Social Work Identification Report

I am grateful to have arrived at this moment, with a confidence in my capabilities and an awareness of my place in the world, within the field of special education. My experiences in social services direct practice have led me to the realization that I am first and foremost a teacher, advocate and mentor. As I meld my social work skills with special education, I welcome the challenges that accompany entering a new field. My ultimate intention is to connect with anyone I encounter, personally or professionally, driving me to explore learning opportunities and grow a deeper understanding of humanity. Thereupon, I have traversed this path by way of choosing the notoriously least desired (among staff) after school learning center site to work at

Risk factors include current or past substance use disorders, CPS involvement, teen pregnancy and parenting, homelessness, past trauma, mental health issues, aged out of foster care, etc. Moreover, I have been the primary developer of our new street outreach program, targeting pregnant women who are struggling with homelessness and/or substance use disorders. As a parent educator, I facilitate psycho-social parenting classes, prenatal groups, and one on one meetings in the home. I have developed a passion for supporting parents through the myriad of splendor and strife that arises with the parenting experience. My experience building relationships with parents through intense situations prepare me with a unique skill set valuable to the special education field. As an educator, I will strive to bridge a student’s learning environment in the classroom with that in the

Aligning with my principles, my academic and professional goals are within areas of significant need. Academically, my goals are focused in researching learning disabilities and behavior disorders, examining effects of trauma on behavior and learning, dropout prevention/intervention for English learners and reading interventions with culturally and linguistically diverse learners. I have chosen to pursue graduate work with UT Austin’s Special Education Master’s program because the faculty possess expertise in areas of multicultural education and learning for students at risk. For these reasons, I am particularly interested in working with Dr. Jessica Toste. I desire guidance from one who offered an alternative perspective of self injury in at risk youth and illuminated promotion of relational resilience in working with youth under these circumstances, as Dr. Toste contributed to the chapter, Understanding Adolescent Self-Injury from a Resilience Perspective: A Model for International Interpretation in the book, Resilience in Action,