my master’s degree, it was only this past summer that I became fully convinced that a doctoral education was necessary for me to advance in this direction.

[REDACTED]. While my master’s program has undeniably equipped me with sociological mindfulness, allowing me to see what happened [...] as a structural and public issue, I still lack the skills, knowledge, and expertise to comprehensively examine and effectively articulate such issues.

This event has served as the catalyst for my application to your doctoral sociology program. Now, when confronted with the question, “What, exactly, does a sociologist do?” I respond by explaining that I envision my role as a sociologist in alignment with C. Wright Mills’ notion of a “public intellectual.” In this capacity, I am committed to utilizing my skills, knowledge, and expertise to not only investigate society’s most pressing issues through sociological inquiry but also to generate accessible, scholarly contributions that can inform and support those engaged in the field. Specifically, my career aspiration revolves around merging my doctoral education with my visual art and storytelling skills to produce innovative and compelling works. Dr. Trinh T. Minh-ha, a sociology professor, post-colonial theorist, and filmmaker, has significantly influenced my direction in this endeavor. Furthermore, I find inspiration in works like “The City Creative: The Rise of Urban Placemaking in Contemporary America,” co-authored by Dr. David Schalliol, a sociology professor and photographer.

Should I be given the opportunity to join your sociology program, I intend to pursue a research stream that holds great personal significance and one that I initially explored through my master’s thesis titled “Beyond Resettlement: The Impact of Community on the Integration of Burmese Refugees in Marion County, Indiana.” The research stream will focus on the intricate dynamics of social, economic, and cultural integration within urban neighborhoods. It will encompass my diverse research interests, including urban sociology, international migration, the sociology of culture, the sociology of development, visual sociology, and ethnography.

I have formulated several potential research questions that I am interested in exploring. These questions revolve around exploring the effects of historical legacies on neighborhood development and how they shape contemporary patterns of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities. They also delve into the role that neighborhood characteristics, including government policies, housing, infrastructure, and social capital, play in facilitating migrant integration within urban settings. Furthermore, I am interested in exploring how visual sociology can be employed to capture and understand the lived experiences of migrants within the diverse neighborhoods of Chicago, shedding light on the challenges they face in their journey of integration and the impact they have on the neighborhoods’ identity and dynamics.

I am pleased to note that my career ambition perfectly aligns with your department’s approach to public sociology. I am enthusiastic about the prospect of immersing myself in an environment that values the application of sociological insights to address real-world issues and actively seeks to bridge academic knowledge with practical, community-centered solutions. Furthermore, my academic interests match the research pursuits of several faculty members, particularly Drs. [REDACTED]. The department’s specialization in urban society and social policy deeply appeals to me, and I am eager to collaborate with the Center for Urban Research and Learning. Additionally, I am excited about the prospect of exploring Afro-centric research methods under the guidance of Dr. [REDACTED]. With the support and mentorship of these faculty members and fellow doctoral students, I am confident that I can achieve my aspirations within this academic environment.

I am also pleased to note that not only will I be learning extensively from your program but I will also be contributing my professional and personal background to it. During my graduate studies, I engaged in conducting interviews with professors and students, gathering data for our department’s research project on empathy’s role in higher education. My thesis work involved mastering the use of statistical software, specifically Stata, for in-depth statistical analysis.

In my recent position at Immigrant Welcome Center in Indianapolis, I led and developed the organization’s 2022 annual report, utilizing data visualization techniques to transform information into compelling narratives. Prior to this, my internship at Exodus Refugee Immigration in Indianapolis involved research and curation of resources and tools focused on refugees’ mental well-being. This culminated in the creation of a comprehensive guide for service providers in Indiana.

Back in Madagascar, in my role at ONG Youth First, I had the opportunity to collaborate with nonprofit organizations across multiple countries to construct a best practices guide to combatting gender-based violence. Within this initiative, my responsibilities included conducting expert interviews and contributing a substantial section to the guide. Additionally, I presented the political and legal landscape of reproductive health in Madagascar at The Abortion and Reproductive Justice Conference in South Africa in 2018. Furthermore, my roles in marketing equipped me with valuable skills in designing and executing market studies. Finally, as the founder and former leader of a nonprofit organization in Madagascar, I have gained strong management and interpersonal skills.

As this statement concludes, I want to emphasize that while I hold a clear vision of my academic interests and future career aspirations, I am equally excited about the transformative nature of the doctoral journey. I anticipate significant personal and intellectual growth, ...

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