Christine Mason Case Application Essay

Christine Mason’s heart burns with an unwavering passion for children. Through babysitting and summer camps, she discovered love at a young age. Her hopes and dreams of working with children have led her to her current career, working in the school system. Her love for children persists, and she shares this love with elementary and middle school students. She began serving the talented and gifted students, which she thought would be a breeze. However, that was not the case. Christine enjoyed the talented and gifted program and the students, but found the high-risk students to be much more challenging. Her experiences found that these students were more difficult to teach than she had originally thought. The need to be perfect and tedious with

She later moved to eighth grade, where she could teach a few of her past students. Upon her move, she found the desire to help students on a deeper level. She observed that middle school is hard for many students. Changes in life, friendships, and, of course, social media have all played a role. She desired to differ in the lives of these students for the better. Although she enjoys teaching, her passion is mental health. While working in the school system, she has had students go through some challenging times. One student had gone through depression that everyone overlooked. The student did not receive the attention he needed until he committed suicide. Christine displays many talents and gifts, as well as a few struggles that will challenge yet guide her to becoming a mental health counselor.

Christine has many gifts and talents that are far from being the typical person. Her overflowing

However, she may need support as she moves through the program. She shares some fears, such as time constraints, increased workload, and finding time for group assignments (C. Mason, personal communication, May 15, 2024). In the first chapter of Creating Your Professional Path: Lessons from My Journey, the author writes, “I have made time for vacations, even short distances away, but too often we link our professional travels with vacations” (Corey, 2010). Although the process may be long and hard, we must learn to balance work, life, and school. Christine also shares her fears about money and peers. Financial peace is a constant concern for many, and negative comments from peers can cause conflict. I pray that Christine learns to handle these fears with balanced emotions, as God has a plan for her. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here” (English Standard Version Bible (2001). Time is forever changing and this quote reminds me that we have a new beginning. We are working towards the ‘new’ beginning of the program. The Northwestern Counseling Program mission statement emphasizes the importance of a Christ-centered community dedicated to counselor development. With support and determination to follow guidelines, Christine can learn to grow. Following the Counselor Competencies