The choices we make early in life have an enormous impact on our future. I have always known that I wanted to directly impact people’s lives and my personal experiences have set me on the school-counseling path. In the future, I would love to influence another generation of students to soar for their dreams. During the past three years of college, my interest in counseling has been affirmed through a variety of experiences. One important experience that influenced my decision to pursue a career as a school counselor was my involvement in my community service sorority, Chi Delta Alpha. Through Chi Delta Alpha, I volunteered on several occasions, among them I babysat children to provide parents with a night off; I was responsible for a group of elementary students as they experienced college classes and I painted a caboose for a local playground. A theme that has remained constant throughout all my different experiences is that making a difference in a person’s life is a rewarding experience, and I know that I desire a career that enables me to support high school students as they face difficult situations. Another experience that has shaped my decision to become a school counselor has been my continuing work with VCU’s Addiction and Women’s Health: Advancing Research and Evaluation (A.W.H.A.R.E.) Research Team under the direction of Dr. Dace Svikis. With the A.W.H.A.R.E. Research Team, I work with at-risk pregnant women. I have had the opportunity to inform women about our studies, conduct interviews, and enter data into the SPSS dataset. However, more importantly I have witnessed the struggles faced by people with limited resources. Through my experience, I know that my interest lies in directly influencing individuals to b... ... middle of paper ... ... 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 accelerated school counseling program with the yearlong internship is another reason I am interested in the University of North Carolina. The yearlong internship will be the most beneficial aspect of the program because of the opportunity to fully develop relationships with both students and staff, as well as have the opportunity to handle a wide range of issues that occur during a school year. I look forward to attending graduate school for school counseling. Attending the University of North Carolina will allow me the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to aid students facing a variety of difficult situations. I am ready to take the next step in my career as a school counselor.
The American Counseling Association is the largest professional counselor association in the world and serves over 56,000 helpers by providing resources and tools to utilize for best practices in the counseling field (ACA, n.d.). As an ACA member, professional counselors have access to professional journals, webinars, forums and other mediums that can strengthen and enhance helping skills and best practices. It would be of great advantage for both graduate students training in a counseling field, as well as professional counselors working in their field to take advantage of the being a member of the ACA.
I hope to leave NC State as a young adult who is ready and prepared to enter society with a determined mindset and hard work ethic. I believe that I will be perfectly capable of achieving my goals and and aspirations as an NC graduate, and will graduate with the experience to take on challenges that may await me in a future career. Although I am still unsure of my desired field of study, I am confident that I will be able to discover a career path I will enjoy through the Exploratory Studies college. I am excited to enroll as an undergraduate student at NC State, and look forward to the opportunities ahead of me in the college of Exploratory
Through my experiences, I have come to the realization that I would like to be a school social worker. I have persevered in spite of the disadvantages I had early on in life. I displayed my commitment to social justice, leadership abilities, and have been awarded as Program Director of the Prison Justice Project. Lastly, at Cunningham Children’s Home I learned what it means to be a social worker in a diverse community of children. My experiences have made me certain that being a school social worker is the best decision for my life.
Over the years, Ms. Tracy Thomas’s passion for counseling and working with children has increased. She has dedicated all of her spare time to youth of different ages and races in her community. Her ultimate goal is to help motivate and inspire children, between the ages of ten and eighteen, to make better decisions to live a better life, and be prepared for adulthood and the real
Helping children and families through mentorship and guidance has been extremely fulfilling for me. Completing my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy will strengthen my ability to make a significant impact on people’s lives. I would especially like to provide services to rural areas where support may not be available or limited. Through a strong education, vast life experience and excellent training I will be better prepared to assist individuals and families achieve their highest
Deciding to become a Student Guidance Counselor was not a fly by night decision. I did a great deal of reading and research before making a decision. I knew once I started a graduate program in School Guidance Counseling, it would be both challenging and a commitment until the end. I am somewhat nervous about this new journey that I am about to partake; however, I am ready to accept the challenge and make the commitment. I am a newly licensed teacher and there will be areas and terminology which I am not familiar. But, what I have found out thus far is that a teacher and a student counselor have quite a few things in common. They both work with other teachers, parents, school administrators, and the community in an academic setting. The skills I have acquired as a preschool director and teacher will be integrated into my career as a guidance counselor. I will have the skills to guide and enhance the social, academic, and personal growth of my students by using a variety of strategies which will be my primary goal. I will be able t...
