Personal Narrative: Growing Up In Ghana

During my junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Arthritis walk in Philadelphia. Volunteering at the event allowed me to gain deeper intellectual engagement and also influenced my future career. At the event, I had the opportunity to meet several people who suffered with Arthritis. When observing the many effects that Arthritis had on people it widened my eyes to the lack of healthcare in society. By the end of the day a lightbulb went off in my head and I knew for sure that I wanted a career in medicine. I was certain that a career in health services was for me because each person with arthritis warmed my heart and my mind began wondering about endless ways to better their situation. Since I was a young girl I was sensitive, caring, and always trying to find a way to help someone out of a bad situation. There are

My life's journey is aspiring to further my education to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) as well as acquiring the credentials for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Upon achieving a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, I plan to apply my skills in a rehabilitation setting focusing on individuals with disabilities. My goal is to make an impact in the lives of many families and to empower these individuals to strive to their fullest potential. Furthermore, I find it gratifying helping individuals reach their goals and most importantly their dreams. I am currently working with the community and volunteering with the Autism Services Clinic at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Assisting children with special needs has been an exceptional

Initially, when I was looking for an internship to fulfill my Health Science 4975 class, I was trying to find an opportunity in a hospital or outpatient setting in physical therapy. It became apparent that that would be harder to accomplish than previously estimated. What I did stumble upon though, was a post for interns at Tiger Academy of Gymnastics looking for people to work with kids with various mental and physical disabilities. I chose this internship because even though I was not in a formal physical therapy setting, I would still have the opportunity to help kids improve their mobility, and social interaction. Furthermore, I would be doing this under the supervision of an assistant teaching professor at the University of Missouri, who taught physical therapy related classes.

After graduation, I committed myself to learning new things and more importantly to try things that intimidated and frightened me. While doing so, I searched for and found a way to make a change in the lives of those who needed help the most. I became a career advisor for one of Washington D.C’s largest workforce development projects. I was tasked with the responsibility of teaching DC’s welfare population the essential skills needed to progress in life, and succeed in the workforce. Having overcame being a learning disabled student, and traumatic brain injury I was

When my high school years rolled around, I made a few Liberian friends. By my sophomore year, I was not ashamed to be seen with them. Slowly, I started saying I’m Liberian when people asked me my ethnicity. No more of, “My dad is black, and my mom is Liberian.” I started telling people that my favorite food was rice with stew and pepper chicken. To a young mind, it was quite liberating, but it was not full-fledged by any means. I still hung on to my Black associations. I would still hang around my Black friends, most of the time. Even though I was making progress with accepting my heritage, I was still attached to the Black community. I mean, I grew up in North Minneapolis; the Black epicenter in Minnesota. Growing up in the rougher neighborhood

After her time at the habilitation program, she moved to Colorado. Her first job in Colorado was at the Rise School of Denver, which “provides services to children with and without disabilities through an inclusive education model.” During her time at the Rise School, the executive director of Adams Camp reached out to her and provided a job description that immediately captured her interest. She rapidly transitioned into the Adams Camp environment and found her home. Jordan has the opportunity to serve 350 families every year in both Adventure Camp and other therapeutic programs that is offered by Adams Camp. But, it hasn’t all been an easy road for her at Adams Camp. She voiced, “With an aging population, we are tasked with creating age appropriate services for all. The other challenge is finding more empowering opportunities for our population.” Most people with developmental disabilities can live a long and fulfilled life, but their special needs vary by age. At the moment, Adams Camp prioritizes younger clients in order to prepare them properly for their futures. But because Jordan is so dedicated to improving the lives’ of others, she

However, due to my experience volunteering at Forest View Center, my decision to work in occupational therapy has brought me even more joy. Throughout my life, I really enjoyed being around children and older adults. However, through my volunteer experience, I recognized that I would also have to assist those individuals who were middle aged. This seemed challenging, as I had not previously anticipated working with this age group. Nevertheless, I was able to relate to these people as well, allowing this instance to become a growing experience that I was pleasantly able to overcome. This made me certain that I could overcome any challenge in this field that I may be faced

In addition to working as a Residential Direct Support Professional, I am a senior at Queens College, majoring in Psychology. Currently exploring new opportunities, my objective is to further my career in an organization that offers the opportunity to assist those with developmental disadvantages. My desire is to bring about a difference in someone’s life, to aid and support them in their decision-making and daily life skills, and to facilitate changes in the community on their behalf so they can live meaningful lives.

