Personal Narrative: Growing Up In Foster Care

I hated my parents for what they did to me and my brother. They were alcoholics that's why we got taken away. They gave us away like we meant nothing to them And like alcohol was better than we were. That's when i knew i had to be mature,and grow up and look after Liam. We been in foster care for 2 years. We hated it. If we ask to change they would put me(Emma) in a all girls foster home and Liam in a all boy foster home. I Couldn’t leave him by himself. So we had to suck it up and deal with it.

The cops found me after three days. They decided it wasn’t working for me living at that other house so they moved me to different foster home. I’ve been to three different foster homes in the last month and a half, and now I’m on my fourth. I guarantee you I won’t last long here either. I’m already leaving this place without their permission.

Experiencing hardships and my resilience to overcome them is the main reason I chose to pursue a Master’s of Social Work (MSW) degree. My familiarity with asking for resources, as a former foster youth, a number of my interactions involved social workers. I utilized resources as a transition aged youth; and I believe it was those same resources that kept me focused on my future and school. I became homeless at eighteen years of age and it was transitional housing, through The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) that gave me hope and direction.

On many levels, I secretly desire to be this professional social worker that has experienced many different realms of social work practice. As I maneuver through my first couple days of field, many questions run through my mind as to what’s to be expected of a master’s level social work. Although, I’ve only had the pleasure of working children and families as a social worker; it has broaden my desire to want to know more.

Growing up in the foster care system can be a traumatic experience for most of the children in this population. This study takes a closer look at certain types of abuse, rather than traumatic experiences suffered extensively, that ultimately led to the diagnosis of PTSD. Most of the abuse consisted of either rape, torture, and/or molestation. The methods and data were obtained from 732 foster care adolescents, ranging from 17 to 18 years of age. The study assessed the trauma within the DSM-V that the participants were exposed during their lifetime, and the diagnosis of PTSD that followed. The results of this study showed that 80.3 percent of the participants were exposed to at least one major traumatic experience, with 61.7

“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life” (Arthur Ashe). Entering the foster care system at the age of nine became a probability. Mental health issues and imprisonment plagued my parents, resulting in my removal from their care. There were no direct family members that were willing to care for myself except my aunt. My case worker conducted a home visit and she brought by a piggy bank made out of a sock. It must have been around Christmas time. That memory is the only memory I have of my case worker. From that day onward, I told myself that I would become a social worker. I told myself that I would become a better social worker than the one assigned to myself. I had no understanding of the stressful

Growing up, I had never heard of foster care. I did not know anyone who had been in foster care and I only knew of one person in high school who lived in a home with abusive parents. I was friends with a handful of people who had been adopted, but was ignorant to the fact that their adoption potentially impacted them on a daily basis and in every area of their life. The first time I had a real glimpse into the world of abused and neglected children was in 2005 when I was a senior in high school and took a trip with my church to Peru. I visited an orphanage and spent several days playing with the children who lived there. I did not know it at the time, but that experience sparked my journey into the field of social work. I attended Hope College, a liberal arts Christian college in Western Michigan. I knew that I wanted to go into a helping profession and declared social work as my major my Sophomore year. I chose social work over other degrees such as sociology or education because I knew that I wanted to work directly with children and families to help them change and improve their lives. I studied hard and was fortunate enough to be offered a full time internship at Casa Central in Chicago, IL. Casa Central was a private child welfare agency working primarily with Spanish-speaking clients. My world view broadened as I came

Everyone loved it, it was my first time playing, but because I’m not in foster care I’m suppose to answer all the questions that apply to my life, if I get one that is specifically about foster care I am to pretend that I’m in foster care and think about how I would feel in those situations. The kids really started to open up about their feelings of frustration, loneliness, abandonment, confusion, and many others, these were just a few that were repeated. At 7:30 p.m. the kids left and we put the room back together. During our meeting we found that the siblings were no longer at the same foster home anymore, one of them had to be moved out. This explained a lot of the behavior that was experienced tonight, one of the girls went off in the Volcano room beating Max, the giant stuffed man, with bats, tying him up with ropes, and making a whip for him. This also can explain the little boy’s attitude toward doing the activity. We came to the conclusion that these kids need Healing Hearts more than they know and we can’t give up on them even when the going gets tough, because it will get tough.