My experience as a Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) student has been commendable as well as an inspirational landmark. The mere fact that VCU allowed me the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree in social work, offered me a reviving spirit that I did not know was lost within myself. Each day I spent on campus was encompassed with cultural heritage, friends, challenges, and resiliency.
Sometimes individuals consider becoming counselors after overcoming some major life challenge such as addiction or a history of bad relationships. Perhaps an individual has encountered a particularly effective counselor or therapist and has a desire to follow in those footsteps. Others may have had a bad experience with counseling and concluded that it can be done better. People do not think of this work so much as a job, or even as a career. More typically, a constellation of life experiences that demand explanation and a sense that others seek one out for assistance and emotional sustenance become driving forces leading one toward the counseling profession” (An invitation to). .
At this time, I became a group leader in an after-school program for a 3rd-grade class. This was my first time working with children and as imagined, it was a tough transition. The students were Latino and African American, living in poverty stricken neighborhoods with a dysfunctional home life. The program focused on students who were at risk of retention. A large number of students were below average and had been recommended to receive extra academic support. As a result of my time spent working and learning with the students, I choose an educational path.
She expressed the honor and privilege it is to pour into the lives of young ones especially those lost and trouble. LaToya emphasized how sometimes you are not playing the guidance counselor but their mommies, which really highlighted the compassion and genuine caring concern for her students. Which provided me with the reminder that your career pathway should not rely on socioeconomic factors but more of a view of where our heart and intentions lie. Additionally, we discussed her schooling experience while pursuing her master’s degree, she had self-doubt with questioning her abilities just myself, however, what eradicated the negativity is experience gained through interning as well as faith. We closed with words of empowerment and motivation instilled in me to further continued education for master’s degree and licensure just as herself. Overall, this interview was associated with benefits such as clarity, wisdom and purposeful reminders. This entire interview revealed the profound impact being a human service profession has on society and
Growing up in a society where there are so many opportunities, I had no problem figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. I have always enjoyed helping others in any way that I was able too. From babysitting, raking leaves, serving as a volunteer for a number of organizations, no matter how big or small the need, I have always found it gratifying to help others. I ultimately recognized that I had to pursue a career in something that would allow me to help others, while positively giving back to the community. The heavy influence of wanting to help others comes from my very own personal life experiences, which have greatly impacted my career choices. These experiences include being an adopted child, volunteering within my community, serving as a resident assistant and
Besides my warm and nurturing personality, one major strength I bring to the helping situation is my background knowledge from prior experiences related to helping. Since my freshman year at the University of Maryland, I have continuously volunteered at the Help Center. The crisis hotline provides emotional and social support for individuals in vulnerable and difficult situations. I am familiar with how to use some of the concepts utilized in helping situations such as reflections and restatements. I have also served on the Student Counselor Advisory Board. I advertised and educated students of the University of Maryland on the Counseling Center ‘s services on campus
I am a recent graduate of Union County College, where I earned my associate's degree in Liberal Studies, with a focus on Sociology. This fall, I elected to continue my education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Rowan University. Additionally, I will work to attain my Master’s Degree in clinical psychology, this imminent challenge will allow me to develop the necessary skills needed to become a successful counseling psychologist.
As a high school draws nearer and nearer to finishing and the college is just around the corner I am beginning to realize why I am going to college in the first place. At first glance I just want to graduate with an undergraduate in communication disorder and get my masters in Speech Pathology. Graduate and make money. That's the answer I hear from many of my classmates. After thinking past the obvious answers I start looking towards my goals, visions, and aspirations. My ultimate goal will be to help as many people as I can. Children mostly. After going through a different type of therapy and volunteering in the therapy division of the hospital I know how important therapy is to people who need it. If I can help children in school, development
Counselors are able to advise more students through planned activities (Ordsmyth, 2002). There is also the need to support students through the transitional stage between significant events. Preparing a student to enter a four-year college, two-year college, military or job force is crucial to their future success.