Personal Statement For Social Work

Social work is a career that finds and chooses you, rather than you selecting it. Social work has always been an immense portion of my life even when I had no recollection of what social work entailed. My life revolved around so many situations that had a social worker stepped in, my life would be totally different than it is today. Many individuals and agencies lack the compassion and empathy for oppressed people. Having been in many circumstances, has given me the experience and background that influenced me to go into social work, as well as the understanding of my role and responsibilities that I will assume as a professional social worker, and my reasons for selecting the program at ASU School of Social Work and thoughts on how the Mission Statement addresses my career goals.

I began my social work studies over twenty-five years ago at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. I never questioned my decision to pursue a career in social work; I loved my classes and worked hard to learn as much as possible. But the information I gained in undergraduate school simply opened the doors of my education. Most of my learning has come through constant questioning, personal research, and especially through work and life experience. Through these experiences I have encountered the challenges faced by individuals, families, and society and have been able to further access and develop the innate personality traits and abilities that originally led me to study social work as well as learn and practice the many skills necessary to be a successful mental health counselor.

My main reason for applying to the Simmons School of Social Work is that it is an accredited university with an excellent reputation as an educational institution and offers an MSW program that is predominantly online. I attended Thomas Edison State University online and earned my bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.9. Once I made the decision to continue my education, I searched for MSW programs that were available online with CSWE accreditation in compliance with New Jersey State social work licensure. I found that Simmons’s specialized program in clinical social work is well suited for my educational needs.

As a woman diagnosed with social anxiety,I was entrusted to be under the care of a social worker so as to help me manage my disorder. Personally, I have gone through so many experiences which collectively made me develop a deeper insight into the roles of social workers as compared to other health caregivers. Besides that, I have seen a lot of transformative supports to people who have various social problems provided through the selfless care of the social workers. Subsequently, this further fueled my ambition to study and support the most disadvantaged and vulnerable persons in the society. I firmly believe that my motivation towards helping

I would like to bring social justice to individual lives by advocating for equality and ensuring access to basic resources for the most underserved populations in our communities. I have been involved in community advocacy with different organizations for most of my adult life, and I have always believed that if there is a problem work talking about then there also are solutions worth exploring and implementing. I’ve had a long-term interest in the field of social work, however it was in 2008 that I decided this was the field for me. I had the opportunity to volunteer with the PeaceJam Foundation at a local conference; PeaceJam is an organization that works with 14 Nobel Peace Laureates to mentor youth, creating young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities, and the world. The impact that I witnessed on the young incredible lives was a defining moment; I knew that I was going to pursue a Masters in Social Work; it feels like a calling rather than the unfulfilling office career I once pursued.

The decision to take the clinical route as a second year MSW graduate student, was one that took no hesitation to make. My passion for children and the preservation of families have been a propelling factor in my Social Work career; both academically and professionally. These two entities have motivated me to remain steadfast on the journey to obtaining my MSW so I can continue to be a vessel for children and families who are in need of support and empowerment. The clinical spectrum of social work practice has strengthened my ability to work proficiently with multiple clients and perform well when assisting families in different realms of social work practice. The knowledge gained during my four years as an undergraduate BSW student and

On September 21, 2015, I met with Ms. Katie, a student in the MSW program at NCSU, to conduct an interview. We met at Starbucks in Cary, in the crossroads shopping center. Ms. Katie’s responses helped me learn and think about social workers in the child welfare social field. As a prospective social worker, my questions were formed based thoughts that I was concerned about my responsibilities in the social work field..

My life experience, coupled with my recent studies, gives me a perspective and skill set that is all encompassing in a setting that promotes and honors academic excellence. As a life-long learner, I am choosing to pursue my MSW to accentuate my professional expertise with clinical proficiency in order to serve the Latino Community, with a special interest on immigrant children, and develop emotional resilience that will last them a lifetime.

As long as I could remember, I always wanted to be in a public service. Watching shows about attorneys to therapist, I wanted to help those who could not help themselves. In high school I took law class that would change my views on being a attorney to being a psychologist. I realized before one can get into the court system, something had to stem from their childhood or traumatic incident with therapy one could avoid the justice system or rehabilitate. After community college I began working with children with mental and behavioral illnesses.

Significant relationships and life experiences that have I have had in giving or receiving help that have motivated me to enter the field of social work would be my dealings with other social workers I have worked with at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Southern California and my life experience as a military child and my experience serving, retiring and making a successful transition from active duty service member to civilian from the Navy. I am the only child to my biological parents. My childhood seemed normal, standard and carefree. My early beginnings were uneventful and ordinary. In elementary school I performed well academically, and participated in the Boy Scouts.

Personal and Professional Statement My work and volunteer experience where aspects that encouraged my pursuit of a profession in social work I was a full-time volunteering at the YMCA Youth Institute. Much like a social worker, I held the responsibility of evaluating the weekly progress of each student, while accessing his or her individual needs. In addition to volunteering at YMCA, I also worked as a Senior Peer Advisor in the Educational Outreach Program through UC Santa Barbara. There, I gained experience working one-on-one with the students, dealing with numerous hardships.

After I graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara I was unsure what my next step would be. Of course I was anxious since I did not have experience working nor did I excel in my undergrad studies however, I knew I needed to use my newly earned degree in a positive way. Fast forward, after working for two years, I have gained the skills, knowledge and values from my work experiences that have confirmed my desire to advance my education in the social work field. I currently have my own case load of clients as a case manager at a level 12 group home but it’s time to take the next step forward. I want to ultimately advance social justice and provide services to assist individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi once stated, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. This simple yet powerful quote motivates me to remain steadfast in the mission of aiding others. I’m pursing a Masters in social work because by working in this field, I can educate, advocate, motivate, understand, and encourage resilience to clients from every walk of life. It is a profession that will allow me to practice both on a micro and macro level simultaneously. Lastly, working in social work gives me the capacity to challenge policies affecting disadvantaged communities.

I have been engaged in social work practice for over 12 years, and I regularly integrate my clinical social work practice experience into my classroom so that students have a sense of what their future careers might look like. In addition, I serve as academic advisor and mentor for approximately 25 students of a variety of ages and experiences. I see my role as an advisor as both mentor and guide. I also use advising to help socialize students to the expectations of social work practice. I have also served as field liaison to students completing practicum, in which I have provided support and guidance for students so that each student has a meaningful practice learning experience prior to entering the field. Additionally, in my current role, I have provided intensive mentoring to students of color and students with disabilities so that they continue to stay engaged in their learning

As a student who began her college career without specific objectives, I never thought I would be writing a personal statement for an application to receive a Master’s Degree in the social work profession. However, I feel now that there is no other future for me than that of offering my education and personal commitment to vulnerable individuals in order to stabilize their lives. After careful consideration of all areas of social work, I have found that my main area of interest is in providing resources and encouragement for individuals with disabilities to gain the freedom to live independent lifestyles without discrimination. My personal goal in this profession is to make every possible effort in assisting these individuals with