My interest in social work developed through a variety of experiences.

During my
adolescence, I encountered situations which exposed me to the realities of child maltreatment
and the importance of child welfare agencies such as Child Protective Services. The experience I
encountered when my cousins were taken from their household by CPS and placed into the
homes of other relatives left a lasting impact; however, it was only the very beginning of my
interest in social services. I continued through my high school years knowing that I was
interested in a career which would involve working to better life for others; however, I was not
considering social work as that career. I pondered pursuing a career in medicine and dentistry,
but finally settled on psychology; choosing this as my major after spending some time in college
classes. I began to look more extensively into social work when I considered transferring
schools. One of the schools I considered offered a BSW program that seemed most fitting for me
at the time. At this point I still planned to continue on and attain my PhD in psychology after
attaining a BSW degree. I was not as educated about social work as I needed to be. My interest in
social work began to grow when we were discussing job opportunities in my abnormal
psychology class. My professor was heavily involved in research and was very open in
addressing that he understood research was not always everyones top interest. He then went on
to inform us that if we were more interested in clinical practice than research, social work may
be a better fit. I decided to talk to my professor after class and he strengthened my knowledge
about the field of social work, leading me to do further research. I began to think that perhaps
social work was a better fit for what I wanted out of my career. I continued to consider this
option for the next few months. My final decision to switch my major from psychology to social
work was made when I took part in my first service learning experience. During my sophomore
year at the University of Michigan I participated in a service learning class that allowed me to

work with at-risk youth ages eleven to eighteen. My classmates and I traveled to the facility once
a week for one semester and we were able to participate in various activities with the children,
helping them explore options for their futures. Seeing the impact that we had on some of these
children and hearing their aspirations for their future and desire to overcome the hardships they
had faced finalized my decision. I then knew for certain that I wanted to pursue a career in social
work and likely, one that would allow me to work with children and help them work to improve
their futures such as we had with these children. As this story shows, the development of my
interest in social work was a long journey, but resulted in a well-thought out and very certain
decision that this is, in fact, what I believe to be my calling.
Looking back, I can now see that I often engaged in social work related tasks without
realizing that they were social work related. Throughout my life I have made attempts to
volunteer and give back to my community in any way that I could. As I entered high school I
began to realize the true importance of giving back. This is when I began to engage in most of
my volunteer work. During this time I volunteered with the Red Cross, United Way of Jackson,
American Cancer Society, and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative of Jackson. These
experiences allowed me to interact with a variety of individuals and begin to understand the need
for change and development within my community. After entering college I continued my
volunteer work, spending time fundraising and volunteering with Dance Marathon at the
University of Michigan. This allowed me the opportunity to work with a disadvantaged
population of children who are at risk of being unfairly treated due to their disabilities and status
as children. In addition to this, I have engaged in service learning opportunities at both Starfish
Services in Inkster and also at the Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in
Jackson. These are experiences that have helped to shape my interest in the field of social work
and will also prove beneficial in my future work as I have been able to walk away from these
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experiences with increased knowledge and additional skills regarding how to effectively work
with diverse populations.
In addition to these volunteer experiences, I myself encountered a special experience
which I feel may help me to relate more easily to certain situations within the field of social
work, specifically those related to child welfare. During my young childhood, I underwent an
adoption process. While this was merely a step-parent adoption and I was still raised by my
biological mother, it was an experience that opened my eyes to the significant influence that a
loving home and stable family can have on a child. As I aged I progressively came to realize how
positively this adoption had affected my life. My hope for my career is that I will be able to assist
other children in achieving the same positive change that I did.
I believe that I hold qualities which will positively impact my future positions within the
field of social work. I am a hard-working and dedicated individual who commits herself to her
work, both academically and professionally. Therefore, I will remain committed to my role as a
professional and to my work with clients. I am also compassionate, which will prove to be a
beneficial trait while I am engaging in work with clients. Additionally, I will bring my value of
integrity with me into the field of social work. This value will keep me acting as a trustworthy
student and professional. Overall, I feel that I can bring many positive qualities to the field of
social work as I evolve from a social work student and intern into a licensed and practicing social
worker qualities that will assist in ensuring my clients receive the services they need and I
continue to evolve into the most competent and effective social worker that I can be.
In addition to these traits, I also feel that personal values and beliefs are compatible with
the professional standards set forth in the NASW Code of Ethics. I am committed to working
with clients in a respectful fashion in order to help them address their needs and work to
overcome problems they may be facing through their own self-determination. I feel that I will be
able to remain mindful of individual differences and take this into consideration when working
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with clients. If I do encounter a conflict between my personal values and the requirements of the
profession I will do my best to put my personal values aside and work in a manner that is
consistent with the values I am expected to uphold by my profession. I understand that as a
worker I am expected to work for the improvement of society and my client population. Because
of this I will do my best to consider my clients views and choices and do all that I can to
improve their lives and the condition of my community, even if that means setting aside my
personal values for some time.
Upon completion of this BSW program, I hope to continue on to graduate school and
attain my MSW. After this my hope for my professional career is to work with at-risk children
and adolescents, providing them with the appropriate resources in order to help them become
functioning adults in the future. I hope to be able to make a difference in the lives of these
individuals and them to lead successful lives.