Author Ralph Waldo Emerson said “the purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” I have always recognized that I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. It wasn’t until a close family friend became ill that I finally figured out what that was going to be. That day is one that I will never forget. My father and I went down to visit our friend, Clarence, who was in Hospice after a long illness. My father, who considered Clarence a father, sat next to his bed, Clarence’s wife sat on the other side. I watched both of them intently waiting for him to ask for some water or some food, it was evident that he was growing weaker. …show more content…
This I believe would allow me to make a difference in the lives of others. As an older non-traditional student, I believe I possess many of the qualities of not only a dedicated social worker, but a focused student that will excel at the UW. Since returning to school in 2012 I have made the Dean’s list two out of the three semesters I have attended. Additionally, I have been an in-home volunteering for Agrace Hospice in Madison, WI where I have provided respite care for caretakers, light housekeeping, preparing meals, and assisting in feeding clients. I have enjoyed this opportunity to meet some amazing people, the patients, families, and staff at Agrace. This opportunity has been enormously rewarding. I also have experience working with physically and mentally challenged children as I drove them back and forth to school. I felt good working with the kids and their families knowing that I was instrumental in making their educational experience successful. Since I did not have any children, I have been fortunate enough to be able to do things that I may not have done otherwise. One of the most enjoyable and rewarding experience for me was working at the Camp Fife Boy Scout Camp in Goose Prairie, WA where I spent 6 weeks teaching boys between the ages of 7-16 about anatomy, safety, and riding horses so that they could earn
I knew I loved to help others but it was not until I was an emerging adult that I knew what my calling was. My devotion to improve the quality of life for those who are disadvantaged is one of the reasons I have chosen to pursue a Master’s in Social Work. After obtaining my masters, I plan on diversifying my masters by getting licensed and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I would like to study social work because I feel it will lead me directly to one of the most emotionally fulfilling careers available, as well as giving me the chance to combine helping people 's mental well being with their physical
I come to Fordham University with expectations of completing my Masters of Art degree in Social Service. As a single parent, I have faced many challenges raising my special needs child. My innovation to help disadvantaged children with social and emotional problems encompassed me to continue to pursue a career in the Social Service Profession. This will increase my chances of being a successful Child Therapist. I am aware, prepared and committed to devoting my time towards my studies at Fordham University as well as taking advantage of all the necessary resources that Fordham University has to offer. My personal, academic and profession experience has given me the opportunity
There are many different career fields you can go into as a social worker: from mental health, drug and alcohol abuse all the way to child welfare. Child welfare is my primary target when I become a social worker. I feel that I will have the biggest impact if I help the kids out that will be creating our future world. If I can help the kids of the next generation then maybe my influence will help more than just those few kids I see every day. Plus ever since I can remember people told me I need to be doing a job that helps children. I want to be able to make a difference in the community, and if I can help the kids, then I know I’ll be helping the community. Being a student at Wilmington College will help me fulfill these values and skills, but the thing that
...ucation but minor in Special Ed. This will give me the opportunity to help children like the student at College Park Elementary School.
Putting into words how I feel when I’ve made a difference in someone’s life is almost impossible. It’s something I feel deep inside and very passionate about. Working with geriatrics and terminal patients is where my passion lies. Maybe it’s because of my close relationship with my grandparents. I honestly don’t know. One thing I know…I’ve always loved the elderly. I was always the little girl wanting to visit and talk with them when my friends were off being typical children. Nearing the end of one’s life is a difficult and emotional time for everyone involved, and it’s my desire is to make this transition as smooth as possible. Applying to the social work program is the first step of my journey to achieving my ultimate goal…becoming a geriatric social worker.
... for problem reduction and prevention and I can help students create meaningful lives for themselves with the partnership of their families, the community and schools.
