Every day many of us come across inspiring quotes throughout our lives that always uplift and guide us in emotional times. The greatest quote that I have come across is by the influential author himself, Mark Twain. He states, “The two most important days in a person’s life is the day they are born, and the moment they figure out why.” These words have lingered in my brain not only for the truth that they inspire but for a while, I felt lost and did not know what I wanted to have as a career. I eventually had the moment that Mark Twain acknowledged that is important, I realized I wanted to help people. Most importantly, be the reason why a child is finally safe or the person that helps bring a broken family back together.
Freshman year of college started in 2015 at Arkansas State University- Jonesboro but transferred due to family issues going on at the time. Having to leave was tough, but transferring to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock also helped me reach my goals. Starting at UA-Little Rock in the spring of 2016, I quickly involved myself with extracurricular activities such as Student Government Association, Maroon Mob, and Chi Omega. In Chi Omega, I gained countless leadership roles in the two years that I have become a member. Campus activities director became my first role which involved coordinating different events on campus with the members of the chapter. After completing that role, I became the chapter treasurer, which dealt with the chapter’s finances and any income that came in. Finally, serving as chapter president became my last leadership role of my undergraduate career. Being the president of a sorority, I have gained more leadership skills and valuable life lessons than I ever thought imaginable. Holding responsibility for multiple people and having each of them look up to you for guidance and reassurance is a remarkable experience. Diving right into extracurricular activities has given me multiple connections in Little Rock. For the past three years, I have been working at Miss Selma’s Schools through a connection I made in Chi Omega. Working at Miss Selma’s brought the inspiration to work with children and adolescents to my attention. Each child that I have connected with on this job, all have various home lives. I have realized that several children need support and comfort at school when they cannot receive that need at home. Working with these children up to ten hours a day, five days a week has given myself the passion and love for a career in social work. Having the opportunity to help children by giving them a change in their life is what I look forward to in this career choice. Working the past two years at 40 hours a week, holding various leadership roles, and being a full-time student has been tough. However, I have learned how to better manage my time with assignments, be a go-getter, and have the drive to know what to achieve in my career. These skills will give myself the best advantage in completing graduate social work well.
When it comes to guiding and mentoring people, values and ethics play an extensive role in social work. These values and ethics need to have priority in the job every day to successfully help clients with their social needs. According to the National Association of Social Workers, there are six important values and ethics that social workers need to follow that pertain to their career. Service, social justice, dignity and worth, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence all need to work together to excel in the profession. Being able to combine all of these values and ethics, will let clients know how valuable they truly are. Offering your services at times when clients cannot afford it, shows that your goal is to help people with social problems. As a result, when each of the values and ethics are not properly used, then it is not a job well done.When it comes to guiding and mentoring people, values and ethics play an extensive role in social work. These values and ethics need to have priority in the job every day to successfully help clients with their social needs. According to the National Association of Social Workers, there are six important values and ethics that social workers need to follow that pertain to their career. Service, social justice, dignity and worth, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence all need to work together to excel in the profession. Being able to combine all of these values and ethics, will let clients know how valuable they truly are. Offering your services at times when clients cannot afford it, shows that your goal is to help people with social problems. As a result, when each of the values and ethics are not properly used, then it is not a job well done.
Having the leadership skills from Chi Omega, has taught myself valuable skills that I would probably never would have learned. Injustices for people are everywhere in today’s world. Making it unfair, but it is there, and it is a social workers job to help fix the problem. Seeing first-hand how social injustices become a problem in a person’s life. In the spring of 2018, while president of Chi Omega a member of my sorority posted a viral video of herself using derogatory language against a particular cultural and ethnic diversity. After spending hours in meetings, letters addressed to the public, and a speech given in front of the student body, I learned that this was nothing new to people who experience it every day. Some of the members did not understand why the video became a big deal. I wanted them to learn from injustice and the best way to learn is by understanding the effects it has on certain cultures and ethnicities. The members completed 20 hours of lessons over cultural sensitivity and the members that we have that are from different countries, spoke to the rest of the chapter about their cultures. Lately, I have noticed multiple times that Greek life can be the cause of oppression and every time they make a certain culture out to be a punchline to a joke. I would love for every Greek organization to once a year complete a cultural appreciation training class so that they can have better knowledge on the issue.
Becoming a social worker would bring change to every client that I come in contact with. While growing up, I did not have both parents in my life to raise me. Unfortunately, my mother left me with my grandparents to raise me until I was eighteen years old. At nine years old, I dealt with losing my father to a horrific crime. Thankfully, my grandparents put me through therapy where I learned that I was not alone in this world and there are plenty of people that care about my well-being. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be a light in someone’s eye and be able to help them. After completing the MSW program, I would like to work as a social worker, but eventually becoming a therapist for abused or neglected children. My therapy helped shaped me into the person I have become today, and I hope to see another child getting to experience that feeling when their world is dark and grey.
