My Life Experience

For the majority of my life, I had been shy, even though it didn’t seem like it most of the time, I was scared to death when I met new people. I know that it sounds extremely trivial, but I feel that when you first meet someone, you’re ultimately giving them their first impression of yourself and that is a lot of pressure. It seemed almost certain that I would lead a life of being a social wallflower until March 2017, more specifically, March 28th, 2017. This day was and still is important to me because I learned how to be confident, and through my experience, it taught me something that I will hold onto forever. Prior to this day, I was an extremely introverted person and rarely went out of my way to make friends. As a volunteer at day

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.

When applying to the social work program I knew that it would be a rigorous curriculum. I also knew that I had to also mentally prepared myself for the demands of the program. Over the past year, now I have been so challenged in school and have learned so much from the MSW program. When finishing my first year of grad school I felt confident and excited about entering my second year. I was even excited about starting to do therapy despite of knowing it would not be easy. Therefore, I knew that I would just have to try my best to put into practice my therapeutic skills. My passion has always been working with children and families, therefore, felt so thrilled to start this new journey as I knew I could possibly make a difference in someone’s

Within the past twenty-five years, my life experiences have led me to become passionate about social work. Although my journey in social work hasn 't been something I’ve always known I wanted to do when I was young, a combination of personal, professional, and academic experiences has pointed me into the direction where I am today. As the oldest out of four siblings, my family has always worked hard to get where they’re at now. Knowledge of my parent 's personal; as well as, their professional struggle of not having a college degree has led them to work hard for everything they 've received in their life. Acknowledging what my parents have gone through has pushed me to receive my Associates in Liberal Arts so that I will able to graduate with my Bachelor of Social Work in the Spring 2017.

Furthermore, I am extremely interested in attending the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work for its social work program. I have always been a clear advocate social work as well as policy to be prevalent in our society. The Hunter College Silberman School of Social work is historic in developing effective change strategies at the individual, agency, community, national, and international level.. Moreover, the Hunter College Silberman School of Social work students as well as faculty are fully engaged in policy and practice issues for innovation and change. This essential environment is the foundation that I want to learn and gain professional growth. In parallel, the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work has a diverse student

I have decided to pursue a Master’s degree in social work in order to provide the best services possible to the people who will be relying on me in the future. I know this is not an easy step; however, I am determine to get the best education possible for myself, my parents who have never attended school, my fiancé who has set his education aside to support me emotionally and financially, and lastly for those who do not have access to an

Part I (Autobiographical Essay):  What were the significant factors that influenced your choice of social work? What skills and experiences do you have that will contribute to your success as a graduate student and social work professional? How is the GCSW a good place for you to build on those skills? 2 pages, double spaced, 12 point font

While working in W.I.C., I became aware of the need for substance abuse and mental health counseling in western North Carolina. Therefore, in April 2013, through grants offered to veterans, I returned to college to begin my education in social work with a concentration in substance abuse and mental health counseling. I had previously obtained an A.S. in Christian Education and found that the knowledge gained through those classes was foundational and relevant to the social work field.

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to pursue a career in social work. Helping others is something I have always been passionate about and I hope to be able to make a difference in the lives of those around me. Throughout my life, I have always been the person my friends would go to when something was wrong and they needed to talk. Growing up, I also experienced close family members struggle with addiction and mental health problems. I have seen how damaging these experiences can be on an individual. I have also witnessed the effects these experiences can have on family relationships. My personal occurrences have instilled in me a further desire to become a social worker.

I come to Fordham University with expectations of completing my Masters of Art degree in Social Service. This will increase my chances of being a successful child Therapist. I am aware, prepared and committed to taking a advantage of all the necessary resources that Fordham University has to offer including tutoring. I am also prepared for any educational challenges that I may face during my completion of graduate school. My personal, academic and profession experiences allows me to continue my education in a Masters of Social Service degree program.

In applying to Arizona State University’s School of Social Work (ASU SSW) Ph.D. program, I aspire to peruse a career as a social work educator. I plan to use this platform and newly acquired skills developed with the university, to advance the field

I am currently a Psychology major at Brigham Young University. I am graduating in April 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Psychology and a double minor in Family Life and Gerontology. This coming December 2016, I will be applying to the Masters of Social Work program at both BYU. I hope to become a medical social worker and be employed in a hospital as a child life specialist or a therapist for cancer patients and families. I’m attracted to social work because I served a service mission for 18 months in Guatemala teaching ecclesiastical principles and providing service to hundreds of Guatemalans. I left my heart there and came back with a determination to help those in need. With my educational background and my ability to speak Spanish, I am confident that I will be able serve many people in need. I have been able to volunteer as a Hospice Relief Supporter, a volunteer teacher at the Utah State Hospital, a volunteer at the crisis line, and as the Volunteer Coordinator at Camp Kesem (a free summer camp for children whose parents are affected by cancer). The more I volunteer, the more experience I gain and the greater my desire for social work grows.

My interest in the social work profession became apparent during the fall semester of my junior year when I was enrolled in Social Work 205 and sociology. I had finally found subjects that I thoroughly enjoyed and academically excelled in. The events and experiences in my past and the current activities in which I am involved, have helped me narrow my studies to solely social work and has took part in shaping my hopes and plans for my first entry-level position in my chosen career after receiving my degree from WKU.

My motivation for applying to the MSW program stems from my passion to help children and families that have endured pain and/or suffering. Growing up I remember having to deal with workers from the department of children’s services every so often. They would come to my school to ask me questions and I would have to attend court hearings to see which parent I wanted to eventually reside with. As a little girl I did not understand what the system was like since I did have options. However, most are not as lucky and have to deal with the burden of their parent’s poor choices.

Every worthwhile journey begins with one step. My social work journey began when I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Utah in 2003. I thought my next step would be to immediately pursue a graduate degree. In my undergraduate career I had taken numerous classes from the College of Social and Behavioral Science and had done well in those classes. In my Social Work as a Profession course I had an assignment to shadow a social worker and write a paper about my experience. I chose to shadow my father-in-law, a social worker with over 30 years of experience, and in my paper I expressed my desire to go into the social work field. I knew I liked helping people. I knew I liked problem solving and critical thinking. I thought my 22 year-old self was ready to embark on that journey, but I wasn’t. I realize now that what I lacked at graduation was one crucial step… perspective. Over the past twelve years I have gained that much needed perspective and have taken many steps forward in my journey, and with those steps and that increased perspective, I now feel more fully prepared to begin my social work career.