Bullying Personal Statement

Although I was fortunate to have had a healthy and loving upbringing, which included caring parents, financial stability, and many opportunities, such as always attending Catholic schools, I was the victim of bullying in junior high. This is not something any person should have to go through, especially when it is done by your closest friends since preschool, the ones you always thought would be there for you. Over a three year period, they spread false and degrading rumors about me to other students in my grade. Every day became increasingly difficult, due to never knowing how much laughter, teasing, and whispering would go on, plus it eventually resulted in eating my lunch in the bathroom. I was overwhelmed and looking for solace from the few friends that stood by me, but the sadness started to consume me. Consequently, I struggled with low self-esteem and feelings of isolation at a young age. While unaware of the possible detrimental effects of

In particular, I conducted a workshop on bullying and self-esteem for children and mentored a middle school student who had been bullied. After several years of seeing a therapist in middle school, I was really inspired to possibly go into a career field where I could help other children who had been bullied or going through family difficulties. Although I was still rather young, I started researching ways to become a counselor and began looking at colleges that offered strong psychology or social work programs. I was immediately attracted to the courses I would be taking, as well as the general subject matter. In my mind, I knew that this would be exactly how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. Therefore, my long-range goal is to become a licensed independent clinical social worker in order to help those who may be struggling in any