Statement of Purpose for Kevin Martin
Hard work and determination have been points of primary focus throughout my life. Starting in high school, I debated competitively at the highest level and met with significant success. However, that success did not come easy. Debate privileges those that have the financial means to maintain a supportive team, complete with qualified coaches and dedicated teammates from which pooled information can be collectively managed and shared among its members. Like any group, members bounce ideas off one another in order to formulate the most appropriate avenues to attain their goals, which in the traditional setting of debate is to win rounds. Those teams that have the most support from their administration, the community, and their coaches, most often consistently produce debaters of the highest caliber.
In high school, I did not belong to a group or team aforementioned. Instead, I came from a primarily working class, public high school with limited means for basic supplies, let alone provision of funds for extracurricular activities such as debate. Early on I knew my path would not be traditional. I wanted badly to succeed at an activity that was only briefly introduced to me in middle school, only to be initially discouraged by the total lack of support for a debate program in my school. Nevertheless, I built the debate program in my high school from the ground up, starting with teaching myself the activity out of second-hand sources. This is equivalent to learning tennis out of a book, then attempting to play the game without experience. It can be done, but without practice that comes from interactive experiences with coaches and teammates, the pursuit is easily complicated.
After exposing myself to the material, I became obsessed with improving. I went to every tournament within reason, funding the trips with help from my family who also chaperoned me to the events. I would read any bit of political theory or information on contemporary events that I was exposed to because I knew that I was at a structural disadvantage to the other competitors who came from strong, experienced backgrounds. Though at times the process was discouraging, I turned this disadvantage into my biggest strength: self-sufficiency fostered a determined work ethic that led to constant sense of victory as I overcame one obstacle after another. Since I was independent, I learned to appreciate the opinions of everyone, as other coaches and competitors were effectively my only source of information about the activity besides what I read and experienced on my own. People in the activity picked up on this, and I never came across someone who was unwilling to help. I attribute this to my unfaltering will to succeed, a determination that others respected.
I completed my debate career with a modest winning record compared to those who had been in the activity for two and three times longer than myself, but I did not place a lot of emphasis on traditional measures of success. Debate gave my secondary education meaning. The research, writing, oratory, and networking skills intrinsic to the activity laid the foundations for my college education. Coming from a first-generation college family, the question wasn’t where I was going to go to school, but if. If it had not been for debate, I likely would not have attended college. Quitting athletics and pursuing the activity is the single best decision I have ever made.
In addition to the skills already mentioned, which apply to any setting, professional, academic, or otherwise, debate gave me a strong foundation in political philosophy, government, international relations, and law. Entering college with this background gave me a very focused vision of what I intended to study, which seems to be unusual given the academic uncertainty of many individuals during their first few years. As a result, my academic background displays a wide array of interests including analytical philosophy, political theory, twentieth century history, contemporary international relations, and others. My course work has included a number of classes in the study of knowledge, history of philosophy, immigration, the European Union, the evolution of human rights and their application to contemporary issues, humanitarian intervention, and Chinese politics. All of the classes I have taken and continue to take are all relevant to a position that involves analysis and synthesis of contemporary issues.
Though my interests are diverse and varied, their interdisciplinary nature has culminated into a thesis project that requires students to create their own degree plans. The Humanities Honors program allows students to create their own academic vision without restraint. This highly selective program currently has twelve students, as only about one every six weeks is accepted. My thesis deals directly with the international response to genocide in the twentieth century, starting with a historical analysis of the evolution of the term genocide and genocidal conflicts starting with Turkey and leading up to the current situation in Sudan. I tackle these issues from the perspective of international relations political theory, contemporary international relations theory, ethics, sociology, and law. I am still in the research phase, as I plan to complete the thesis in May of 2011. I also intend to work for a non-profit organization this summer in Kigali, Rwanda, to gain first hand experience concerning the reconciliation and recovery process after the summer of 1994 genocide under the pretext of human rights and social justice.
My desire for research and appetite for learning perfectly suit a position in STRATFOR. An opportunity with STRATFOR will help bridge my academic pursuits with a professional background. I look forward to working with a dedicated group who has interests similar to myself for the common pursuit of knowledge.