Social Worker Personal Statement

In some ways, I have been preparing my whole life to be a social worker. Since I was twelve, all I have wanted to do was help kids and families in need. Having a role model who worked in education, I decided that teaching would be the way to do this and committed my adolescence and early career to making this happen. I have spent most of the last twenty years in education related roles and working with kids in need. It was a passion for a long time. In college I fell in love with the social sciences and learning about how social issues affect our lives and more specifically how they affect education. That led me to dedicating my career to low income/Title I schools, children, and families. While I didn't really understand why at the time, I

I ended up getting a position as a case manager for transition age youth who had disabilities. I loved it. I thrived. It ended up combining elements of education that I love such as mentoring with the social/human service side. Unfortunately life happened and I lost the job. Feeling lost and frustrated, I decided to return to education because it was something I knew and I was good at. It ended up being a good thing. I finished a bachelor's degree in education and wrote my capstone paper on educational inequity and the effects of race and poverty on various aspects of education. I thought about maybe being a classroom teacher, and put that on hold to study instructional design thinking that it would be a way to be involved in the education field without being a teacher. Even though it is an area I have interest in, because it doesn't directly serve children and families in need it wasn't the right fit. After a trying year or so of health issues, mental health crisis, trauma, abusive relationships and culminating with a stay at a homeless crisis shelter eventually moving to a transitional housing program for women in need, I withdrew from that program. All of these struggles in that period have only added to the deep desire I have to be the one helping those who are in need. I wouldn't be able to be applying to this program right now if I hadn't had support from social workers and social human services. In addition to the work experience, I am working on getting my peer counseling certification so that I can leave tutoring and begin my career in this field while focusing on social justice and