Once in college, I began to struggle. It wasn't until I registered with Disability Support Services, and got the support I needed, that I began to thrive. Once I became more comfortable with my level achievement in school, I began spending my time advocating for mental health issues as well as rehabilitation services. With Active Minds, I raised awareness for various mental health issues ranging from anxiety and depression to eating disorders

As my research mentor, Dr. Cormier provided guidance on how to improve on my professional communication, writing and presenting skills. I would later use these skills and the knowledge I learned while working on the project in my internship at the Governor’s Office of Adoption and Child Protection (OACP). It was this experience in fact, that I was able to use to connect with a professional that became a partner of the OACP on the 30 Days of Amazing Children initiative. The initiative I worked on as an intern. The initiative was a statewide adoption campaign, that promoted the adoption of Florida’s foster children. The professional who I was able to develop a connection with, ran the local Children’s Medical Services (CMS) office, and her focus and interest were on mental health disorders. By being able to chat briefly with her on the subject, I was able to open the waters to the OACP’s proposal of having the CMS offices participate in the initiative by showcasing children with severe medical

My plans are to give back to my community by working as an occupational therapist at our local hospital, the Fairfax Community Hospital. My strengths are definitely housed in my communication skills, and I love being an aid to others. This career will fulfill my desire to encouragingly help individuals gain independence. One day when there was no school I spent my day job shadowing the occupational therapist at the Community Hospital in Fairfax. My interest of becoming an occupational therapist came from my mom. My mother is a nurse at the Family Medical Center in Rock Port, Missouri. My interest has never been medical, but my mother suggested this career for me because of my personality. Being an aid to others is my dream career. Helping one

If I could work, things might be easier but after suffering a severe injury, it limited my ability to support myself. For these reasons, I need all the support I can get. I am on a different career path now; one that won’t require strenuous physical challenges but will allow me to return to gainful employment. My short term academic goals include the completion of my AS, and my long range goals include the development of a multi-faceted business that will aid individuals with physical disabilities (Assisted Living Facility) and that will also help facilitate the needs of our city’s homeless population. Being disabled myself helps me to understand how hard it is for these individuals and how important it is for them to receive help. Because I have a strong background as a Certified Nursing Assistant, I will be able to readily identify the needs of my patients, and to maintain highly professional staff who will provide adequate and professional nursing

Higher education was the necessary foundation women needed in order to be recognized as valuable members of society. However, females often received inadequate schooling. A traditional education was aimed

My first goal was to learn more about how to work with, support, and help people with disabilities. Along with this goal, I wanted to become more familiar with the experience of working with this population. I am studying to become an occupational therapist and am currently interested in working mainly with disabled children. I am also interested in the elderly population, but through this experience at Windsong Equitherapy and some shadowing at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, I am leaning towards working with disabled children. Aside from this goal, I also wanted to learn how parents and families with disabilities cope with having a child with special needs and the effect this has on the

There have been many different experiences that have helped shape the pursuit for my Master’s degree in Human Services. For example, being a current employee of the field, as well as being an undergraduate student who will be graduating soon has helped me decide that this is what I want to do. I now have a strong desire to promote a better quality of life to those I care for. As an employee in the Human Services field, I assist the people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and I have come to witness many of the hardships that they experience in their everyday lives. Just a few of these experiences can range from restaurants not being accommodating to their needs, to people wanting to stare, and even doctors not wanting to see them simply because it can be challenging at times.