hey guys. please rip this apart. any help is greatly appreciated.
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At some point in each of our lives, we will fall down. This can be taken literally as in when a toddler has a skinned knee, or figuratively as when a senior has just lost their spouse and whose life has just lost definition or purpose. However, it is in these moments, when personal strength is weakened and resolve cannot be found, that we depend on those that surround us to help us get back on our feet. When that circle of family, friends, teachers, or community is absent or can no longer help us, I believe it is the job of a social worker to attempt to lift that person up. I believe that however small an impact it may seem to the greater good of the society by helping these people, that there is definition, purpose, and behind it all, respect in doing so. These moments require selflessness, empathy, and an understanding on the behalf of person in the role of helping the other. I not only believe that I can take on that role, but I am positive that I want to.
I began to take an interest in social work after my first semester at Erie Community College in 2003. It was there that I studied Sociology, Psychology, Ethics, etc., and began to understand the thoughts and feelings that had consistently bothered me throughout my adolescence and early-adulthood. My father was a diagnosed bi-polar alcoholic, and was a tyrant of a man. Although not normally physically abusive, he was verbally abusive to me and to both of my younger sisters. My mother preferably ignored it, when she was not the brunt of it, and spent most of her time when not at work face-first in her gardens and romance novels. I tried when I could to absorb most of the insults and ranting as to try to save my sisters from the worst of it, but admittedly I got out as soon as I could. I joined the United States Air Force three months after graduating high school. While in community college I began seeing a social worker for depression and was soon diagnosed by a Psychiatrist as having bi-polar disorder. Along with my schooling, my counselor brought to the surface many things that helped me come to terms with who I was and give me the social skills needed to progress through that personal hardship. There are others, but this is the most important reason as to why social work appeals to me. As children my sisters and I had no one there to help us through that hardship, and I want to know that there exists people out there now that can and will.
I graduated with a degree from UB in Sociology in 2006, and I promptly moved to Taiwan to teach ESL at a medical university. It was at the same time in 2003 I was finding my interest in social work that I was also to teaching. Ultimately, I would like to combine my background in Sociology with my MSW degree and my love of teaching to work at problem-solving in urban minority communities. I have chosen this path over a Master's in Sociology/Cultural Anthropology/Psychology as those degrees focus more on methodology, theory, statistics - preparing a student for research. Although I understand how essential all three are to an MSW degree I work best with individuals in a face-to-face, hands-on type of atmosphere.
To say the two-and-a-half years I was in Taiwan were not transformative would be an understatement, as to be completely immersed in a language and culture so alien is to change the person itself. Everything seemed new, exciting, intimidating, and completely foreign. What I can bring to my department, fellow students, and UB, is the same thing I brought to Taiwan - the acceptance of my own ignorance, and the pursuit to learn from that naiveté.
I was lucky to have started at college at 25 years-old as I feel most of my education would have been wasted on my 18 year-old self. I am also thankful for my school counselor who had faith in me that I could handle graduate courses while still being an undergrad. What I retained from those courses was the understanding of the importance of specificity, objectivity, and structure in academic writing. I breezed through most of my courses at ECC and UB, but those graduate courses challenged me to become a better student. Absorbing and understanding much more material requires a constant diligence in studies.
While teaching in Taiwan, the hardest thing was in trying to break was the language barrier. With only speaking survival Mandarin I was forced to learn to communicate orally in very clear and condensed terms, as well as in non-traditional ways. Whether it was one-on-one or in classrooms with thirty students, oration was the most important part of my job. My favorite experiences, however, were working in the classroom with children whose imaginations were still intact. Whiteboards, acting, puppets, games, pictionary, etc., all became necessities of my lesson plans to maintain the students' focus. It was a constant challenge to create effective ways that created a bond between teacher and student, and that was both stimulating and informative for everyone involved.
I have chosen to apply at UB not only because Buffalo is my home, but because of the people I personally know who are in the program and have told me how much the degree will mean for their personal growth as well as in their future careers as social workers. I am excited to start my studies this fall, and I hope you feel I would be a positive addition to the program and the school.
Thank you for your consideration.
