“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This might be a typical parent-to-child question for many families, but not for mine. Growing up in Thai culture, I noticed a common role of women in my society. Most of the women in my family are housewives and that's what I should be too when I grow up. But I had bigger aspirations than that: I wanted to find a profession where I, as a Thai woman, could gain the respect and appreciation of people in my culture just like men do, and also gain a sense of personal fulfillment. Consequently, during the first half of my university studies, I decided to follow an educational path that would prepare me to become a doctor. I also became interested in psychology, partly because of its relevance to the medical sciences. However, after my hospital internship, I realized that I did not want to pursue a career as a doctor. Instead, my interest in psychology grew as I started taking more psychology classes. I realized that my passion was actually the study of the human mind and behavior. Then I further realized that instead of studying to become someone that people of my culture will respect and appreciate, I want to study the problems that I and many women in Thailand face. My interest in gender-based stereotypes and discrimination, particularly in recruiting and employment, grew in my IO psychology and women's and gender psychology courses. I began to recognize that this problem exists not only in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, but also in many different parts of the world. I am interested in understanding the underlying causes and potential ways to counter stereotypes and discrimination. I believe that there are still not many individuals...... middle of paper ......helle Duffy (Emotions and affects in the workplace). I would like to concentrate my studies and research in the areas of personnel, training and development, as well as organizational behavior and theory. The Carlson School of Management is a top HRIR program, known for its strong research orientation and excellent preparation for academic careers. It also boasts a diverse student population. It is for these reasons that I am interested in joining the HRIR PhD. program at the Carlson School of Management. Because my research interests overlap with those of many distinguished faculty at Carlson, I believe my education and research here will prepare me for my future career in academia. I hope you will make a favorable decision regarding my admission to the program. I am looking forward to joining the Ph.D. program in the HRIR department.