Social Work Personal Statement

Background: I obtained a Bachelors in Social Work from University of Alabama, a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama, Masters in Criminal Justice from Faulkner University, completed 16 hours Masters courses in Public Administration at Jacksonville State University, and have so far completed one year at Troy University seeking to obtain a Ph.D. in Sports Management. I am a mother of 2 sons, former athletes who participated in football and basketball from little league thru high school. Our family sports career ended with trying out for an international basketball league. I have witnessed unbelievable expectations and unrealistic goals placed upon many children athletes since my sons’ participation in little league sports. I

He has a drive to obtain nice things because I have spoiled them as a parent providing him with the best children amenities. However, if I placed my American Dream of owning my dream home and dream car on a child who birth personality involves procrastination, defiance, bull headedness, and stubbornness. I would have broken my son’s mental capacity at an early age and he would feel as though he failed in life at 19 years old rather than being given the ability to seek his own dreams and goals at his own pace. I guided both of my children to choose a realistic career since 1st grade (over the years those goals were lawyer, judge, cartoonist, artist, musician, app developer, IT professional, sports news broadcaster, etc). They are both working on their realistic life goals of becoming an IT professional and Sports Broadcaster, with a more than 70 percent chance of success (lowered the percent, because you should always factor in unexpected life turns; being a proud parent, I truly feel as though my children have a 100 percent chance of success). Those life turns for me included teen pregnancy, a spouse that lacked ambition, a spouse that could not help in providing financial stability, sickness and surgeries, and various other life stressors. Imagine with those life turns that I carried the burden of completing my mother’s her dreams of being a rich and famous clothing designer. I would have psychologically crumbed enduring those life challenges and creating an heir of wealth for someone else because they failed at their own dreams. Your child is not responsible for making you rich! The Balls are also a perfect example of the mental break down due to parental dream pressures. One son was caught stealing in China and their father’s dream of all three sons playing with the Lakers were/are briefly halted. More importantly, Lonzo Ball appears to lack the aggressive abilities needed to be a