My interest in mental health and social justice arose early in my education, specifically when I learned about the complexities of the brain and how it molded people into who they are. I knew from there that I wanted to pursue a career that allowed me to help and guide others; I dreamed of being a catalyst for change. My undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Michigan increased my fascination with the mind, providing me with a solid foundation for my graduate studies. My minor in gender and health complemented this, diversifying and expanding my knowledge of marginalized populations. The moment I learned about the field of social work during a career fair in my sophomore year of college, I felt that it was the answer I had

Burned bacon and eggs as thin as water, “worst breakfast mom makes better” Michael cried Mrs. Malison the foster “Mom” didn’t care though she slapped Michael and said “eat your food or you’ll sleep in the shed today.” Michael thought anything is better than his actual foster bedroom, its black, greasy walls, and rickety bed it was horrible. When Michael woke up from his nightmare of the first day at the foster home, when rubbing the sleep out of his eyes Michael walked down stairs to see Mrs. Malison shooting her AK- 47 at the bird nest and Mr. Malison laying on the coach drinking Bud Light and reading the newspaper from two weeks ago. Michael was now fourteen years old and was still being treated as a three year old, he wished he could leave this place for ever. When Michael was three years old his mom and Dad divorced and his Mom sent him to this foster home. The only thing he remembered that day was when his mom arrived at the foster home she

I was only two years old when my mother passed away. Left with an absentee father, I felt a void in my life. I was constantly misunderstood by other family members, which triggered my aggressive behaviors and communication style. Unable to cope with my emotions as an adolescent, I sought help from my school’s social worker. For the first time, it felt great to express my feelings without worrying about being judged. Through our regular meetings, she helped me improve my social development and attitude. She changed my life as I was becoming a better person. In addition, with her assistance, my family and I were able to value communication, understand each other and live in a healthier environment. This chapter of my life has inspired me to pursue a career in social work and be part of a team who continuously helps people overcome obstacles in their lives.

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to pursue a career in social work. Helping others is something I have always been passionate about and I hope to be able to make a difference in the lives of those around me. Throughout my life, I have always been the person my friends would go to when something was wrong and they needed to talk. Growing up, I also experienced close family members struggle with addiction and mental health problems. I have seen how damaging these experiences can be on an individual. I have also witnessed the effects these experiences can have on family relationships. My personal occurrences have instilled in me a further desire to become a social worker.

Our life experiences play a large role in shaping who we are as people. My childhood experiences influenced the woman that I am today. My father was abusive. He abused my mother, my siblings, and myself. Whether it was a domestic assault against my mother, slapping of my siblings, or a daily cursing session, our house has always been in turmoil. There were adults that knew about the abuse going on in my home, including teachers. However, none of them intervened for my brothers and I. I cannot help but wonder how my life would have been different if someone had. Experiencing child abuse, as well as my mother’s domestic abuse, is my greatest catalyst in pursing a graduate degree in social work. Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Child abuse could have broken my spirit but it made me stronger. It sparked my interest in mental health, and showed me the importance of compassion. I plan to use my gift to help others improve their quality of mental health, and encourage the development of self-determination.

For a majority of my life, I wanted to be a pediatrician when I grew up. I had wanted to be a pediatrician due to my passion to work with children, in addition to enhancing the lives of children. As I continued to grow up, I realized that science is not my strong suit and I would never survive medical school. I do not recall how I learned about the profession of social work, but around the eighth grade I have known that social work was the profession that I wanted to pursue. The idea of helping others is what initially struck me as compelling because I did not understand social work in it’s entirety, but I knew that I would relish a life of helping other individuals.

I'm not the most privileged being on earth but I am a most compassionate one. My foster mother hailed from Mississippi. We were different in many ways, but she put it all aside to make sure that I was cared for. I decided to take up football my freshman year because I had begun taking a liking to it. I always had a competitive spirit and longed to put it to the test. My foster mother was extremely supportive and was glad that I was doing something worthwhile. I would exhibit the same compassion she had for me a little while later. My sophomore year, I had a friend who struggled with OCD. He didn't acquaint himself with many, yet I was his trustworthy and loyal friend. He was stressed out and decided that he was going to take a break from sports.