Personal Statement 2

Personal Statement 2

Author: Tony.

Social work is my most preferred career choice. I do deeply value my social environment and as such I plan to contribute to its progress by availing quality services. This requires me to acquire more knowledge in social work. It is for this reason that I am applying to study social work at The Graduate School, Fayetteville State University.

My interest in social was aroused by my personal experience and the social circumstances that I grew up in. I was raised by a single parent, and this has enabled me to understand the problems faced by people who have grown up - or are growing up - in a single-parent home. My experiences have also enabled me to understand the perspectives that such individuals have towards life and life challenges and how they relate to those challenges. Moreover, I do understand the limitations and challenges that face people who have limited access to information or are ignorant of current government programs, directives and mandates. My family was unable to receive any form of government assistance because the income of my mother slightly exceeded the minimum threshold income that qualified a family to receive government assistance. However, there were other government programs that could have qualified my mother to receive some form of assistance from the government, but she was not aware of them. My mother was therefore forced to raise her two children without any help from the government because of her lack of knowledge about the different programs that could have benefitted her. My interest in social work was also sparked by an incident that happened to one of my best friends. She was raised under the foster care system, and the parents that were assigned to her used to mistreat her frequently. Her assigned parents never allowed her to participate in normal childhood activities or even allow her to interact with her friends. Her foster parents assigned her to the farm where she was overworked to the point of utter exhaustion. Not only was she unable to actualize her potentials, but she also lived a life of suffering and misery as a result. To make matters worse, she was unable to receive any help from the social services sector because she did not know who to contact, and the social workers were stationed slightly far away from where the girl lived. Thus, the social workers who could have assisted her were unaware of her case. This incident made me to make a resolution that I would strive to be a social worker so that I can be able to voice the concerns, fears and worries of the underserved people or the weak members of the society who are unable to speak for themselves. Additionally, during my studies, my interest in social work was further augmented by the realization that social services not only provided child protection services and housing for the poor, but that the services offered and the activities done by social workers do contribute to an improvement in the healthcare system and also contributes to the educational achievement of the community.   The social work course offered by The Graduate School does cover all my areas of interest. This study will broaden my knowledge and also increase my understanding of topics relating to social services. This will go a long way into improving my skill sets thereby enabling me to provide quality services to the community.

I have completed my graduate studies. my undergraduate studies were at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Greensboro, North Carolina) where I did my Bachelor of Arts Psychology and Liberal Studies and completed it in 2010. Thereafter, I furthered my studies at Webster University (Fort Bragg, North Carolina) where I did and completed my Master of Counseling Family and Life.

I have also worked in fields related to the provision of social services. I am also a well-rounded person as attested by my work experience. My work experience is described below. From August 2007 to December 2009, I worked at Forever21 in Greensboro, NC as an associate store manager and my main responsibilities were reporting of sales of merchandise; and, bill change, deposits, and cash handling. I also worked closely with the marketing department with regards to sales of product. I also coordinated with other departments regarding the merchandise sold. Taking everything into account, I can conclusively state that I was able to meet the targets set by the company. From August 2008 to May 2010, I worked at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University as an administrative assistant, whose responsibilities were database management for quality assurance, management of students’ information, preparation of financial documents and maintenance of the filing system, planning and scheduling meetings; and utilizationof computers to check account balances and payment status of existing accounts. From August 2008 to January 2011, I worked at Hayes Taylor YMCA East Market (Greensboro, NC) as an associate teacher who supported the regular classroom teacher in the implementation of lesson plans, and also kept the teacher informed of specific requirements or problems faced by individual students. I also performed a variety of non-instructional duties; copied, organized, and filed materials for distribution to students, and even assisted to take care of classroom equipment. From April 2011 to May 2013, I worked at Healthkeeperz Fayetteville as a CNA1 whose responsibilities were to prioritize the specific needs of each patient, while maintaining a safe, secure and comfortable environment. I also took and recorded temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates; and the food and fluid intake and output, as directed. Moreover, I monitored and reported the patient’s condition to the attending physician and nurse in order to ensure that the patient’s health was maintained at the optimum. Furthermore, I also assisted tracheostomy/ ventilator-dependent patients to perform a range of motion activities, and I also repositioned, transported and lifted my patients as the situation deemed necessary. Finally, from May 2012 to January 2013, I worked at T&T Services in Raeford, North Carolina as an associate professional whose responsibilities were case management, continuous monitoring of the health and well-being of individuals served by direct observation, relaying verbal feedback from support associates and the daily review of Event Notes, ISP Goals, communication logs, MAR’s and Over the Counter Medication Records. Moreover, I ensured that individuals served did receive prompt medical care for any emerging health concerns. I also coordinated the work of the staff team on assigned shifts in order to ensure that each individual serviced did receive the needed support services. Additionally, I learnt about the interests, preferences, support needs and skills of each person served through direct interaction, observation and insights from other staff team members and patient relations.

I have also volunteered at several places such as Hayes Taylor YMCA where I volunteered as a teacher assistant who worked with children from single parent family, as well as from low income homes. I also volunteered at Purcell Funeral Home where I assisted grieving families, answered calls, scheduled appointments and maintained funeral service records. Likewise, I also volunteered at Lebaure Health Care where I availed my services to the patient care support team.

            I am keen to study at your university because it offers excellent education and educational experience which would mold me into a motivated individual with exceptional communication and organizational skills; and also into an experienced professional with comprehensive strategic planning and implementation skills along with a firm commitment to making a difference in the society. At the university, I would like to focus my studies in fields that concern provision of social services.