University of California, Santa Cruz
Social Psychology Graduate Program
Analicia Rangel-Garcia
409 Noble
Merced, CA 95348
arangel-garcia@ucmerced.edu
(559)287.5857
Objective:
I am willing and able to pursue a career, long term, in psychological services,
specifically with both families and individuals with the chance of advancing through the
practice by adding my unique ideas.
Education:
 4 years at Buchanan High School
 1 year at the Center for Advanced Research and Technology
o Graduation Date: June 1996
o G.P.A. 3.7
 Completed 2 years at Fresno City College from 1997-1998
 2 years attending University of California Merced
o Major: Psychology
 Received a PhD in 2004 while attending University of California Santa Cruz for 6
years.
Experience:
 3 year employer of Primer Paso Institute, Inc. (Alcohol/Substance Abuse
Program, Marriage and Family Therapy)
o Supervised interns with clients
o Monitored Group Sessions
o Counseled Young adults involved with gang activity
o Counseled married couples who were struggling
 Has taught 1 year of clinical psychology at Fresno State University
High School Studies:
Experience with
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel
Volunteer Work:
 2 years of Los Niños Holiday (sponsored by Fresno State Chicano Alumni)
o Supervised this local fundraiser for Foster care children
University of California, Santa Cruz
Social Psychology Graduate Program
Statement of purpose
This should be a concise, well-written essay about your background and your reasons for
pursuing graduate study in the field you have chosen. Selection committees place
particular importance on the statement of purpose. It exhibits your ability to present ideas
in clear, coherent language. Your statement of purpose should indicate:



How knowledgeable you are in the desired field of study
How your undergraduate studies and other experiences (work, community
involvement, and so forth) serve as a foundation for graduate study
How and why you intend to build on this foundation of knowledge and apply your
graduate training to social or theoretical problems
Growing up, nothing has intrigued me more than the study and understanding of
Psychology, particularly Social Psychology. Since high school , I have taken a variety of
courses within the field of Psychology to discover what part of the field I enjoy studying
the best. After taking a number of Psychology courses and finding them all very
intriguing, I still was not able to find my nitch-until I came across Social Psychology. I
found Social Psychology extremely exciting because I loved both Sociology and
Psychology, so this almost seemed too good to be true.
Ever since I have been in the field of Social Psychology, I have done several
research studies and have created articles concerning feminist analysis, race and
ethnicity, as well as social class issues. In regards to feminist analysis, I spoke with 10
feminist woman of color who come from different parts of the world, but who now live in
the United States. I asked them to share their story of their experience growing up in the
United States as a woman of color and what they notice in how they are treated and what
about their life made them become interested in the study of feminism. In regards to race
and ethnicity, I have conducted a research experiment in which I study the behavior of
oppression, more specifically, the behavior of the people who are being oppressed. The
research question involved how Euro-centricity in the United States educational system
affects Mexican-American students and/or people. This is because much of what is taught
through the U.S. educational system is revolved around the European perspective on what
the United States history was and is incredibly inaccurate-especially in regards to the
contribution of the Mexican people and native people. For example, U.S. history teaches
and portrays Christopher Columbus as the great American hero who discovered America.
What U.S. history, according to the textbooks, does not mention is that Christopher
Columbus did not in fact discover America but landed somewhere else. Where he landed
already had inhabitants-the natives. Instead of being respectful to these people, he created
the Encomienda System, in which he enslaved and tortured the native people living there.
This is crucial information that is left out of the United States history. Essentially, what
University of California, Santa Cruz
Social Psychology Graduate Program
my research proved was that the United States education system, is set up in a very Eurocentric manner that ultimately oppresses people of color with the information given, as
well as the information left out. I found that because of the bogus and Eurocentric
information given, many students of color feel disconnected from school and in particular
their history classes because they do not see themselves in the history being taught or in
anything that is being taught. Much of what is taught in educational facilities is based
upon the European men such as the “founding fathers” or those who were the first
sociology theorists, the first psychologists, and even the first philosophers. Though these
men may have contributed to their field of study, they are not the first of their field.
Today, I work to educate young students of color in providing them with accurate
education of where they come from, who they are, and what they have contributed in the
past and how they can pass what they have learned on to others. It is important to me
because this form of oppression has been going on for much too long. At some point or
another, this needs to stop. Children and students should not longer be given false
information nor should they be robbed of their history. Every child and student should be
well aware that the United States was not based on European settlers, but that these
settlers stole and murdered a people and land which has now become the United States.
If given the opportunity in being accepted into this Graduate Program, I intend to
keep educating others, as well as myself. The more studies and research done pertaining
to social psychology issues such as race and ethnicity and feminist analysis, the more I
will be giving back. I hope to bring equality and justice to the U.S. educational system
and those it educates.
While being in the graduate program, I hope to come across other areas of interest
in which I can do extensive research on in order to find solutions to or gain a better
understanding of the occurring problem. This country is constantly changing, but I have
the desire to take it upon myself to make sure that students and children benefit from this
country more than they do not. I hope to improve lives with the studies I have conducted
as well as the research studies I have yet to conduct in hopes of bringing better
opportunity and equality in the lives of these students as they go through life living in the
United States.
University of California, Santa Cruz
Social Psychology Graduate Program
Assignment Reflection Form
1. This assignment was very fulfilling because it provided me with insight on
how applying to graduate school or programs will be. I had trouble with the
resume because I was unsure if the resume was supposed to be of reality or
made up in order to fit the requirements of the program.
2. I see the research I have conducted as one of the strengths of this paper.
3. I could have spent more time on the resume part of this paper, in formatting
the resume in a different way.
4. I learned what applying to graduate school will potentially be like as far as
writing the personal statement.
Personal Statement and Resume Assignment Grading Rubric
Excellent
Satisfactory
Poor
Relevance (Are resume and statement
tailored appropriately to the essay
2 pts.
1.5 pts.
1 pt.
prompt?)
Organization (Are resume and
statement organized in a clear, logical
3 pts.
2 pts.
1.5 pts.
and persuasive manner?)
Content (Do resume and statement
provide sufficient, appropriate, and
3 pts.
2 pts.
1.5 pts.
effective evidence of personal
education, skills, and experiences?)
Writing Conventions (Are resume
and statement free of mechanical,
2 pts.
1.5 pts.
1 pt.
grammatical, and/or spelling errors?)
Total 6.5 out of 10 possible points
Hi Analicia, I enjoyed reading your personal statement. Again, please revise your resume
to reflect your real experiences. Overall, you made a good attempt in addressing the
essay prompt. However, you need to work on the last part about how you’ll apply what
you learn. Please let me know if you have any questions. – M. Truong