Criminal Justice And Social Work Personal Statement

My desire for a career in law enforcement started while pursuing my undergraduate degree at the University of Central Florida. As a freshman biology major with hopes of becoming a Radiologist, it did not take me long to realize the medical field was not for me. Peers in my classes had a passion and interest for the material that I did not possess. My grades poorly reflected the type of student I was. Realizing it was time for a change, at the end of my sophomore year I started seeking guidance. Unbeknownst to me, my disinterest in the curriculum was a major contribution to my poor performance. I completed career assessments and sat with academic counselors in several different areas of study. I was feeling more confused than ever because Criminal Justice courses often sparked my interest, but I hesitated due to the dangerous nature of police work.

I began my social work studies over twenty-five years ago at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. I never questioned my decision to pursue a career in social work; I loved my classes and worked hard to learn as much as possible. But the information I gained in undergraduate school simply opened the doors of my education. Most of my learning has come through constant questioning, personal research, and especially through work and life experience. Through these experiences I have encountered the challenges faced by individuals, families, and society and have been able to further access and develop the innate personality traits and abilities that originally led me to study social work as well as learn and practice the many skills necessary to be a successful mental health counselor.

y work and personal experiences have influenced my decision to go back to college and my degree choice greatly. I would like to attain my degree in Criminal Justice to further my goals in the career I have already begun. Having over 8 years of experience in the youth correctional field, I am confident in my decision to further my education in criminal justice. I started working for the Division of Youth Corrections (DYC) in 2007 as an Administrative Assistant and through training and dedication to the victims I served, became a Certified Victim Advocate through the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance. Part of my responsibilities included assisting victims through the critical stages of the adjudication process. I attended court hearings,

As a child, I always wanted a career enforcing the law. Weather it was with the police department or criminal justice was undecided at that time. As I grew older I pulled more to the fence of criminal justice. Simply because I do not like the way the system is set up.

Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi once stated, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. This simple yet powerful quote motivates me to remain steadfast in the mission of aiding others. I’m pursing a Masters in social work because by working in this field, I can educate, advocate, motivate, understand, and encourage resilience to clients from every walk of life. It is a profession that will allow me to practice both on a micro and macro level simultaneously. Lastly, working in social work gives me the capacity to challenge policies affecting disadvantaged communities.

One thing that I have always been certain of when it comes to my future is that I want to inspire, help, and have a positive impact on as much people as possible. I want to fight for those that have no voice and create any necessary social change in my community. The field of social work would help me accomplish that. Social work is a broad field where I would be able to work with various populations of people throughout the community ranging from children to the elderly. I believe that by pursuing a master’s degree in social work I will have a sense of deep satisfaction knowing that I will be prepared to face any obstacle in my future as a social worker. I am aware that social work can be challenging but knowing that I will be able to advocate for others that are helpless and fight for social justice will be very rewarding. I first became interested in social work seven years ago, after my aunt and her husband decided to become foster parents, I would help my aunt take care of the children, and they were all very sweet kids that I will never forget. My aunt and her husband were given the opportunity to adopt a 5-year-old girl and shortly after were able to adopt her newborn sister. It was a very joyous day for our family when the adoption was finalized. During that time I met their social worker, she was a very kind and knowledgeable woman that inspired me to pursue a career in social work. I admired how passionate she was about her job and how much she enjoyed making an

To work in the field of criminal justice, whether with rehabilitating offenders or in research analysis, has always been a goal of mine stemming from the beginning of my undergraduate studies at Lakeland University. It is in the Reentry Unit of the Department of Corrections, that there is the emphasis to work with offenders in order to reduce recidivism with the focus of providing support in educational programming, skill building, and goal planning to prepare offenders for community reintegration. Overall, the Reentry Unit of correctional system is an integral portion that provides a pathway for offenders to reintegrate.

I am pursuing a graduate degree in social work at this time because there is a great need for social workers to enhance the social well-being of disenfranchised persons. When I was growing up educational, environmental, and economic inequalities in my neighborhood meant hardship and uncertainty for youth and families. Witnessing the unaddressed trauma from these hardships in the community became a growing concern for me. Social workers are needed to assist with remedying the plight of the poor and disenfranchised.

Receiving a Master’s degree has always been on my list of goals and criminal justice has always been one of my peak interests. I am currently employed as a caseworker at the York County Assistance Office. I have been employed through state for the last three years and recently have been promoted to a caseworker position. While searching for a criminal justice online program, I came across different colleges and universities. Saint Joseph University has become my top pick.

I am writing to express interest in appointment as a Core Faculty Member in Social Work at Walden University. Attached is my vita for your review.

My whole life I was raised believing I would become a doctor and uplift my family out of poverty. My mother worked two jobs to fulfill that dream. My eldest brother quit high school to fulfill that dream. My eldest sister gave up her dreams of college to fulfill that dream. One by one in some way or another all 7 of my siblings had to put their dreams aside, they had to make sacrifices so that I would have a chance of surviving in this world. And for the longest time I was doing things because it was expected of me. I was set on a medical path, not because it was a passion, but because it was an obligation. I started to resent it, and I had guilt stemming from all the sacrifices 8 people made so that I would have a shot of making it. I felt

Throughout my life, I have always loved helping people and enhancing them to be the best person they can be. My purpose for choosing to pursue social work as a degree is through the burning desire I have upheld to support individuals achieve their goals. I consider myself as someone who is keen on acquiring new skills and knowledge of understanding on a daily basis. This is due to my motivation and determination as those two things are essential to sustain as an individual. From previous experience obtained by working in a Care home & Nursery, I have always had a passion to guide individuals who are less able to do so.

I am a 19 year old college student who grew up in Aurora, Illinois. Right now I’m going to college at Northern Illinois University to pursue a degree in family and child studies. By achieving this degree, I hope to become a social worker, and eventually work with children in the foster system. Over the past 19 years many things have grown me into the person I am today. This last sentence is what I will examine through sociological imagination throughout this paper.

My goal for my undergraduate education is to graduate with a criminal justice degree in 4 years. With my degree, I want to help people accomplish living the most positive and productive lives with their given situation. Criminal justice and psychology have been my passion since I started high school. It is my perception that people who have committed felonies or other wrongdoings still have a good heart. Often criminals just haven’t had the resources or exposure to other situations that show them there are more options.

My entrée into the world of high-tech crime began innocuously in 1995 while working as a 28-year old investigator and sergeant at LAPD’s famed Parker Center police headquarters. One day, my lieutenant bellowed my name across the crowded and bustling detective squad room: “Gooooooodmaaaan, get your ass over here!” I presumed that I was in trouble, but instead the lieutenant asked me the question that would change my life: “Do you know how to spell check in WordPerfect?” “Sure boss, just hit Control-F2,” I replied. He grinned and said, “I knew you were the right guy for this case.”