Dear

I hope this letter finds you well.

My name is Ronald Vergara from the Philippines. I just turned 30 a few days ago. I’m a realist and a
dreamer with high hopes of becoming a part of the European Master in Health Economics and
Management under the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD). Coming from a
country where healthcare ranks as 6th on the annual national budget and accessibility to quality
medical services can only afforded by individuals with great financial capacity, it motivates me to a
great degree to improve my knowledge and skills, and build a professional network to contribute in
creating realistic solutions to the modern-day issues in our health sector in the future.
I was born and raised in the Philippines by my grandmother together with my cousins in modest
town of Rosales, Pangasinan. I came from a divided family, neither of my parents were there just
uncles and aunts. Though unfortunate as it may sound, it played a vital role of who I am today as
person. My situation encouraged me to grow up and mature faster than the other kids and I did it
with an end-state in mind, to be nothing like my parents and be successful in life. I was the first one
to graduate in the family and became a registered nurse here the in Philippines. But things didn’t
happen as planned at the time post university. There was a big surplus of nurses in the country but
so little opportunity to gain an employment or even gain experience as a result, my plans of pursuing
a career abroad was crushed by that reality. One failure and rejection led to another due to my lack
of experience being a fresh graduate. The irony of life that I can’t seem to fathom even just recalling
those memories of not knowing how to gain the experience they required if you can’t land an
opportunity to practice.
My situation and the need to help with family finances made me decide to look for an opportunity to
earn. This led me to cross-train in another industry of customer management in a contact center
environment. I thought I would only spend a short time with the job still thinking of my career plans
as a healthcare provider. This experience developed a growth mindset in me. I took advantage of
the career path laid out to me to learn critical aspects of operations management including
leadership skills, coaching and people management skills and other skills essential to managing and
growing a business.

I have been with Convergys, now Concentrix, for almost 9 years now. It’s the only organization I ever
worked for. I started as customer service specialist for AT&T assisting customers with account
related changes, billing issues and technical support. This taught me a great deal that influenced my
work ethics. My ability to be a team player and the responsibilities I have as an individual contributor
are first ones I developed. This inspired me to do more and got me on my feet to tell my supervisor
that I want to be a leader and influence other people to hence, the development plan. Over the next
few years, my plans turned into fruition. I became an SME Coach then a team leader. That journey
was sentimental to me because it taught so much in believing myself and my capabilities. I was once
a person who’d rely on other people’s validation for my readiness, but I changed that. I asserted
myself to get in to an assessment I was told I’m not ready to take and I ended up being the only one
to be shortlisted on the final call for which I passed.

A few months later, I had the opportunity to be part of a small team to start a new AT&T program.
With teamwork, cohesiveness and alignment to our leader’s vision, we were able to grow this
business and brought in more jobs from 100 to almost 600 head count. This environment demanded
so much time and effort and I take pride of what we have achieved and what it gave me. For myself,
my skills in people management, coaching and client management has been cultivated and is
predicated by effective communication skills. I became engrossed in financial management leading
to skills development in data mining and analysis that lead to data-driven decision making and action
planning and project management. Today, this business now generates 8.5 million dollars in
revenue annually.
I’m a highly motivated person and I put my heart at what I do because I want to inspire others to do
the same. Part of my life plan and to make this move to further my studies, travel to different
locations, meet new people and learn their culture and eat their food, create an impact no matter
small or big and more importantly, be happy. I’d be truly grateful to be given this opportunity of a
lifetime and I am confident that I can succeed on this program and capable of meeting or even
exceeding your expectations.
Thank you for considering my application and I look forward knowing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ronald Vergara
Aspiring Scholar