Why I Want to be a Social Worker

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My interest in social work stems from a love of volunteering that I possessed ever since I was a young child expressing great enthusiasm for church and school service events. As I grew older, I began volunteering for many other community events, such as serving over 200 hours at a local hospital, helping with free cancer screenings, and fitting children with free bike helmets. I even created my own donation drive for a local women’s and children’s shelter. I feel the best when I am striving to create positive changes in my community and for struggling, marginalized individuals. Social services have been a part of my life for a very long time, and I want it to continue to be on a professional level. My interest persisted and grew as I began to see how my efforts had the ability to improve the lives of people around me. I first noticed this on a personal level as friends would come to me for advice or for me to listen to their struggles and provide comfort. No matter how mundane, horrific, unique, or common the story was, I listened to them in a genuine and non-judgmental manner. I truly enjoyed hearing people’s stories and providing comfort and advice when needed. These moments helped me realize the power of simply being there for someone, and it increased my interest of pursuing a career where I can support those who need it most. I want to become a social worker so I can provide direction to those who may not be able to get it from other sources, just like I have done for various people throughout my life. Another reason I am interested in social work because it allows me to be an advocate. This is something that I took seriously on a personal level in high school. Growing up in rural Southeastern Idaho, many LGBT members of m... ... middle of paper ... ...in particular struggled greatly with his drinking, and I provided him with all the resources and support that I possibly could, including staying up all night with him as he told me his hard past that he dealt with through alcohol. Despite my efforts and his statements that he wanted to change, he kept turning to alcohol. I learned that at the end of the day it needed to be his decision to get past this problem, and putting my sanity on the line was not going to make him change no matter how badly I wanted him to succeed. Realizing this was liberating and put me on the path to being a more successful social worker. I hope as I’m admitted to the social work program I’ll be able to have further opportunities to turn my weaknesses into strengths, fine tune the strengths I already possess, and have more experiences that will prepare me to be a successful social worker.

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