I am applying to the Master’s in Social Work Program because my goal is to improve the lives and enhance the well being of individuals that are discriminated, disadvantaged and poor. I want to help others maximize their potential and steer their lives in a positive direction. I am particularly concerned about helping change the lives of our most vulnerable individuals troubled and neglected youth. However, I want to be a social worker to make a positive difference in their lives and help them function more effectively with their problems. I am a thirty four year old woman who struggled and overcame being homeless. When I was homeless, having an advocate and an mentor helped me connect with employment services. But first I needed someone to meet me where I was and treat me with dignity.

I had a mentor that taught and guided me in my life. The impact that she had on my life inspired me to want to help others. I want to use that knowledge and understanding I have gained to assist people in changing their lives. I believe education is the key to being able to do that. Specifically, a Master’s degree in Social Work would put me in the greatest position for achieving my goal. A social worker on Skid Row in Los Angeles started me on a path toward healing my own life. She provided me with constant support and a sense of hope. Six months later, I found a job as a youth counselor at H.V. Group Home, a residential treatment facility, working with incarcerated youth who were mostly minorities. I am deeply concerned by the high incarceration rates in our society, specifically the way youth lead the way in going to jail, rather than going to college or working. It is my sincere hope to contribute on how to best counsel and care for at risk youth. My research interest focuses on troubled youth, especially those at risk of spending their young adulthood behind bars.
In my job as a youth counselor, my primary responsibility while working was to serve as a positive role model for adolescents aged twelve to fourteen. The adolescents encountered issues such as physical and sexual abuse, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and problems with the law. At times, my job could be extremely stressful. I focused on several areas of treatment including their social skills, coping skills, and independent living skills. My main goal was to help them build their self-esteem and improve their sense of security.

The adolescents were physically assault and self-harm themselves. It was during these critical situations that I would experience problems in knowing what the best clinical approach was to use when a child was self-harming. I would like to have better tools to help these kids when they are in crises and know whether the interventions are supported by the literature. I hope that with the aid of the Master’s degree in Social Work, I can achieve that. I want to be able to help them in their time of crises and teach them the necessary skills the kids will need to transition into a more independent way of living. These youth need all the attention we can give them in order to prevent recidivism, especially African American and Hispanic males, who tend to continually come back into the system. If you were to grant me the privilege of studying in your program, I would like to research the recidivism rates of African American and Hispanic juveniles and young adults. I hope to contribute to our understanding of how we can improve the quality of lives of these individuals.

In my life, I have set my own guiding principles. Although I can talk about my biggest principle, inspiration. It can come in a multitude of forms, but mine comes in the form of service. As a career, I want to be a social worker, helping the poor, the hurt, and those whose lives have dealt them a bad hand. I have always lived by the motto “do unto others as you would have done to you”, and feel that the best way to do this is by furthering the ideal of social justice in the way I live and work. Social justice, as I see it, is the value system that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of every human being and the right of everyone to be treated fairly and with respect. When we as a society truly endeavor to see the world through the eyes of the less fortunate, we can empathize with and understand one another. Only when each and every individual of a community is afforded the same level of dignity and respect can a society truly be called civilized. Those who cannot demand social justice for themselves must have a voice to demand it for them. It is my hope that by earning a Master’s degree in Social Work I can be that voice.