Personal Background Statement Amia J. Pinckney Fordham University 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 …show more content…
My personal experience consists of me being a single parent with a special needs child. When my child was 3 years old, his doctor diagnosed him with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I was completely in denial after finding out about my child 's mental health condition mainly because of his young age at the time. However, I still took advantage of the early intervention services that his doctor recommended. As my son got older, he entered public school and his mental health condition seemed to be getting worse. During this time he had been diagnosed with a second disorder called Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). That 's when I finally came to terms with myself and realized I had a special needs child that needed extensive mental health services. This became a very important social issue for me, because it interfered with his learning capabilities and social interaction amongst his peers. As a parent, I started researching about the disorders because I wanted to educate myself and gain as much information as I could about the mental disorders my son been diagnosed with. Moreover, I started working with special needs children and completing required trainings that focused on children with emotional, social and behavioral issues. As a result, my personal experience became the main reason that fostered me to start working on a career in the Social Service
It was very gratifying for me to help and change the lives of these students. With my personal experiences, my passion for caring for these extraordinary individuals grew stronger. My purpose and vision in life are working with children, especially the mentally challenged; to get the help and support, they require to face the difficulties of life. By earning a Master’s in Psychology in Child and Adolescent Development, I will be able to provide the knowledge, theory, and best practices
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 first became interested in social work when I took a human rights course as a part of my political science major requirements. Throughout the course, I was fascinated and disturbed by the historic oppression of many large groups in society, and I realized my interests lie outside of the political arena; thus, I double-majored in social policy & practice because of my desire to learn more about how to enhance human well-being, fight social injustice, and pursue social change. I soon realized I wanted to pursue graduate social work education in order to gain a more holistic understanding of social problems and human ailments and, in turn, better understand the best ways to fix them. My background in political science and social policy gives me a unique perspective on the field of social work, as I have gained immense knowledge on social issues, the law, and public policy that will be useful in my graduate school and professional endeavors to fight for social
...l in an urban area. When working closely with students in the past, it was difficult knowing that I could provide extensive support but didn’t have the expertise. I 've explored different careers involving help children and their families but it always led back to social work. As a graduate student, I expect to be challenged as a student and a professional. I expect to learn all the different theories, practices and policies in place to properly help students. I look forward to the combination of coursework and practicums to enhance my skills. In retrospect, practicums can be the most challenging areas. To overcome this challenge, I’ve observed the school social worker at my current position and have developed a better understanding of the daily responsibilities. I am confident that I will succeed and to be able to help and advocate for students through social work.
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
Choosing a career is a very important aspect to people’s lives. One goes to college, usually around the age of eighteen, and by the time they leave they are expected to have decided on the career that they will have for the rest of their lives. Being a psychology and interpersonal communication major, I have always had an interest on relationships between individuals given certain stimuli presented to them. I want to have the ability to touch people’s lives by helping them understand themselves and why they behave the way in which they behave. Relationships are such an important aspect to the process of human growth, and they impact each and every one of us. Due to this assessment of myself, I have decided to go to college to pursue my goals of being a clinical social worker.
Brewster took classes involving social justice, organization, community, research, and critical thinking classes. His favorite classes were the social justice classes, because he is passionate about people’s rights, and he enjoys learning about the different ways laws and social workers can help make a difference in people’s lives. Once he began the master’s program at the University of Washington, he had to do two internships. One of his internships was at Ryther, an agency that works with families and children that have behavioral health problems. Since he enjoyed his internship at Ryther, once he graduated he got a job working as a child and family therapist. His work experience so far has been good, because he loves learning about the world with a broader view on how it works. One part of his job that has not made his working experience good is having to see and work with people that are in broken systems, because for him it feels like he can not
As a social worker, I have been able to use my skills I have learned in the field and my college education. I have values, beliefs, and ethics that I have used to center my social work career around. I also acknowledge as a social worker, I cannot push my values, beliefs, and ethics onto others. Every person does not share the same values, beliefs and ethics.
My current job as a Behavioral Intervention Specialist for Bakersfield City School District has motivated me to pursue my masters in social work. Working with troubled students on a daily basis has allowed me to see the great need for social workers at schools. Many students are not successful in school due to their emotional and social issues in their daily lives. I want to be a professional social worker so I can better understand behavior, trauma, and learn of more ways to assist the students at my school. I truly feel The Master of Social Work (MSW) program will prepare me to help create that change in the schools that is desperately needed.
For me, social work is a calling to bring advantages to the disadvantaged and my worldview is informed by my desire to do this kind of advocacy work. Being a foster youth, myself, I can speak to both micro and macro aspects of social inequality in this country. Moreover, my life experience has been both educational and motivating in my desire to pursue a graduate degree in Social Service because I have not only lived within the broken system, but I have also analyzed it through a variety of theoretical frameworks to better understand the problems and their solutions. My most purposeful consideration, the connection between educational services for foster youth and foster youth performance in higher education, has helped me to contextualize my own circumstances and provided me with a unique perspective through which I have been able to develop relevant and applicable solutions.
After completion of the social work program I would like to work in a clinical setting. I would really like to be in a mental health center or a hospital working with military members. I don’t have and preference on the kinds of issues that I would like to work with. As long as I am helping veterans, I will be happy. The reason that I prefer to work under these condition is because I have a passion for working with military members, since I am prior military I feel like I can relate to them and I understand what they are going through. I know that it is very hard for military members to talk to civilian about their problems because civilians just don’t understand, no matter what they say. I will be required to have a diverse set of qualities
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 becoming a social worker started at a very young age. I remember always possessing the desire to help people who were in need and have frequently being the person who others have approached when faced with difficult situations. Often, I felt as if listening was not enough. I remember feeling unequipped to help them. When I spoke about this career choice with some of the big influences in my personal life, I was told no matter what situation I have ever been faced with I have always managed to handle myself appropriately in what were, sometimes, delicate situations. Whether these situations were with complete strangers or people I have known for years, mediation, has been something that has come naturally to me. In addition to
My passion to become a social worker began when I was pursuing an undergraduate degree. From a young age because of my compassion and empathetic nature, I knew that I wanted to work inside the human service field. I wanted to use my personal characteristics to improve individual’s lives. Social work was my calling because of the many different areas in the field that are all primarily focused on making a difference. I am interested in clinical social work, working with individuals and families.
I obtained my Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree from India in the year 2006. As with most countries around the world, the emergence of social work in India was from charity aiming to eliminate poverty. Gradually it shifted from philanthropy to rights based approach and then to organized social work. Community organization surfaced as the most central method of social work practice along with practice of casework. Although social work is much more structured in nature now, it still operates along the conventional perspective of social work. Social work is not even recognized as a profession in India. An indicator of an occupation being publicly recognized as a profession is exhibited by