The MSW degree along with my bachelors in psychology gives me a great opportunity to build my career as a social worker who will strive to act as a leader and empower others to help those in need. When I have gained efficient experience and expertise in my role as a social worker, I want to educate others on child welfare and family violence. Sharing knowledge and educating is a boundless way to make an impact and promote resilience within the
I have chosen social work as a profession because of my passion to help others. I want to make a difference in someone’s life and help them through the problems they are having. Whether the client needs counseling, guidance, or advocacy I want to be the person to help them. My drive for helping others and motivation to change social policies for the better is why I have chosen social work as my future profession.
Volunteering made me find my career plan in sociology / Social Worker. With a college degree in one of these areas, I hope to impact my community in ways. First, with the knowledge from college, I hope to counsel with young people& adults. In today's society, there are so many negative things that influence adults & young people. I want to help them understand the importance of setting goals and striving to become great citizens. I also want to give them a sense of hope that with perseverance, they can become great role models for other adults &young people by
While volunteering there, I was placed in a local long-term care home for the elderly. This experience was highly beneficial. Working along side, nurses, care aids and other health care professionals was my first view inside the “system”. Volunteering at the Care Home, did not necessarily make up my mind on the field of social work but solidified my desire to work in the field of human services. I learnt from this experience at the hospital how profound my compassion for others truly was. It was not until my first year of college, that I started to volunteer with an organization that I am still with today and absolutely adore volunteering with. That organization is the Vernon Women’s Transition House in Vernon BC. I started off by filling in for employees who met in weekly meetings. While on the floor, I met many women who were in a place of ‘in-between’ and safety. This experience was eye opening. After a brief stay out-of-town, I returned to Vernon and again volunteered with the transition house – this time in another program: Support to Young Parents. This is an incredible housing program where young mothers who have fled abuse (potentially without the resources or parenting skills they truly need) can live long term. This apartment consists of 6 units, with the 7th unit converted into a resource and common space. The program
As I grow older, I will attempt to create a life that I can look back on and think, “That was a life worth living.” Recently, my boyfriend’s grandfather passed away. He knew that his last day was near, but he kept saying that he was not sad, for he had lived a long full life (Matthew Morel, personal communication, February 2016). Contrarily, my grandmother, who is still living today, is obviously in a state of
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 finding the means to satisfy their needs.
My interest in social work stems from a love of volunteering that I possessed ever since I was a young child expressing great enthusiasm for church and school service events. As I grew older, I began volunteering for many other community events, such as serving over 200 hours at a local hospital, helping with free cancer screenings, and fitting children with free bike helmets. I even created my own donation drive for a local women’s and children’s shelter. I feel the best when I am striving to create positive changes in my community and for struggling, marginalized individuals. Social services have been a part of my life for a very long time, and I want it to continue to be on a professional level.
Many people spend their lives wondering what their purpose on earth is, but for now, I understand my own. My life purpose is to lead and support a family with tradition. This is very interesting to me because I do not have my own family yet. As I thought more about my life purpose statement, it became more clear to me why it is, what it is. There are two men in my life that I have looked up to and tried to follow their leads, those two men are my dad and my Pop-Pop. Neither of these men ever had the greatest job in the world, they never had the nicest car on the street, and they never put themselves first. These two men have the largest hearts for family that I have ever seen. For 50 years my Pop-Pop was a barber, he brought home just enough money to support his family and never had anything extra for himself. However, that is not what made him special, his family never knew that they were poor, they never knew that my Pop-Pop skipped a meal everyday and this is because he did it willingly. Family was the most important thing in his life; he did not care about his social status. His family was always put first and that was his life purpose; he led his family. The same goes for my dad, just not to the same extreme. My dad worked three jobs and barely slept for the first five years of his marriage. He didn’t have a glamorous job or any extras but his life purpose was, and still is, to support his family. He does it willingly
Since the start of freshman year, I have collectively “clocked in” about 260 hours of community volunteering. My volunteering ranged from helping the elderly at a local nursing home, to helping elementary students with homework at after-school programs, and assisting with church retreats. In addition, I just completed a week-long missionary trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where my group and I helped care for and play with young children at a local orphanage. While volunteering, I have seen many children whom I've assisted grow into intelligent young adults, and while helping with the elderly, I have noticed the great amount of joy and happiness that they experience during my visits.